Backlash after real estate agent’s photo exposes ‘extremely difficult’ reality for Aussie home buyers

An Australian real estate agency has responded to backlash after sharing a photo depicting dozens of people lining up for a home inspection. The property duo were accused of “bragging”, however, they insist the image was shared to illustrate the challenges facing buyers right now.

The photo, taken from the front of a Balga property in Perth, shows a long line of people waiting to gain entrance to view the home, which was listed as accepting offers from $700,000.

“Market slowing down? Pffff, not a chance! We had the pleasure of meeting 120 people at our home opens today,” the caption from the agents, Perth Property Pair, read.

In response, hundreds of people weighed in, many offering harsh criticism.

Some who engaged saw the post as “tone deaf” in a housing crisis, with property prices rising exponentially across the board in Australia and vacancy rates at historic lows in many parts of the country.

Perth’s median property price is hovering around the $900,000 to $1 million mark for houses, showing sharp growth in recent years.

And in fact, almost every Australian city saw a rise in the median home price in 2025.

National dwelling values surged 8.6 per cent in 2025, adding approximately $71,400 to the national median home value by year-end.

Perth was the strongest performer with a 17.2 per cent to 18.4 per cent annual jump, officially becoming Australia’s sixth “million-dollar city” in the final quarter of 2025, according to Domain’s December Quarter Report.

It’s for this reason, responders argued, that the post may have been interpreted as boasting.

Perth agents respond to criticism

The Perth Property Pair pointed to the fact that in December, there were signs the pace was slowing, with Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra seeing median home values dip slightly during that month.

“We as agents saw less people at home opens during December and January, which had us assume the market may be calming down; however, after this weekend, we were proven it isn’t due to the number of people we met — hence this post,” they wrote.

The agency claimed the post was unfairly misconstrued. They said the big queue reflected the fact “we priced it from $700k”.

“We weren’t trying to make fun of the situation… the post was misinterpreted,” business partners Lisa Caon and Ray D’Costa told PerthNow.

“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.

“(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.”

Still, not all accepted the explanation.

“This is pretty sad,” one person wrote in response to the post.

“I am sure it’s a pleasure for them to line up, wondering if they will have a house to live in or not,” another echoed. “Housing your family shouldn’t be such an agonising, extensive and anxiety-inducing process,” said a third.

Yahoo News contacted the Perth Property Pair for comment.

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