Unpopular Opinions: The Dodson Protocol Edition

Industry Therapy Disclaimer: The following observations represent unfiltered industry sentiment collected from conferences, private conversations, and 15+ years of watching this circus. Your mileage may vary. Feelings may be hurt. Sacred cows will be barbecued.

PART 1: WHAT REALTORS ADMIT AFTER 3 DRINKS

The Unvarnished Truth

"Most buyers already know more than we do."

Zillow, Domain, PropTrack — clients arrive pre‑armed. We're not gatekeepers anymore; we're negotiators at best.

"Open homes are mostly theatre."

They're for sellers to feel progress, and for agents to prospect the neighbors — not to sell the house.

"Vendor‑paid advertising is a legal scam we normalize."

Half of it's unnecessary, but we pitch it anyway to control the client and bankroll our personal brand.

"We secretly root for market crashes."

Volatility = volume. Flat markets starve us.

"AI will replace 30% of agents — and most deserve it."

The lazy ones. The door‑knockers with scripts. The ones who treat buyers like cattle.

"Real estate 'ethics' is PR."

Ethics = whatever wins the listing without breaching legislation.

PART 2: WHAT AGENTS WHISPER ABOUT REA

The Digital Overlord

"REA didn't disrupt real estate — it monopolized it."

We swapped newspaper classifieds for a digital chokehold. Same prison, shinier bars.

"We market REA's brand more than our own."

Consumers think REA sells the home; the agent's logo is background noise.

"Premier listings are pay‑to‑win."

Buyers don't care — they filter by price, not placement. But we upsell it anyway to terrified vendors.

"REA built an empire on our content."

We do the work — copy, photos, pricing — they monetize it tenfold.

"Every agency wants to quit REA — none can."

We all complain in private, but REA owns 80% of eyeballs. No one jumps first.

PART 3: WHAT REA KNOWS ABOUT AGENTS

(And Doesn't Say)

"70% of buyer enquiries are ghosted in 48 hours."

We know your follow‑up rates, your pipeline lies, your churn patterns. We upsell you using your own neglect.

"You overprice to win listings, then quietly cut."

Our days‑on‑market data exposes every bait‑and‑switch.

"We see who actually closes deals."

Settlement + relist data = suburb‑level truth. Your glossy marketing can't hide your conversion rate.

"Your 'local specialist' act is fake."

Our geo‑tracking shows you haven't sold in half the suburbs on your business card.

"We're already profiling you for the brokerage we'll build next."

Every login, every habit — all feeding the algorithm to replace you.

PART 4: WHAT AGENTS KNOW ABOUT REA

(And Keep Quiet)

"Traffic ≠ intent."

47M monthly visits = tyre‑kickers, doom‑scrollers, and investors daydreaming. Serious buyers? A fraction.

"Data harvesting is hypocrisy."

We fund REA with our listings — they weaponize the data against us (valuations, rankings, mortgage arms).

"Pricing creep is relentless."

5–10% annual hikes while commissions fall. Even in downturns, REA raises fees.

"Customer journey hijack."

Our leads funnel into REA mortgages, insurance, and value‑add products — competing with us on our own dime.

"Everyone wants an alternative — nobody builds one."

The dream of leaving REA dies at the first vendor who says: "But I only look on realestate.com.au."

THE THERAPY SESSION ENDS

"The industry's biggest problem isn't REA. It's our addiction to comfortable lies."

We built this system. We fed the beast. We chose convenience over control.

And now we complain when the bill arrives.

The question isn't what's broken. It's whether we have the spine to fix it.

Triggered? Good.

This was designed to provoke. Share your own unpopular opinions below.

CPP41419.com.au

Content Warning: Strategic Provocation

Real Estate Agent Yapology & Unpopular Opinions

The Dodson Protocol Edition