Former Purplebricks territory manager in Oz reveals why he quit

A Purplebricks territory manager has gone public in Australia after leaving the company and has revealed shocking details of his time working there.

Jason van Straalen, who has worked in property since the 1990s and is based in Perth, held a Purplebricks territory for over a year but says he quit after earning approximately half the £100,000 a year he had been promised. He has told The Negotiator that tried to communicate with management but felt he was ignored, and decided to pilot a new agency with a similar model instead.

Details of his time at the hybrid agency include 80-hour weeks and struggling to sell the sales instructions he received while at the company.

Straalen, who now operates his own agency JVS Real Estate also in Perth, claims Purplebricks threatened to withdraw postcodes from his territory when he asked to hire a second sales assistant. He and his initial assistant were looking after nearly 50 properties for sale at one point.

But shockingly, he also claims that unsuccessful sales people at the hybrid agency were referred to by some colleagues as ‘cancer’ within internal communications.

“Purplebricks will have to change the formula dramatically if they want to grow the business here,” he told the The Financial Review.

LPE earnings

Figures detailing how much LPEs earn in Oz have also been revealed by a local newspaper. This includes how agents are paid £560 for each customer they get on board and that they are expected to sell eight properties a month, a target that only a few of the Oz team hit, it is claimed.

It has also emerged that LPEs in Australia are paid share options but only when they reach a sales rate of 40%. The Negotiator approached Purplebricks for comment but so far has not received a response.

Read more about Purplebricks in Australia.