Dodgy things real estate agents do

steven6 on 15/09/2020 - 11:47
Last edited 15/09/2020 - 16:08

I recently found this house for sale and noticed it appears to be photoshopped (especially the tree in the top left corner). Checking google maps (6 year old images) and driving around to take a screenshot from my dashcam it appears more than the tree has been photoshopped.

I would also like to hear of any stories of dodgy real estate agents so I can try to avoid them without being ripped off.

I've saved it in the wayback machine in case the real estate agent removes the photoshopped image.

Edit: Conclusion seems to be that the grass has been photoshopped. The sky has been made more blue and this has affected the tree in the top left corner, but the tree appears to have already been there. This photo also shows no lush green front lawn if you look out the windows.

Home & Garden

Comments

    • nickj on 17/09/2020 - 20:53
      +2

      This. I stopped looking at real estate ads for a 3 years, and have started again recently, and now I find some agents photos are now half made up of bokeh effect shots on furnishings. Dumbest. Trend. Ever. I would prefer that they removed all artistic rubbish, and preferably all the staging too, and just show what you're actually buying, i.e. just the property itself. If you're not including it, I don't wanna see it!

      • [Deactivated] on 18/09/2020 - 10:23
        +2

        If you're not including it, I don't wanna see it!

        The sentence that every REA needs to hear.

  • bazingaa on 15/09/2020 - 19:16
    +2

    is it really going for $208,000 ? houses seem super cheap in QLD.

    • RobotWizard on 16/09/2020 - 18:22

      In ACT it would easily sell for $500K plus

      • macrocephalic on 17/09/2020 - 09:14
        +2

        Goodna is not like anywhere in the ACT. This would be like the dodgiest part of Queenbeyan.

  • dizzle on 15/09/2020 - 19:27
    +5

    I'm currently house hunting and running into the same.

    I'm not too concerned about the greener grass and the furniture put in there, it's all part of showing you the potential of the house. What I do object to is they stretch the photos so rooms look bigger and benches look longer.

    I spoke to several when selling my house and most seemed to be honest, and this is just something that happens now. One of them was very "used car salesman". He talked about only having two pens on him, so when he's asked for a pen, the house looks in high demand and other little "tricks like that. I couldn't stand it, so I went with one of the ones that (at least seemed) were more trustworthy.

  • macfudd on 15/09/2020 - 20:44
    +1

    Genuine question - what are the 3 tiny fences out the front of the house for? The ones in front of the windows. I assume security but they seem far enough away that they would just provide cover for anyone breaking in.

    • dizzle on 15/09/2020 - 21:09

      I think they are more about privacy from the streetfront. They don't have to close the curtains and natural light still comes in, but they can still walk around naked if they want

      • macfudd on 15/09/2020 - 22:13

        Makes sense - thanks :)

  • Stevek1960 on 16/09/2020 - 07:36
    +1

    Spent a month looking at beautiful properties on real estate . Com but in reality they were all shit boxes, half of which I wouldn't let my dogs sleep in.

  • Grunntt on 16/09/2020 - 09:30
    +8

    The REA that handled our last sale came up with a new one that we hadn't come across before.

    Immediately before the auction he asked us for our reserve. (He tried to low ball us but we stayed firm with what we needed as a minimum.)

    Then he came up with this -

    A dollar figure written on each of 3 pieces of paper -

    1. Our reserve
    2. An amount higher than reserve that we would be really happy to achieve
    3. An even higher amount that we would be very, very happy to achieve (unrealistic but you never know..)

    If the auction price achieved was higher than reserve they didn't confirm that with the highest bidder - they told them they were highest bidder then they showed them the "reserve" written on paper number 2 and negotiated upwards.
    Same if it was above that figure - show them the "reserve" written on paper number 3 and negotiate towards it.

    The buyer thought they got a bargain near the reserve but in reality were paying much more than they should have.

    • 91rs on 17/09/2020 - 11:14

      And the filthy REA pocketed more commission, he wasn't ever interested in the price for you it was about making more money for themselves.
      It's all rather predatory and dishonest, for something that everyone needs (shelter\housing).

      • SnakeCasablanca on 18/09/2020 - 13:31
        -1

        And if he did it for me… I would call him a hero!

        So who cares WHY he did it… Thats why commissions exist. To incentivise selling properties.

        You will notice in the story that the REA tried to get the owner to reduce the price of the reserve. Does the "filthy" REA get any credit with you for that maneuvre?

        It's all rather predatory and dishonest, for something that everyone needs (shelter\housing).

