‘Two years in the making': 24-year-old real estate agent earning $300,000 reveals the hustle behind the success

News.com.au

02-07-2025

A young and determined real estate agent has revealed the rigorous hustle he puts in to earn $300,000 a year.
Ethan Forbes, 24, lives in Queensland. He starts his days at 5.30am and there's no limit to how long he'll work.
He has completed sales as late as 10.30pm at night because he is committed to his clients and works purely on commission.
If he doesn't make a sale, that means he doesn't earn any money, but he likes the setup as it drives him and keeps him accountable.
The hustle is intense, but Mr Forbes has never been afraid of hard work. When he was 22 years old he started a lawn mowing business and, through that, he worked closely with real estate agents, getting lawns up to scratch.
He met an agent with whom he really connected and also couldn't help admiring how he had a nice car, a nice watch, and a nice house while still being in his twenties.
'I got attracted to it for the wrong reasons, but as soon as I got into it, I realised how many hours you have to work to make it work,' he said.
'I've stayed in it for the right reasons.'
Mr Forbes doesn't turn his phone off; he's available to clients 24/7, and he works at least six days a week, always hustling.
He has made a name for himself in the area he sells in, but now he has gone viral.
He was recently stopped in the street by Getahead, an app that matches people with jobs, and asked his salary, to which he revealed he was earning roughly $300,000 a year.
Mr Forbes' salary admission spawned quite a bit of negativity, with people not impressed to learn that real estate agents can earn that much.
'You realise the industry is cooked when someone can walk into a job for $300k with a three day course,' one said.
'The hate in here is wild,' another remarked.
'He is absolutely not making that much,' someone else claimed.
Mr Forbes remains unbothered, telling news.com.au that he cleared $300,000, but made over $500,000 pre-tax.
'The income is insane and I'm extremely grateful for it but it isn't easy money. It is easy to get into the industry and not easy to stay,' he said.
The 24-year-old explained currently trying to focus on working less, as he has been so committed to the grind for the last two years.
He also wanted to make it clear that he loves what he does, he likes that his job involves him forming 'deep connections' with people and helping them achieve their goals.
'You're working with them so intensely. You list a house, then there's a settlement that can be 90 days, and you've got to sell it,' he said.
'I can work with clients for up to eight months and it is almost hard to say goodbye to them when the deal is done.'
Mr Forbes pointed out that, when he works with clients, he can speak to them every day, sometimes for months on end.
He is also attracted to the marketing side of the business. When he started it was a tough slog and he relied on self-promotion.
'I didn't earn anything for the first six months. When you are new no one has ever heard of you,' he said.
'No wants to give their house sale to a 22-year-old who doesn't even own a house himself.'
Mr Forbes had to, quite literally, knock on doors to get ahead.
His first client was an elderly man who had been struggling to sell his house for over six months.
Business wasn't coming to him so the young real estate agent went to the man's house, knocked on his door and told him he could sell the house for him.
He did that consistently for eight weeks until the man agreed to let him give it a crack because the house wasn't selling.
'It had been six months, and we sold it within three weeks. Obviously, I was bringing a lot of energy because I was brand new, and I was like, 'I'm going to make this work',' he said.
Once Mr Forbes got that first sale done and dusted he was pretty much off to the races and hasn't looked back.
Mr Forbes believes that part of his success is due to his honesty and being transparent with people.
He reckons dodgy agents don't last anymore and he prides himself on always finding ways to be more open with people during the selling process.
Recently, he decided not to list a house without a price guide because he feels it is misleading to both buyers and sellers.
'It is frustrating when there's no price on the listing and I made the decision about a month ago to list every property with a price,' he said.
In the now rare cases where he hasn't listed a price for a property, it is purely because he is unsure of the market.
For instance, Mr Forbes might be selling a luxury home in a suburb that doesn't typically have luxury homes, - so it can be tough to know the market value.
He claimed that some other agents use it to lure buyers into properties they cannot afford, either to get them to fall in love with the home or to obtain their details so they can contact them about other properties.
Mr Forbes said the other reason some agents use do this is because they're not honest with their sellers and aren't prepared to tell them they won't get the price they're asking for.
'They aren't honest with their sellers from the get go and it is disgusting,' he said.
Mr Forbes said that, even though he had never used it for these tactics, he wants to make the change because he prides himself in clear communication.
Despite all the success, hustle, 5.30am starts, 10.30pm calls, and staggering salary, he still hasn't bought a home.
In some ways, he believes it makes him a better agent, as he feels for first home buyers and knows how tough the market is, having not yet cracked it himself.
'I resonate with everyone,' he said.
'I still don't own a home and I'm still saving for a deposit. It is so hard.'
Mr Forbes has a fair chunk in savings, but it is difficult because he is a business owner, not an employee.
'I have $200,000 in savings, however, it is tricky one, I'm a contractor, and my company owns that money,' he said.
Getting a loan is tough when you're not just working as an employee and your income is huge, but comes in waves.
For example, in December 2024, Mr Forbes brought in over $250,000 in sales and, from that, he took home $125,000 after covering overheads and taxes. But then, he didn't earn a cent from January to March this year.
The 24-year-old explained that it takes time to sell a house, especially when you factor in the average settlement period of around 90 days.
You also have to consider the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes until you finally get paid.
He recently sold a house for a woman after the first inspection, for a price that exceeded her expectations.
However, he'd been in contact with her and exploring the possibility of her selling for over two years.
'That was a quick one, but when you look at how long I'd been talking to that client for, it was two years in the making,' he said.