Perth Real Estate Agency Forced to Defend Controversial Social Media Post
A prominent Perth real estate agency has found itself at the centre of a social media storm after sharing what many have described as a "tone deaf" post on Facebook. The Perth Property Pair, operating under The Agency banner, posted a photograph showing a long queue of prospective buyers waiting to inspect a property in the northern suburb of Balga.
Backlash Over 'Out of Touch' Property Post
The now-controversial post appeared on Saturday with a caption that read: "Market slowing down? Pffff, not a chance! We had the pleasure of meeting 120 people at our home opens today." The property in question was listed with offers accepted from $700,000.
The image quickly attracted significant attention, amassing more than 600 reactions and nearly 900 comments. Many respondents expressed frustration and anger at what they perceived as the agency's insensitivity toward Western Australia's ongoing housing affordability crisis.
Social media users were particularly scathing in their criticism:
- One commenter wrote: "And you're lapping up the spoils from their misery like the mercenary scum you are."
- Another stated: "Imagine being this tone deaf."
- A third added: "Glad your agency find this amusing."
Real Estate Partners Defend Their Intentions
Business partners Lisa Caon and Ray D'Costa have since defended their actions, telling PerthNow that the post had been "misconstrued" and "misinterpreted." The pair insisted they were not attempting to make light of the challenging property market situation.
"It was purely to let the public know the market is still extremely difficult for buyers because of the amount of people who are going through a home," they explained. "We had thought the market was actually having a bit of a turn and coming down a bit, but when we got to this particular home open and saw the amount of people lined up we were quite shocked by that response."
Affordable Properties Attract Massive Interest
The agents revealed that the substantial turnout was directly related to the property's relatively affordable price point in Perth's current market. With many homes now exceeding the $1 million mark, properties listed under $800,000 are attracting exceptional interest from buyers.
"We priced it from $700k with an expectation for it to land in the mid to high 7s," they said. "Anything under about $800,000 is getting extremely large amounts of people through the door. We have other listings on the market that are $1million plus and we are not getting that same kind of traffic flow at all."
This observation aligns with recent property data showing Perth's median house price surged almost 10 per cent in the December quarter to reach $1,087,762, according to Domain's latest report.
Agents Experience Both Sides of Market Pressures
Ms Caon, who is herself attempting to enter the property market as a single mother, expressed empathy with struggling homebuyers. "I have put multiple offers on properties over the last two months and I have not been successful because of the competition I am up against," she revealed. "I am also attending home opens with more than 50 to 60 people through, so I am actually experiencing it on the other side too and I totally get it."
Defending Real Estate Industry Practices
The business partners argued that real estate agents should not shoulder blame for the state of Western Australia's red-hot property market. They emphasised their role as intermediaries between sellers and buyers, with pricing ultimately determined by market forces rather than individual agents.
"We put a starting point on there for buyers and then it is up to the buyer to determines the value of the property, not us," they stated. "The fact there is multiple offers on property's and more buyers wanting to price in this price bracket, that is what is driving the prices up."
Despite the backlash, the pair decided to keep the controversial post online while providing a public response to "educate people" about market realities.
Addressing Privacy and Consent Concerns
In response to criticism about photographing prospective buyers without permission, Ms Caon and Mr D'Costa clarified that they had obtained consent from those in the queue. "When we took the photo of everyone lining up, everyone was very jovial and were laughing and going 'this is crazy'," they recalled. "They knew we took the picture... the people were certainly not there feeling deflated or homeless like a lot of the comments stated."
The incident highlights the growing tension between real estate marketing practices and public sentiment during Western Australia's ongoing housing affordability challenges, with social media amplifying both professional communications and community responses to property market developments.
