An award-winning auctioneer has hit out at stereotypes facing his industry, including accusations that estate agents are only “in it for themselves”.
Haesley Cush, 46, has worked at Ray White New Farm in central Brisbane since she was 18.
After spending nearly 30 years in the industry, you’ve heard plenty of unpleasant stereotypes about real estate agents.
“There are agents who fit the stereotype: they only care about themselves, not their clients,” Cush said. Courier mail.
“They don’t ask, ‘What’s the best thing to do here? ‘ They want easy money.
“But, like in most industries, people who fit the stereotype don’t survive or rebrand all the time because they have to hide from their mistakes and run away 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 award for the number one multi-business network internationally after grossing more than $1 billion in annual sales.
He noted that he gives back to his community by auctioning off for charity events and raising money for his local community, traits that critics of the real estate market would find hard to believe.
“For Matt, my work husband, and I, our biggest challenge is accepting that people get a bad rap about real estate agents, so we do a lot to combat that stereotype,” Cush said.
Award-winning auctioneer Haesley Cush (pictured with his partner) has slammed critics of the real estate industry
Mr Cush (pictured) disagreed with accusations that estate agents are only “in it for themselves” and described the wellbeing programmes he has for his workers that “help them deal with the fact that people are going to call them overpaid, idiotic estate agents”.
She described the negative effect that industry stereotypes had on her business partner, whom she has known since she was four years old.
“When Matt started working with me in 2006 at New Farm, I noticed that he was also focused on the process. Over time, even though he was being painted with a brush like the rest of us, he knew that if things went wrong I could really support him,” Cush said.
The couple began operating their Ray White suite of offices in 2017 and offers their 160 employees access to an ice bath, sauna, personal trainer and marriage counselor.
“This is all to help them deal with the fact that people are going to call them overpaid, idiotic real estate agents,” Cush said.
‘My life is infinitely better for accepting that most industries have a stereotype and that I can be that or not be that, and I choose not to be that.’
Mr Cush is the latest real estate agent to defend his industry colleagues following auctioneer Justin Nickerson, director of Apollo Auctions across Australia.
Mr. Nickerson argued that the much-maligned real estate industry is actually made up of caring, hard-working people.
“I know how the general public feels about people in the property industry, but I think they’re the same as any other occupation,” he told Daily Mail Australia in July.
Justin Nickerson (pictured), director of Apollo Auctions, an Australian firm, argued that the much-maligned property industry is actually made up of hard-working and caring people.
In Australia, real estate agents typically charge a commission of between 2 and 2.5 percent of the total sale price of the property.
For example, if you are selling a home for $1 million, you would pay approximately $20,000 to $25,000 to the listing agent.
Mr. Nickerson responded to critics who believe agents do not do enough to justify their high fees for selling a home.
‘There are fantastic, hard-working people in the profession, but there are also others who don’t do the right thing, just like in any other job.
“I think the biggest mistake is to believe that people don’t care, that they have no soul in their work.”
Mr. Nickerson has been an independent auctioneer for 15 years and has worked with thousands of different real estate agents.
“The vast, vast majority of these people are hard-working, committed professionals, just like most other people in their day-to-day roles,” he said.
Mr. Nickerson encouraged potential sellers to take the time to research and find a good agent who can secure the best price for their home.
Real estate agents are often stereotyped as selfish and untrustworthy in the Australian market.
“The difference between choosing someone who is good at what they do and someone who is not good at what they do in this case can literally be thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars in your pocket,” he said.
‘You need to do your research to make sure you choose someone who you feel has the best chance of representing your home because they are your ambassador in the market.
“And once you do that, you have to trust that person. I know that using the word ‘trust’ with real estate agents goes against the stereotypical thinking that they’re corrupt and just trying to get a deal.
“But you have to trust what they say because they are your eyes and ears in the market.”