        Do you rent or own? Do you share your rental or owned property with anyone you meet that is down on their luck?

        Or is it just everyone else in society that needs to change to provide the basic free things that you think everyone should have?

        P.s. Not a REA myself… Just dislike negative attitudes.

  • backpaqer on 16/09/2020 - 09:30

    Breathe, smile, look at you… Name your verb… They have the dodgy version of that verb.

  • sovrayn on 16/09/2020 - 10:59

    It's a common practice but it looks like you've done your due diligence.

    As a general rule never sign a lease before physically accessing the property.

  • bobbified on 16/09/2020 - 11:15
    +2

    I'm not a real estate agent nor am I in sales.

    But who can really blame them (and other sales people) for doing everything they can to try and maximise their sales? Their job is to maximise the sales and they rely on it to put food on their table. As long as they're not outright lying, you have a duty to yourself to do your own due diligence. You should not just rely on everything you're told or shown. And that does't just apply to the purchasing of real estate.

    When I look at the obviously-photoshopped pictures, I see what the property could "potentially look like" rather than what it actually is right now. Most room and interior images are taken with wide angle lens to make the room look bigger and more spacious, so I look at the floorplans to give a better understanding.

    • Scrobo on 16/09/2020 - 19:38
      +7

      "Who can really blame them"?

      Australian Consumer law, that's who:

      Section 18 of the Australian Consumer Law prohibits a person, in trade or commerce, from engaging in misleading or deceptive conduct.
      Agents must ensure when using photographs in a real estate advertising campaign that the message is not misleading.

      Report them, it's a big waste of everyone's time showing a property in a condition that it isn't even close to being in.

  • Member 0230 on 16/09/2020 - 12:07
    +1

    Anyone have experience working with a Jenman agent, and whether they engage in highly photoshopped images?

    Neil Jenman has frequently exposed the dodginess of the real estate industry as a whole, e.g., just last week he posted The Real Estate Advertising Stitch-up.

    He names and shames specific agencies too.

    He's had a few death threats over the decades for his efforts.

  • Candour on 16/09/2020 - 12:30

    read jenman's site and books. read terry ryder's books. terry has sold out now it seems. but Jenman is still honest.

  • OzHunterNSW on 16/09/2020 - 12:44

    Yes… they photoshop.

    They use descriptive words like hangman's dream and ocean snippet views.

    This is why you inspect

    • BartholemewH on 16/09/2020 - 21:49

      Ocean glimpses….

      Unless a snippet is even smaller than a glimpse?!?

  • afah0447 on 16/09/2020 - 12:57
    +13

    Real estate agents in Australia are unlike anywhere else in the world. Somehow they have managed to brainwash people to think the they must be used to sell/buy or rent property. This is the biggest con sold by the entire industry. Nowhere else in the world is private-to-private sales and rental agreements as low as in Australia. Some generals comments on the Australian real estate industry:

    • biggest gougers in world and easily the most greedy. Commissions are far too high for what they deliver.
    • relys more on slick marketing and 'spin' than real customer service and understanding people's needs.
    • needlessly force people to pay rent via third parties (at a charge above rents) and regularly take a cut.

    This is an industry that is begging to innovated and transformed by some tech genius. These guys have been making a killing and ripping people off for doing very little for too long.

    • funnysht on 16/09/2020 - 17:19
      +5

      I agree 15k to sell a $500k house? That's just one person doing inspection say 1hr a week for say 3 months. Thus 12 hours of work for 15k.

    • Jabba the Hutt on 16/09/2020 - 17:49

      So it's basically an industry based on rent-seeking.

    • amsaini15 on 16/09/2020 - 22:59

      Is it easier to sell yourself? Is there step by step guide or even selling through a service who takes care of paper work and you look after showing property and organising buyer to sign contract?

      • GG57 on 17/09/2020 - 09:06
        +1

        Have a google: https://www.salebyhomeowner.com.au/

      • macrocephalic on 17/09/2020 - 09:17
        +1

        It is. The problem is that REAs are salespeople, so they know all the tricks to convince a buyer to pay more for a house - so you often end up with more cash in hand even after paying their exorbitant fees.

        • Cluster on 17/09/2020 - 09:40
          +6

          That's not necessarily true. The REA wants to make a sale as quickly as possible to get their commission. Are they going to haggle to get the last $10k out of a property? That might only be worth $300 to them, and risk the buyer walking away in frustration. Much better to make the sale for any price and run off to the next property.

