I’ve worked in the real estate industry for almost 30 years… this is the harmful stereotype that infuriates me

An award-winning auctioneer has clapped back at the stereotypes his industry faces, including accusations real estate agents are only ‘in it for themselves’.

Haesley Cush, 46, has worked at Ray White New Farm, central Brisbane, since he was 18 years old.

After spending almost 30 years in the industry, he has heard plenty of nasty stereotypes about realtors.

‘There are agents who match the stereotype – they’re in it for themselves, not their client,’ Mr Cush told the Courier Mail.

‘They don’t ask, “what’s the best thing to do here?” – they want an easy buck.

‘But like most industries, people who match the stereotype won’t survive, or they change brands all the time because they have to hide from their mistakes and run from the past.’

Mr Cush’s Ray White offices in New Farm, Bulimba, Clayfield and Toowong, which he owns with childhood friend Matt Lancashire, won the Number One Multi-Business Network Internationally after collecting more than $1billion of annual sales.

He noted he gives back to his community by auctioneering for charity events and raising money for his local community – traits property market critics would find hard to believe.

‘For Matt, my work husband, and myself, our biggest challenge is accepting that people give real estate agents a bad rap, so we do a lot to fight the stereotype,’ Mr Cush said.  

Mr Cush (pictured) disagreed with accusations real estate agents are only ‘in it for themselves’ and described the wellbeing programs he has for his workers that ‘help them deal with the fact people are going to call them overpaid wanker real estate agents’

He described the negative effect the industry’s stereotypes had on his business partner, who he’s known since he was four years old. 

‘When Matt came to work with me in 2006 at New Farm, I realised he was process-focused too. Over time, although he was painted with a brush like the rest of us, I knew if things went bad I could really back him,’ Mr Cush said.

The pair began running their series of Ray White offices in 2017 and offer their 160 employees access to an ice bath, sauna, personal trainer and marriage counsellor.

‘All of this is to help them deal with the fact people are going to call them overpaid wanker real estate agents,’ Mr Cush said.

‘My life is infinitely better for accepting that most industries carry a stereotype and I can either be it or not be it – and I choose not to be it.’

Mr Cush is the latest real estate agent to defend his industry colleagues following auctioneer Justin Nickerson, director of Australia-wide Apollo Auctions.

Mr Nickerson argued the much-maligned property industry is actually staffed with caring and hard-working people.

‘I know how generally the public feels about real estate people, but I think they are just the same as every other occupation,’ he told Daily Mail Australia in July. 

Justin Nickerson (pictured), director of Australia-wide Apollo Auctions, argued that the much-maligned property industry is actually staffed with caring and hard-working people

In Australia, real estate agents typically charge a commission of around between 2 and 2.5 per cent of the property’s total sale price.

For instance, if you’re selling a home for $1million, you’d pay approximately $20,000 – $25,000 to the agent responsible for the sale.

Mr. Nickerson responded to critics who believe that agents don’t do enough to justify their high fees for selling a home. 

‘Within the occupation there’s some fantastic and hard-working people but there’s also other people that don’t do the right thing, just the same as any other job.

‘I think the biggest misconception is just that the people don’t care, that they are just soulless in how they go about their job.’

Mr Nickerson has been an independent auctioneer for 15 years and has worked with thousands of different real estate agents.  

‘The the vast, vast majority of those people are hard-working and committed professionals, the same as most other people are in their day-to-day roles,’ he said.

Mr Nickerson encouraged potential sellers to take the time to do research and find a good agent who can secure the best price for their home.  

Real estate agents are often stereotyped as being selfish and untrustworthy in the Australian market 

‘The difference of choosing someone good at what they do and someone that that isn’t good at what they do in this case can can literally be thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars in your pocket,’ he said. 

‘You want to do the research to make sure that you go with someone that you feel is the best possible chance to represent your home because they’re your ambassador to the market.

‘And then once you do that, you do have to trust that person. I know using the word “trust” with real estate agents kind of flies in the face of stereotypical thinking which says that they’re they’re sleazy, and they’re just trying to get a deal.

‘But you do have to trust what they say because they are your eyes and ears to the market.’