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Raising Professional Standards: Will Higher Barriers Protect Consumers or Choke the Talent Pipeline?

John Foong and Jacob Caine go head-to-head on one of the industry's most uncomfortable questions.

Samantha McLean Samantha McLeanDecember 11, 2025
3 minutes read

Does the real estate industry need higher barriers to entry to protect consumers, or does regulation stifle the diversity needed for innovation?

In this episode of Thought Leaders: Edge Case, Samantha McLean moderates a structured debate between two industry heavyweights on the controversial topic of professional standards. We stress-test whether higher barriers would elevate the profession or choke off the diverse talent pipeline the industry needs.

We are joined by two of the best resumes in real estate to argue the toss: John Foong, former Chief Commercial Officer at Domain (ex-Google, ex-Uber), and Jacob Caine, President of REIA.

There are no winners here, just exploration. We are looking for frameworks to help you think independently.

In this episode

  • The Trust Deficit: Why real estate ranks low in ethics and how low barriers contribute to systemic mistrust.
  • The “Google” & “Uber” Effect: How lowering standards in tech giants actually led to more diverse, high-quality teams.
  • The Kim Kardashian Question: If we let the market decide based on results, would influencers outperform qualified agents?

Key takeaways

Does raising professional standards reduce the talent pool?

John argues that standards are often a lagging indicator, particularly in disrupted industries. Drawing on his time at Google, he notes that when they required computer science degrees for product managers, they scared off valid talent. When they lowered the barriers, they didn’t just get more people; they got diverse, high-quality talent that didn’t fit the “cookie-cutter” mould.

“The more you raise the standards, the less talent you have… The more you regulate something, the more you project your idea of what good is.” — John Foong

Why is trust in real estate agents so low?

Taking the counterposition, Jacob argues that in talent-based industries such as professional sports and the arts, talent is the absolute minimum price of entry. In real estate, the door is wide open. He suggests that the industry isn’t losing talent because the bar is too high, but because it is too low – creating a perception of low professionalism that keeps bright people away.

“We have to make real estate a profession that they can be proud to enter, not one that they would have to defend.” — Jacob Caine

Can the “Uber Model” work for Real Estate?

The debate explores if the industry can function like Uber or YouTube – low barriers to entry but high algorithmic accountability. John argues that friction (regulation) is inversely related to innovation. However, the counter-argument is that, unlike a bad YouTube video, a bad real estate transaction involves “life and death” financial consequences.

“In the arts, you don’t get cast if you’re not a breathtakingly good performer… In real estate, that door is wide open.” — Jacob Caine

The verdict

While John argued that market forces ensure bad actors “get weeded out super quickly”, the debate ultimately converged on the reality that the high stakes of property transactions – comparable to medicine – demand higher professional standards.

Jacob anchored this view by contrasting real estate with the arts, noting that while “you don’t get cast if you’re not a breathtakingly good performer” in theatre, the industry’s “wide open” door actually repels elite talent rather than attracting it.

Acknowledging the need to “thread the needle” to maintain innovation, the guests concluded that the sector must stop being a haven for amateurs and instead become a “profession that [people] can be proud to enter, not one that they would have to defend”.

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Samantha McLean Samantha McLeanDecember 11, 2025
3 minutes read
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Samantha McLean

Samantha McLean

Samantha McLean is the Co-founder and Managing Editor of Elite Agent, Australia's trusted platform for real estate news, insights, and community connection. With over 20 years in sales and marketing across respected global companies, Samantha brings practical expertise and thoughtful leadership to the industry. Since founding Elite Agent, Samantha has grown the brand from a magazine into a dynamic media hub that includes the Elevate podcast, daily newsletters, and engaging industry events. Her approachable style and genuine curiosity have earned Elite Agent recognition, including multiple Mumbrella awards for excellence. Samantha is passionate about exploring how technology, especially artificial intelligence, can improve productivity and client relationships without losing the essential human touch. She regularly discusses these topics with industry experts on the Elevate podcast. She holds a Bachelor of Business from the University of Technology Sydney. Connect with Samantha at Elite Agent or aipoweredagents.com or visit her personal website samanthamclean.com.