          • macrocephalic on 17/09/2020 - 15:30

            @Cluster: Yes, I've read Freakonomics as well. While that's true, it also leaves the seller exposed to being steamrolled by the buyer - particularly if they are inexperienced or in a hurry.

  • AustriaBargain on 16/09/2020 - 17:19
    +2

    Photographer did a great job. If I bought that house I'd repaint it or buy some lamps or garden flood lights to make the house look half as perfectly lit as it does in the photoshop.

  • Massive Flog on 16/09/2020 - 18:13
    +10

    Last year, I was looking into buying a home in country Victoria. Spent some time on realestate.com.au finding potential candidates and arranged a few viewings on a Saturday. Each and every one of them were advertised with photoshopped pictures.

    The first house looked suspiciously amazing on the website. When I inspected it in person, it was a completely different colour (and not in a good way). Inside the house, each and every room was positively tiny. I'm a touch over 6 feet tall (in the old scale). I was almost banging my head into the ceiling while walking around the house. The rooms were so small, it appeared the renters had furnished the place with doll furniture. I was half-expecting oompa loompas to appear and start serenading me. In the advertising photos, the rooms looked reasonably spacious.

    At the end of the inspection, the agent asked me what I thought of the place. I told him "it looks a lot smaller than the photos" and also mentioned the completely different colour of the exterior of the house (note: it hadn't been painted). He explained it away by telling me "that's why it's better to see it in person, blah blah blah". Asked me if I was going to put in an offer. I told him "no".

    Third house I looked at that day had featured very… selective photographs of the interior. While walking through the home, my attention was drawn to a massive bulge in the kitchen floor. It was almost like the floor had developed a boil that really needed to be lanced. I asked the agent about it, he said something along the lines of "yeah, it needs a bit of work… a real fixer upperer".

    In one of the bedrooms, part of the ceiling had collapsed. You couldn't see the sky, but you could look directly into the interior of the roof. I asked him why he didn't disclose these issues when I was arranging the appointment. He made some sort of pissweak excuse and said it "has a lot of potential".

    Amusingly, the asking price of the third house was substantially higher than the oompa loompa house. I told the agent the price was totally unrealistic. I haven't looked for some time, but I can only imagine it's still up for sale… with the same photos.

    In comparison, the photos of the second house were reasonably accurate, though they definitely made things look much brighter, etc. than they were in real life.

    If I was a dictator, real estate agents would be publically hanged. Whether buying or renting, they're all scum.

    • macrocephalic on 17/09/2020 - 09:20
      +4

      A room has to be a minimum height to be classed as a "bedroom". If the ceilings were that low then the listing was illegally misleading.

      A friend of mine owns a four bedroom home which he bought as a three bedroom because the ceiling in the fourth room is a few centimetres too low to legally be a bedroom. When it comes time to sell it might be worth him getting the rafters replaced and the ceiling raised.

    • inasero on 29/09/2020 - 12:13

      Wow , that's appalling. Is there any resource I can read up on to find out about similar deceptive practices, so that I can guard against them (am in the market to make a purchase in the next few months)?

  • Jugganautx on 16/09/2020 - 18:19
    +3

    Im actually one of the lucky people that got a good real estate agent.

    I went looking for a house 1 weekend and bought on the sunday. The real estate agent was very accomodating and explained all the contract details before signing.

    The only thing i had to ask for was to put a damn sold sticker on the sign out the front. 1 month later and i moved in. Most painless thing i've ever done tbh.

    • Love a bargain on 17/09/2020 - 23:25
      +4

      Glad it went well for you. However, for the record, they're the seller's agent, not yours. You shouldn't have relied on them to explain the contract to you.

      • [Deactivated] on 18/09/2020 - 10:48
        +4

        The fact they had to rely on the agent for that tells me their experience was super smooth because they most likely overpaid and were a seller' dream buyer.

      • Drogo on 03/10/2020 - 22:40

        Exactly. Recently delt with a very accommodating REA regarding a place I wanted to purchase. I had someone look over the contract…their report on the contract got so long they simply stopped writing and said don't by the place. Best investment I made was having someone who knows more then me look at the contract

  • haemolysis on 16/09/2020 - 18:58
    +5

    Real estate photoshops are not unusual finds they’re literally “the norm.”

    RE bingo card:

    • Design art from the initial build plans when the house is already built
    • CBD skyline in the windows regardless of facing
    • IKEA app AR furniture dropped into the photo
    • Photos of restaurants in other suburbs
    • Price guides 200k lower than they’ll take offers for.

