Is it too easy to become an agent? 🤔

We convinced Jacob Caine and John Foong to flip a coin and argue the case.

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Elite Agent Editor
December 13, 2025

THOUGHT LEADERS
REAL ESTATE REIMAGINED

This week: Samantha McLean moderates a high-stakes debate between two of the sharpest minds in the business. On one side, John Foong draws on his time at Google and Uber to argue that raising standards can choke innovation. On the other side, REIA President Jacob Caine argues that higher barriers are the only way forward.

Should it be harder to become a real estate agent?

It's a question that divides the industry – and in this week's Edge Case, two sharp minds go head-to-head on whether raising the bar would elevate the profession or lock out the next generation of talent.

When considering the future of the real estate workforce, John Foong draws on a stark lesson from his time at Google regarding the struggle for talent.

On paper, high standards seem logical. But John argues that when Google demanded dual degrees, they scared off 80-90% of the population, resulting in a homogeneous workforce rather than a diverse one.

But how do you attract the best and brightest to a sector that the Governance Institute ranks so low on the ethics scale?

In this week's Edge Case, we strip back the polite conversation to ask if higher barriers would protect consumers or choke off the pipeline entirely.

Why hit play (30< min):

  • The Google Paradox: John reveals why requiring elite degrees hurt Google’s innovation, and how "lowering the bar" became their secret weapon in the chase for talent.

  • The Ethics Deficit: Jacob confronts the uncomfortable truth about the industry's reputation and argues that we need to build a profession people are proud to enter, not one they have to defend.

  • The Kardashian Test: A surprising debate on whether Kim Kardashian would make the ultimate agent, and what it reveals about the tension between strict regulation and the raw power of market-driven results.

Plus, much more.
– Samantha McLean

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