Real estate broker Mathieu Arseneault, star of the show Numéros 1 at CASA, must appear before the disciplinary committee of the Organisme d’autoréglementation du courtageimmobilier du Québec (OACIQ) on Monday morning. The trustee considers that the broker has dishonored the profession and that the fault is serious enough to request an immediate suspension of his license.
The flamboyant broker Mathieu Arseneault, known for visiting his clients by helicopter or luxury car, contravened the honor and dignity of the profession, according to the OACIQ trustee. The disciplinary committee will have to determine on Monday whether the protection of the public risks being compromised if he continues to practice his profession.
In videos on TikTok, still online at the time these lines were written, Mathieu Arseneault walks through a shopping center asking children accompanied by adults, a group of teenagers and a recent fifth-grade high school graduate about their school results. The scenario is always the same. The broker asks the minor: “How are your school results going? »
In one of them, a child replies that her average is 80-90%. “Can mom confirm? », he asks, turning to the adult. “It matters to me that you have good results, I’ll give you $100,” he said, giving the child a brown ticket.
As the little girl tells the camera that she will use the services of Mathieu Arseneault later to buy her house, he gives her an additional $100. “Do you follow Mathieu Arsenault on TikTok? “, he asks again. “No, I don’t think so,” the little girl replied shyly.
“If you had followed Mathieu, I would give you $1,000,” he says.
This series of videos earned him disapproving comments and mockery, both on the internet and in comedy shows.
A broker since 2003, Mathieu Arseneault currently works for the eXp real estate agency in Gatineau. On his website mathieuarseneault.com he states: “Yes, I may be one of the most successful real estate brokers in the world, but I am a father and husband first and foremost. »
He describes himself in three words: broker, father and philanthropist.
In a video titled “Sensitive Heart” and supported by sad music, he tells the story of a day where he fulfilled one of the “greatest wishes” of a person suffering from generalized cancer which was “to take a helicopter ride.” “I can’t say no,” he says to the camera.
However, his detractors who criticize him on social networks accuse him of boasting of helping his neighbor and of trying to obtain sympathy by taking advantage of the most deprived.
On TikTok, a video by mathieuarsenaultno1 with the mention
Then, on camera, he says, “I just put a property up for sale and right next door there’s a ton of homeless people. »
“We’re going to go feed them, come with me,” he said. The video concludes with a tearful melody stating “5,500 houses sold over the past 20 years”.
This video has been viewed millions of times, notably by comedian Julien Lacroix who made a parody of it published on Facebook.
Brokers also expressed to La Presse their discomfort with their colleague’s publications and the display of his wealth which can lead consumers to think that brokers are overpaid or that they succeed in enriching themselves by defying the Real Estate Brokerage Act. The videos, they believe, devalue the image of the real estate broker profession and undermine consumer confidence in brokers.
According to OACIQ data, Mathieu Arseneault is not making his first complaint since he held his license. With 76 support requests, it ranks third among brokers with the highest number of complaints.
In the fall, the broker and his wife, also a broker, appeared before the disciplinary committee regarding the creation of false documents. The committee has not yet determined whether or not the brokers were guilty of this offense.