    List goes on.

  • jjjjon on 16/09/2020 - 20:43
    +3

    My brother had just signed on to buy his very first home . I was going to be moving in with him and I done some online research of the house…I found out one of the owners had been arrested at the house and they'd found his wife's dead body in a barrel..He'd been taking the barrel with him everytime he moved house for two decades… The real estate agent didn't mention any of this… So my brother got out of the contract..which I'm glad…

    • Jugganautx on 16/09/2020 - 21:32
      +3

      superstitious much. Dead body or not, there are no such thing as ghosts.

      • jjjjon on 16/09/2020 - 22:06
        +6

        Still….Resell value ..If I found out about it after 5 minutes of research I'm sure others would too

    • ar7ist on 17/09/2020 - 07:50
      +1

      How do you find this online?

      • jjjjon on 17/09/2020 - 11:29
        +3

        I just searched the address on google..

    • macrocephalic on 17/09/2020 - 09:21

      What does it matter to you? I assume they'd have removed the barrel before you moved in.

      • jjjjon on 17/09/2020 - 11:39
        +1

        lol ..Hopefully.. Either way they probably should mention something like that before you buy it as not everyone will be comfortable with it.

      • Allwentmarching on 18/09/2020 - 21:50

        Its illegal not to mention isnt it?

        ETA- some nationalities have strong beliefs about ghosts. I dont personally but my Vietnamese friend does. So that would be terrifying for them to buy such a house.

  • OneJay on 16/09/2020 - 21:16
    +7

    Reminds me of the time the guy won an auction for a unit with the 1.8m high ceiling. He went for an inspection and the agent said it had recently changed carpets hence low height.

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/comment/4254402/redir

    • Alyaeri on 16/09/2020 - 21:57
      +1

      What a roller coaster of a thread. What's even more incredible is the same property sold the next year for 20k more. By the same real estate agents.

      So either the OP turned a profit (or broke even after fees etc), or some legal shenanigans ensued that took a year or so to sort out

  • WhoGiveAShxt on 16/09/2020 - 21:48

    The agent photoshopped the giant-ass water tank (3-4 floors in height) in the back of the house out of the current dimension.

  • Royalmarker59 on 17/09/2020 - 02:44

    I wasn’t aware the real estate greedy agents would do that
    But on the other side I have experienced real estate lying regarding the property . Luckily I had my brother in law who lived in the same street for years who knew through other people about the history ( social issues and house wasn’t looked after well but at the time of sale it was painted nothing else done)
    Real Estate Agent portrayed that this house has been well looked after etc etc

  • cowiie on 17/09/2020 - 06:14

    That specific real estate company in that suburb is known for doing that. It actually cost the seller quite some money. My dad was quoted more than 2.5k to get his house photographed and edited with furniture etc. and to get it advertised in realestate.com.au and the local paper.

  • Nebargains on 17/09/2020 - 08:05
    +2

    Worst thing I have seen is severely worn out fake grass being touched up to look much better and vibrant, but they went over a table leg and in another photo you can see out the window just how horrendous the fake grass is.

    • Embaloo on 17/09/2020 - 09:10

      This!!

      Yeah, sometimes you can double check photos that have an outside facing window perspective that they haven't shopped. :S

  • Brianqpr on 17/09/2020 - 09:06

    It is surprising how many people have paintings on their walls that are 3 metres long.

  • Embaloo on 17/09/2020 - 09:08
    +1

    I've seen incredible photoshopping:

    • a granny flat shopped to look like a legit small timber granny flat house - turns out it was a brand new plastic flat-pack, plastic fitting, cheaper than caravan-park-style place.
    • The bathroom drainage was a hole in the floor that leaked directly under the house.
    • a cheap plastic range hood was completely photoshopped out.
    • all handles of cupboards and doors and windows were photoshopped away they were all chunky plastic built-in handles (Not easily replaced), as were the smooth window and doors frames - Also plastic lining.
    • green, luscious grass was the least of the worries haha!

    Amazing to know that you can report these.things!!! Such a waste of time inspecting.

  • Vote for Pedro on 17/09/2020 - 09:19
    +2

    “I have a buyer that we’re currently negotiating on price, so jump in”

    I mean, it’s an oldie but easy to fall for in the heat of the moment/excitement in finding the right property.

