Why Fraser Lack believes his 'proudest moment is yet to come'

Real estate runs in Fraser Lack’s blood, but it wasn’t the career path he had envisaged for himself.

“I never thought I’d get into real estate,” says the sales executive from BigginScott Port Melbourne.

“After finishing high school, I studied a few different things, but I just didn’t find that thing that I loved.

“My friends were super disciplined and driven, and it felt like they had a clear idea of what they wanted to do, but I just felt like I was following the crowd.

“I was studying full time, I was working full time and it felt like I was going nowhere.”

Fraser eventually started considering real estate – after all, property has always been in his life with his dad, David Lack, working in the industry for over three decades.

However, he decided to better understand the industry before jumping into it, so he flew to the Gold Coast to attend the 2018 AREC conference.

“I thought, ‘let me go to this conference and see what it’s all about’.

“That conference was probably the decider for me to go; you know what, I think I’ve got a lot of the characteristics, qualities and traits of some of these amazing operators in the industry.

“I thought, if they could do it, I could do it – [the conference] changed everything.”

Fraser returned to Melbourne, where he “gave the idea some more consideration” before starting as a sales assistant at Biggin & Scott Port Melbourne in 2019 – where he still works today alongside his dad – and he says from the get-go, he was ready to give it his all.

“I was super hungry, super driven, disciplined and competitive, not only with others but with myself, to really make something of this.

“Because if I was going to do anything, I was going to give it everything.”

$2,900,000

1 Mariposa Place, Port Melbourne VIC 3207

4

2

2

View property

While still relatively new to the industry, Fraser says those early years taught him many valuable lessons.

“From the outset, [real estate is] a very glamorous industry, but what I realised very early on is the tenacity and the resilience you need and the time it takes to build a reputation, build relationships and build a profile.

“It’s an incredibly long journey and something that cannot be faked.

“It cannot be even fast forwarded. It just takes time and showing up. That’s probably one of the big misunderstandings and misinterpretations of the industry.”

He recalls his first sale – “it was a four bedroom, two and a half bath, double-garage property in a little area of Port Melbourne” – where the buyers saw the property for the first time at auction.

“They hadn’t seen it before – they showed up, walked through it hungover and started bidding for it.

“They spent a year renovating the property before moving into it, and they gave me their other property to rent out. But when it came to selling that property, they didn’t give it to me.

“I wanted this more than anything. When they moved in, I made them dinner and brought them wine. I went above and beyond, but when it came to selling the property two years down the line, they went with another agent they’d already sold through.

“He had more experience, but I felt that our relationship was stronger than that, and no word of a lie, I cried.

“But this taught me not to expect anything – nothing is given to you.

“You give every single opportunity the same attention, the same intensity and the same energy.”

$700,000 - $740,000

106/111 Nott Street, Port Melbourne VIC 3207

2

2

1

View property

Since then, Fraser’s career has evolved in a way he never expected, with several TV appearances now under his belt.

In 2023, he appeared as a contestant on season eight of Australian Survivor and, more recently, on Listing Melbourne.

“It was always a dream of mine [to be on TV] – as a kid, I did a lot of TV commercials, and I was involved in drama and plays.

“I was a huge fan of Survivor, so that was really incredible, and then that led to something more work-specific, being Listing Melbourne – and I absolutely love it.

“The great thing about Listing Melbourne is your personal brand becoming so much more important in everyday life.

“Real estate is such a people-facing industry so that kind of positioning and air time is invaluable.”

Fraser – who has sold 43 properties in the last 12 months, with an average sale price of $995k – has his eye on big things and believes his “proudest moment is yet to come.”

“I like that what you get out [of real estate] is what you give,” he says.

“If you want to create an incredible business, it’s completely up to you. I’ve always had the idea that if it’s meant to be, it’s up to me.

“The freedom is there to do what you want and to be what you want. It takes a lot of hard work and a lot of hours and you have to be incredibly passionate to be one of the greats, but it rewards those people.”

He says his goal is to continue delivering strong results for his clients and grow his team so that he can “coach, empower and mentor others to eventually create an absolute powerhouse team, to really take over.”

“A lot of our industry is ageing out over the next 10,15, 20 years, and there’s a lot of operators in that 45 to 55 bracket, and I don’t see as many new people entering or getting the opportunity for career advancement.

“So, I think over time, it’ll only reward those people that stick it out. There are a lot of amazing performers in the Melbourne and Sydney markets, but they will retire.

“It may not be now, but I see that, and I see the vision, and I see the future, and I think there’s a really great space to build an amazing office and an agency here in the Melbourne market.”