You’re at a barbecue. Someone finds out you’re in real estate. The energy shifts. Maybe it’s a subtle eye roll, or a story about their cousin’s terrible selling experience, or that half-joking comment: “Oh, so you’re one of those.”
Real estate agents consistently rank near the bottom of Australia’s most trusted professions — even below politicians, according to the Grattan Institute’s Ethical Behaviour Occupation Summary.
In 2025, our industry has stronger leadership, higher standards, and better training than ever before. Do agents still deserve that reputation — or is it time to change the narrative?
Welcome back to Edge Case — where we take controversial industry beliefs and properly debate them. No panel discussions where everyone agrees. No softball questions. Just structured debate with real data and genuine disagreement.
The Format
Dion Besser and Luke Evans flipped a coin to determine who picked the debate topic and who chose their side — affirmative or negative. The goal? Not to declare winners, but to explore every angle of an issue the industry usually tiptoes around.
The Topic
“That real estate agents still deserve their bad reputation”
How Edge Case Works
Six structured rounds:
- Opening statements (90 seconds each)
- Cross-examination
- Evidence and data presentation
- Direct rebuttals
- Final arguments
- Truth reveal (where they share what they actually believe)
Key Moments from the Debate
One side opened with a challenge to the industry itself:
“Until the industry embraces radical transparency and genuine accountability, scepticism is not just understandable — it’s justified.”
The argument? Over 80 media articles in the past year alone have focused on misleading and deceptive conduct across the nation. More damning: agents can’t shake the perception that they care more about transactions than relationships, evidenced by those who tout commission rates rather than client results.
The data hit hard: the Grattan Institute’s 2024 study places real estate agents towards the very bottom of ethical professions — even ranked below politicians by three points.
“That’s saying something about real estate agents”
The counter-argument?
“The stereotype of shady, untrustworthy agents is a relic of a time when the market was less regulated and information was scarce.”
The reality has fundamentally shifted: Victoria’s Underquoting Taskforce, Queensland’s new seller disclosure laws, and permanent regulatory bodies now identify, penalise, and publicise breaches.
The numbers back it up: in 2024, just 55 fines were issued across New South Wales for underquoting. In Victoria, between 2022 and 2023, only 48 underquoting infringement notices were issued — out of hundreds of thousands of transactions.
“When you look at the numbers of infringements versus the volume of sales, it’s less than 1%. Let’s stop judging the many by the actions of a few.”
But the other side wasn’t backing down:
“Every couple of years there’s recurring accusations in the media. If everything has changed, why is it constantly in the news cycle?”
They pointed to The Age’s analysis of 26,000 auctions, which revealed that more than half of properties sold above the advertised price range.
“That’s not definitive proof of underquoting — but it’s a clear sign the public feels misled.”
One particularly striking insight emerged during the debate: the Grattan Institute data shows that negativity toward agents increases with age.
“The more you sell a property and the older you get, the less you trust the industry.”
The Truth Reveal
At the 24-minute mark, both debaters dropped their assigned positions.
The reveal was nuanced. One argued that the industry has “one of the most incredible” support systems — training, leadership groups, and accountability structures that friends in law, accounting, and medicine don’t experience.
“The large majority of our industry are actually doing the right thing. We’re just losing the PR war.”
The other agreed:
“If you treat people like crap, you probably deserve your bad reputation. But for agents operating with six-star service, radical transparency, and direct conversations — they’ll shine through.”
The real issue? “You cannot stop criminal behaviour if somebody wants to act criminally.”
Ultimately, both Dion and Luke reached the same conclusion — but you’ll have to listen to find out what it is.
Why This Matters
This episode cuts to the heart of what every agent feels but rarely discusses openly: the weight of public perception, the gap between reality and reputation, and whether the commission-driven model itself creates an ethical dilemma that no amount of regulation can solve.
The debate offers frameworks for understanding why trust erodes and what steps can be taken to change public perception. In an industry built on trust, complaining about our stereotype won’t change it — only our actions will.
What’s Next
Edge Case will continue tackling the industry’s difficult conversations. Coming up:
- “AI will replace 50% of agents within three years”
- “Leaders still don’t tell the truth enough”
After watching, we’d like to know: Which argument did you find more compelling? What do you think the industry needs to do to change our perception?
Edge Case is a new debate series from Elite Agent’s Thought Leaders podcast, hosted by Samantha McLean. Each episode features industry experts arguing both sides of controversial statements to expand how we think about real estate’s biggest challenges.
Have Your Say
Do real estate agents still deserve their bad reputation?
Vote in Monday’s Edition of The Brief
Listen/Watch now
- YouTube
- Spotify
- Apple Podcasts
- … and on your favourite podcast player!
Connect with Samantha McLean
Connect with Dion Besser
Connect with Luke Evans
- Website
- The Agency
- Email: lukeevans@theagency.com.au
- Phone: +614 02 378 655
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