  • cashless on 17/09/2020 - 09:24

    In rural property RE photos you often see rolling green hills, lush vivid green grass, blue skies forever, horses galloping around the paddock and usually photo-shopped fire pits on the patios. Have yet to see horses, lush grass and fire pits during an inspection

  • Brianqpr on 17/09/2020 - 09:46
    +8

    I would compare real estate agents with financial planners to a degree. Both sell and provide advice on investments.

    Financial planners are very heavily regulated and must document and justify all financial advice. Being paid by commissions has been largely stamped out by regulation changes in the last few years, therefore they are now forced to be very transparent with fees/charges and demonstrate they are doing the work they are meant to be doing for the fees they get paid.If something goes wrong, a client has AFCA to independently review the advice they were given (for free) and if appropriate force the advice licensee to pay compensation.

    In contrast, real estate agents just take the same commission rate on every property, usually around 2%. So they get paid double for selling a $1.5 million property over a $750k one, yet the amount of work involved is exactly the same. What this also means is that they are incentivised to maximise the sale price at any cost (good for sellers, less so for buyers).

    REA also give investment advice all the time, in terms of advertising properties as a great investment. They are not required to explain risks involved (I've seen many examples of failed property investments in self managed super funds for example). The relevant investments are not only high cost, but almost always are mostly purchased with borrowed money and are illiquid (can't sell quickly and can't sell part of your investment if things change). Therefore plenty of risk involved and the REA who recommend buying property or specific properties get to walk away with a commission and there's no comeback if it turns out to be a bad idea/wrong for the particular person.

    There should be much tighter controls on an industry that gives out a lot of advice to everyday people who don't understand the risks involved in any kind of investing, especially where you are borrowing money to do it. Falsely representing a property by essentially posting fake photographs of it shouldn't be permitted. Of course you can see it in person but that doesn't make it right.

    • muzzamo on 17/09/2020 - 10:59
      +4

      "What this also means is that they are incentivised to maximise the sale price at any cost (good for sellers, less so for buyers)."

      I think this is not quite true. What they are incentivsed to do is to maximise the number of clients, and maximise turnover.

      3x $1.5 Million houses that sell quickly (regardless of outcome for seller) is a much better deal for the real estate agent than 1 that sat on the market and required negotiation.

      So their energy goes into finding as many clients/sellers as possible, and having as high a turnover as possible.

      • Brianqpr on 17/09/2020 - 11:03

        Well, that's also true.

    • richmond12 on 17/09/2020 - 11:18

      Yep should watch those shows in the US like Million dollar listing and Selling Sunset.

      So what are the requirements to be a real estate agent these days?

  • echelon6 on 17/09/2020 - 09:54

    lmao this is new to you? the amount of bad photoshop jobs done by real estate agents out there should already have informed the public of this

    I once photoshopped grass (got a properly skilled guy) at a place to get OC as part of the DA to build. Once approved, I concreted the place as originally intended. Council would've wanted me to lay lawn before granting OC. Photoshop man…

  • bizarredeal on 17/09/2020 - 10:01
    +1

    Exists.

  • magster on 17/09/2020 - 10:24

    Back in 2015, we almost purchased this property where the agent used pictures from a complete different apartment in the ad: https://m.realestate.com.au/sold/property-unit-nsw-rhodes-11…
    We were interstate and got my PIL to inspect. They said it looked fine (but haven’t seen the ad). So we put down an offer, thinking the apartment had an open plan kitchen (like on the ad). Then we realised it actually had an enclosed kitchen, with a similar layout to this: https://m.realestate.com.au/sold/property-apartment-nsw-rhod…
    Very dodgy to use pictures from a completely different apartment to lure buyer interests. Was a waste of time and emotions for us.

  • payless69 on 17/09/2020 - 10:34

    The man in charge had his salary doubled and has a workforce of a few hundred lawyers to insist the small ones get erradicated and the big ones add to his large private portfolio. His name is Brian Bauer, he is so proud to have fined a travel agent 80k 2 years after he left the country. Welcome to Queensland everything is in perfect order!

  • Trying2SaveABuck on 17/09/2020 - 11:29
    +4

    How do you know a Real Estate Agent is lying?

    …

    They opened there mouth

  • [Deactivated] on 17/09/2020 - 13:25
    +2

    RE Agents, used car salespeople, car salespeople

    just unethical snake oil salespeople. Trust none of them.

    "This is an industry that is begging to innovated and transformed by some tech genius. These guys have been making a killing and ripping people off for doing very little for too long" Imagine an industry where you dont outlay any capital, but reap so much. Turning the whole property sales process into an online / form based activity would render them useless, alas to much vested interest it would never get up.

