Why this real estate ad has sparked outrage

An advertisement for a Sydney real estate agent’s ‘team’ has raised eyebrows after a female staff member failed to get a mention in the ad copy. 

The picture, shared to social media on Tuesday, shows McGrath Double Bay agent James Ledgerwood with his sales associate Ben Fraser, both of whom have their names and contact details listed.

Also included in the photo titled ‘The James Ledgerwood Team’ is executive assistant, Alina Setter, who is not mentioned by name.

The post has been viewed by more than 114,000 people with many taking to the comments to voice their disapproval Ms Setter was left out while Mr Ledgerwood is mentioned three times.

‘Everyone is named except the woman. Not cool,’ one person said.

‘Great PR to get a woman in the shot and not give her a name,’ another said.

‘Women make 70 per cent of real estate purchasing decisions. Marketing yourself in a way that is likely to annoy women doesn’t seem to be a very smart choice in my opinion,’ agreed a third.

‘No recognition of the executive assistant……. Who’d be the one doing actual work.’ added a fourth.

Others went so far as to label the ad ‘sexist’ and question if Ms Setter was the ‘token’ female there as ‘window dressing’ to balance the picture.

But, as one commenter pointed out, there might be another explanation for why there were no contact details listed. 

‘Is the woman a licensed agent? If not she cannot talk about real estate to buyers or sellers. She can do admin tasks like setting appointments but not allowed to even say how many bedrooms a property has.’

According to NSW Fair Trading ‘anyone who wants to work as a real estate agent in NSW needs a licence’.

An agent license allows the holder to sell, lease and manage real estate on behalf of clients.

Anyone without a license cannot act as an agent for a prospective purchaser, seller, landlord or tenant and cannot negotiate transactions like buying, selling, exchanging or leasing property.

It is unclear if Ms Setter has her real estate licence.

Mr Ledgerwood, a former Real Estate Industry Queensland (REIQ) Agent of the Year in 2014, welcomed Ms Setter on board earlier this year. 

He specialises in property in the Bellevue Hill, Bondi, North Bondi, Bondi Beach and Vaucluse areas and holds the record for selling the most expensive apartment in Bondi when he sold the Kew Penthouse in November 2022 for $8.4million.

Mr Ledgerwood and Ms Setter have been contacted for comment.