PHOTO: Fraser Lack, a Melbourne-based residential agent
On May 6, 2021, an Instagram page with the handle @LordsofProperty posted a picture of a young man relaxing by a pool. He was wearing a business shirt, suit pants and shoes without socks, the unofficial uniform of real estate agents worldwide.
The man in the photo is Fraser Lack, a Melbourne-based residential agent, and the post is actually a screenshot from Lack’s personal account, where he uses the caption, “Everything is OK in the end. If it’s not OK, it’s not the end. Keep going.”
The post received just four comments and a few likes, but after two years of documenting Australian real estate agents Lords of Property now boasts over 70,000 followers.
The page gathered steam, poking fun at the outrageous, cringey and too-earnest nature of real estate agents. Unfortunately for Lack, who is not afraid of an inspirational quote and even has his catchphrase – “Be well!” – he became Lords of Property’s unwitting muse.
“It was bizarre. I had a private account and was posting a lot of inspirational quotes and motivational content. I just wanted to be energetic,” says the 25-year-old Lack.
“Then a friend sent the Lords of Property page to me and was like, ‘Do you know this is happening?’”
“At first, I laughed it off as a joke and just pushed it away, but my business coach explained it was essentially bullying and in the beginning, it was upsetting and hurtful.”
Lack was presented with a uniquely modern problem: what to do when the internet turns you into a meme without your permission?
“It’s a public forum where people just make fun of you, and because you have no attachment to it, you can’t do anything about it,” explains Lack.
The most obvious answer is to go underground, which is precisely what he did, switching off social media.
“Logging off helped for a while, but I couldn’t let it control me or how I live my life; I’ve always been incredibly ambitious.”
Rather than continue to rally against the page, Lack decided to lean into it. If they were going to send him up, he was going to serve it up.
“They [Lords of Property] were sharing my content, and their audience was growing, so I needed to level up,” he says. “I decided I wanted to be better, improve my presentation skills, and deliver speeches with more motivation.”
In one of his more memorable posts, Lack goes full Tony Robbins, unleashing a series of Lack-isms in quick succession.
“When the goal is clear, there are zero distractions, I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again you need to move different if you want different; old keys won’t open new doors and understand that whatever you’re not changing, you’re choosing.”
Once Lack decided to be in on the joke, he found it easier to wrestle back control, even monetising his newfound profile.
“Lords of Property were producing merchandise with my face on it; they literally sell a ‘Be well’ cap on their Shopify, so I wanted in on the action,” he says.
Lack began selling personalised greeting cards featuring his most famous quotes, with the bestseller being the “Lack Pack” (three cards for $30). Stock is currently sold out, and there are plans for an expanded merchandise line.
“The fact people want to buy a greeting card from me is so humbling, and it speaks to how the positives outweigh the negatives from this journey,” says Lack.
In further proof that internet infamy isn’t all bad, Lack is joining the latest season of Australian Survivor: Heroes vs Villains. Channel Ten approached the 25-year-old via Instagram, having noticed the reaction to his online profile.
“I thought about it for ten seconds before saying yes; I grew up watching the show and always wanted to give it a go,” he says.
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