  • Powlie85 on 17/09/2020 - 14:15

    I am a victim here as well. The gardenvifvthe house we bought had a photoshop job. With that said, we still went n saw it and took our own photos.

    • Hangryuman on 17/09/2020 - 15:18

      'I am a victim here as well'

      me too - reading this thread took several minutes of my life I'll never get back

      who can I blame - I'm suffering from truth decay …

  • Cluster on 17/09/2020 - 15:00
    +1

    We need a revolution in the real estate industry. Cut out all the middle men like agents, lawyers, conveyancers. I don't need anyone to hold my hand when buying a car from a private individual. There are too many people who have attached themselves to real estate and will fight tooth and nail to stop the rent seeking behaviour.

    • Superjesus on 17/09/2020 - 20:31
      +6

      I still see value in a conveyancer doing all the checks and making sure contract is right.

      • nickj on 18/09/2020 - 14:02
        +2

        Agree, solicitors and conveyancers genuinely add value by checking the contract, making sure settlement happens correctly, and they're not that expensive. Only used them a few times, but struggle to think of any time I've felt ripped off, or lied to, or wronged by them.

        REA on the other hand, are frequently ultra lazy (especially the rental agents), two-faced (I've had them literally change what they were saying to the exact opposite midway through a conversation when they realized I was a potential buyer instead of a potential seller), who conceal information effortlessly, lie to everyone, and charge an absolute fortune for adding almost no value (contrary to what sellers think, it's the home that sells itself, not the agent; and contrary to what landlords think, rental agents do bugger all and then blame the tenant when anything goes wrong, which it eventually does because they don't do any preventative maintenance because they're so lazy).

        • Allwentmarching on 18/09/2020 - 21:36

          I see the value in a property manager but I think there should be more consequences if they dont let the landlord know pretty quickly if something isnt right. So many of them seem to not follow up unpaid rent etc.

  • Hangryuman on 17/09/2020 - 15:15

    I Want My Money Back !!!

    The money - I didn't spent yet - because I'm like - totally outraged that it didn't match the pikcher I sore on the internet - I swore that be the truth …

    like - I trusted that nice man in a suit - how come he took all my money … !?!?!?

    Somebody should DO Something !!!

  • Carmen Sandiego on 17/09/2020 - 16:11
    +1

    Where the everlasting f do I begin??

    As an Insurance Broker, I have way way too many conversations from clients/potential clients that have the start of; "My REA/Accountant told me I need [insert Insurance type here]"

    Firstly, what the f. Neither of those professions are allowed to even begin to tell you that. I am talking to my bosses to report to AFCA.

    Secondly, if I hear of another REA or Accountant saying that, especially in June, I will lose it.

  • Zylam Marex on 17/09/2020 - 19:59
    +3

    Car salesman and estate agents are the benchmarks of the lowest forms of humans I have ever encountered. Their job is literally to ripp you off and screw you over, the better they do that the better they are at their job. They are not there to help or assist anyone.

    I am actually worried at the level of which my mind is able to hate these people, I could have never imagined I was even capable of forming some of the vile and disturbing things my mind has said to me when dealing with these people.

    I am 100% in support of what Mercedes and Tesla are doing with fixed pricing and buying directly from the Manufacturer. The Car salesmen are only there to ruin your experience of buying a new car.

    I cannot wait for the day when you never have to deal with a human when buying or renting a property.

    Estate agents are vile creatures, to me they aren't even human. No human can be that degraded.

    • spaceflight on 03/10/2020 - 22:23

      I am 100% in support of what Mercedes and Tesla are doing with fixed pricing and buying directly from the Manufacturer

      You mean you are a fan of selling at RRP and only RRP with no possibility to negotiate a lower price?

      • Zylam Marex on 04/10/2020 - 05:13

        You really think dealers drop below rrp for us? They've already got you brainwashed. The entire network is built to make sure cars are sold higher than the manufacturer wants just so dealers can make money, money they did nothing to earn but sit around in an office. The "negotiation" is just to see how low you can get their cut to be.

        If all Oems sold directly to customers, we'd see real sales all across the board because the actual oem would be lowering the price.

        • spaceflight on 04/10/2020 - 10:39

          You really think dealers drop below rrp for us?

          Yes, the RRP is easy to get from the manufacturer website. I have never paid that for a car, but in your dream world we all would.

          They've already got you brainwashed.

          No you just have no idea what you are taking about.

