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 criticised stereotypes facing his industry, including accusations that agents are only ‘in it for themselves’.

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

In the nearly 30 years he has been in the industry, he has heard many nasty prejudices about real estate agents.

“There are officers who fit the stereotype: they do it for themselves, not for their clients,” Cush told the Courier post.

“They don’t ask, ‘What’s the best thing to do here?’ – they want to make a quick buck.

“But as in most industries, people who fit the stereotype won’t survive. Or they’ll constantly change brands because they need to hide their mistakes and run from the past.”

Mr Cush, Ray White’s New Farm, Bulimba, Clayfield and Toowong offices, which he co-owns with childhood friend Matt Lancashire, won the award for the number one international multi-business network after achieving annual revenues of more than $1 billion.

He indicated that he gives back to the community by holding auctions for charity events and raising money for the local community, traits that critics of the housing market find hard to believe.

“For Matt, my work husband, and me, the biggest challenge is accepting that people give real estate agents a bad name, so we do everything we can to combat that stereotype,” Cush said.

Mr Cush (pictured) disagreed with accusations that real estate agents are only ‘in it for themselves’ and described the welfare programs he has for his employees that ‘help them deal with the fact that people will call them overpaid, real estate assholes’

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

‘When Matt joined me at New Farm in 2006, I realised he was also process-oriented. Over time, although he was painted with a brush like the rest of us, I knew I could really support him when things went wrong,’ Mr Cush said.

The duo started running their Ray White offices in 2017, offering their 160 employees access to an ice bath, sauna, personal trainer and marriage counselor.

“This is all about helping them deal with the fact that people are calling them overpaid, real estate assholes,” Cush said.

“My life has become infinitely better when I accept that most industries have a stereotype and that I can either be it or I can’t be it – and I choose not to be it.”

Mr Cush is the latest broker to defend his industry colleagues, following auctioneer Justin Nickerson, managing director of Apollo Auctions across Australia.

Mr. Nickerson argued that the much-criticized real estate industry is actually made up of caring and hardworking people.

“I know how the public generally feels about people in property, but I think they are just like any other profession,” he told Daily Mail Australia in July.

Justin Nickerson (pictured), managing director of Australia’s Apollo Auctions, argued that the much-criticised property industry is actually made up of caring and hardworking people

In Australia, real estate agents typically charge a commission of 2 to 2.5 percent of the total property sale price.

For example, if you sell a house for $1 million, you will pay approximately $20,000 – $25,000 to the real estate agent responsible for the sale.

Mr. Nickerson was responding to critics who believe real estate agents don’t do enough to justify their high fees for selling a home.

‘Within this profession there are fantastic and hardworking people, but there are also people who don’t do the right thing, just like in any other profession.

“I think the biggest misconception is that people just don’t care, that they’re just soulless in the way they do their work.”

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

“The vast majority of these people are hardworking and dedicated professionals, just like most other people in their day-to-day work,” he said.

Mr. Nickerson encourages potential sellers to take the time to do their research and find a good real estate agent who can get the best price for their home.

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

“The difference between choosing someone who is good at what they do and someone who is not, in this case, could literally be thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars,” he said.

“You need to do your research to make sure you go with someone who you feel is the best candidate to represent your home because he or she is your ambassador in the marketplace.

“And once you do that, you have to trust that person. I know that using the word ‘trust’ with real estate agents kind of goes against the stereotype that they’re sloppy and just trying to close a deal.

“But you have to trust what they say, because they are your eyes and ears for the market.”