          The entire network is built to make sure cars are sold higher than the manufacturer wants

          No they aren't.
          The manufacturer sells them for the money they want and that's what the dealers buy them for.
          The RRP is the markup where the dealers can make profit.

          • Zylam Marex on 04/10/2020 - 16:01

            @spaceflight: The RRP from the manufacturers site is not the cost of the car the dealers buy it, why do you think the sites ask for post codes or flat out ask you to request a quote from local dealers? It's because the manufacturer doesn't know how much the dealer will mark up.

            "The manufacturer sells them for the money they want and that's what the dealers buy them for.
            The RRP is the markup where the dealers can make profit."

            You are literally saying exactly what I said, the manufacturer sells the car for less and the dealer adds a mark up which is what you "negotiate" you are not getting some special deal, you are paying more for the car and that extra money is going to some goon sitting at a desk who did nothing but read a brochure of the car.

            Buying directly from the manufacturer will give you the price the dealer buys it at which is 100% off the markup.

            Honesty what are you defending here? You pay more for a car than the manufacturer is selling it for just so some goon gets extra money for nothing?

            Your own words don't make any sense

            • spaceflight on 04/10/2020 - 21:38

              @Zylam Marex:

              The RRP from the manufacturers site is not the cost of the car the dealers buy it

              Thanks for pointing out the obvious….

              why do you think the sites ask for post codes

              So they can calculate the applicable taxes for the state you live in

              It's because the manufacturer doesn't know how much the dealer will mark up.

              Yes they do, dealers will mark it up to RRP.
              Do you have any idea how selling things and franchise agreements work?

              You are literally saying exactly what I said

              No I am not

              the manufacturer sells the car for less and the dealer adds a mark up

              Thanks again for pointing out the obvious, that's literally how everything works. Even your supermarket and petrol station do this

              which is what you "negotiate" you are not getting some special deal, you are paying more for the car

              No you are not paying more because you can't buy the car for the same price the dealer is. When you negotiate the dealer is selling the car closer to their cost price and lower than the RRP.

              Buying directly from the manufacturer will give you the price the dealer buys it at which is 100% off the markup.

              No it will not because the dealer adds value to your transaction by doing things that the manufacturer doesn't do.
              If there is no dealer who will inspect the car when it arrives, remove the protective materials there for delivery, fit the number plates, register the car etc.
              It's also much more efficient to deliver many cards to a dealer than it is to deliver one car to every buyers house.

              All of those things cost money and are not factored in to the price a manufacturer sells to a dealer.

              Honesty what are you defending here?

              That a car manufacturer will not sell to you for the same price as they will to a dealer

              Your own words don't make any sense

              They would if you had any idea how the real world works and that the differences are between a B2B and B2C transaction.

              • Zylam Marex on 04/10/2020 - 23:29

                @spaceflight: There is absolutely no point in going around in circles. You must either be in this business or have family/friend's who are car dealers.

                Everyone said Tesla would be bankrupt within a year of its inception and that electric cars will flop… Yet here we are with Teslas valuation even higher than GM.

                This whole dealers help people and lower the cost of car purchase bs is coming to an end weather you like it or not and it will benefit all car buyers, it won't benefit the middle men who had absolutely no role in the creation of the car but once they are gone, everything will be handled by the oem and I'm sure they are well aware of how to apply plates to their own cars and deliver them fully inspected.

                Also since you know so much, why don't you go tell the CEOs of Tesla and Mercedes how wrong they are eh.

                You 100% have to be in this business to be so affected by the loss of the middle man ripping off customers while doing nothing.

  • Kiro on 18/09/2020 - 08:11

    Someone must have gone back in time and changed the future of them trees.

    Well I can say that it's a shocker.

  • dbun1 on 18/09/2020 - 09:08

    I was looking at property online and it looked all nice and tidy in the pictures.

    Went to have a look and there was ivy growing all up the front brick facade and intertwined into the gutters and the driveway was terribly cracked from tree roots.

    None of this was in the listing photos.

    It was either photoshopped or they had used an extremely old photo when the house was much much newer.

  • payless69 on 18/09/2020 - 11:51

    When Ford advertises their models 2 years ahead it is called Puffery.

    If Gillette advertises that they favour bad men this is called STUPIDITY!

  • DangerNoodle on 18/09/2020 - 12:56
    +4

    With a previous rental, I had a real estate agent use my photos that I supplied to him and the description I gave him for the place for his ad. I found this amusing and lazy considering I was the tenant.

    With my most recent place that I vacated on Monday as a tenant, we noticed during one of these days that we swung by that the lights had been turned off and some things had been moved. I called up the real estate agent without introducing myself and asked if there was a viewing for the property, they informed me that there had been one the previous day at 5pm. I then told them that I was the current tenant and that I wasn't given any notice that a viewing was scheduled and that this was a violation of our contract and the residential tenancies act, they hung up on me. Tried following up but no one answers phone calls or returns emails. A few days later I get an email informing me that I would be getting my full bond back.

    • nickj on 18/09/2020 - 13:43
      +2

      That's just awful. Unless it's a genuine emergency (e.g. burst water pipe when you're away on holidays), they have to give you notice to enter the property. Glad you called them on it and got your full bond back, but what worries me is there's almost never enforcement against REAs when they break the rules, hence, their dodgy behaviour continues.

      • DangerNoodle on 18/09/2020 - 17:00
        +2

        Yeah, I called and spoke to someone from CBS and they said the best they can do is issue a violation notice.

        Off the record they did suggest that I pursue all who entered the property for trespassing if I could, and if the real estate agent failed to provide a lawyer or the police with the names of the property viewers/intruders then the real estate agent would cop a fine for failure to comply with covid safe practices.

    • Embaloo on 18/09/2020 - 23:55

      Wow that's bad!!

  • Jayblu on 18/09/2020 - 13:33
    +4

    Long time ozbargain viewer but just made an account to chime in! My SIL and myself play a game now where we just send each other ridiculously shocking houses up for rent as we're both in the market looking to move so we have quite the collection.

    These two (while being pretty cheap but still shouldn't be marketed to begin with) are some of MANY :

    https://m.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-bradbury-4300…

    https://m.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-ashcroft-4299…

  • TheBean on 18/09/2020 - 13:58
    +1

    Only had one bad experience and not really that bad.. The real estate agent told us the sellers wanted to settle two weeks earlier than the norm and signed settlement date. We pushed our bank to get it done which was a pain, but figured it might be nice to move in early.

    Once we had met our end, they then told the sellers we (the buyer) wanted to settle early and it had all been arranged.

    Sellers were upset they had to move last minute to accommodate us, think they were told with under a week to move. We found out what they had been told through neighbours and it left us feeling pretty sour as well.

    I can only assume the agent wanted to get the sale in before year end.

    Really enjoyed seeing his face on the junk mail flyer a week later promoting selling of our property.

  • mezje on 18/09/2020 - 18:19
    +1

    Claiming literally anything and praying you don't contest the bond.

  • Allwentmarching on 18/09/2020 - 19:58

    I was told by somebody who is a RE photographer you arent allowed to physically change anything that exists in the photos - eg you cant make rooms bigger or smaller than they actually are, remove things that are there etc. But you are allowed to mess around with the colours and you are allowed to add a 'view' in to a window.
    Im sure there are some who bend the rules a bit.

    • dizzle on 18/09/2020 - 20:50

      Yep, I've seen stretched countertops and decks. Seen tree stumps in one photo and a blurred green spot (imitating grass) in the next.

    • Hangryuman on 19/09/2020 - 09:40

      as a photographer I see a lot of wide-angle lens shots that make tiny crowded rooms look much bigger, wider, more spacious, luxurious !

      in wide-angle shots close items look disproportionately larger, and distant items look disproportionately smaller

  • Allwentmarching on 18/09/2020 - 20:04

    Just remembered another one. REA tried to encourage my Grandma to list her 2BR place with a sunroom as 3BR. Fair enough if the sunroom could actually be used as a bedroom, but it was detached from the house and wasnt fully enclosed. Waste of everyones time, but brings in more viewers into the house to make the REA look like they are doing a good job. None of those buyers are actually going to buy the house though, as they are looking for an actual 3br.

    • Embaloo on 18/09/2020 - 23:54

      That's shocking.

  • Geekomatic on 19/09/2020 - 19:16

    I don't see it as a bad thing, necessarily. There are more people than not who can't imagine furnishings and improvements in their head. This is a way to show you what you could achieve, assuming you like the look they presented. My son's 1st home had this done and I thought it was tasteful decorating:

    https://ibb.co/Gdzfm7j

  • Ash-Say on 26/09/2020 - 21:50
    +1

    This reminds me of my encounter last year. I was able to get the refund eventually, however this agent is still selling dozens of properties under the same banner.

    Fair Trading complaint was lodged, however they clearly stated they won't advise the outcome. It is evident that they didn't take any action so the dodgy practice continues.

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join