In the process of searching for an apartment, most often the buyer comes across an intermediary. Almost all the ads that come across in the search, anyway were compiled by realtors. That is why it is extremely difficult to contact the real owner of the apartment. We will tell you how not to get caught in the tricks of realtors and not lose extra money on commissions for intermediaries.
Deception in advertising
Very often, realtors post on the Internet many ads in order to attract a potential client. In fact, the apartment that a person sees in the ad, most likely does not even exist. This is done so that as many people as possible contact an intermediary who will offer to look at various options for sale.
If you ask the realtor to show the liked version, he usually replies that this apartment has already been sold. But there is a way to look at others, like and even better. Thanks to this deception of buyers, realtors are just looking for new customers on which you can earn in the future.
But there are ways to identify such ads. Most often, incomplete information is provided. For example, there is no data about floor, area or location. Other characteristics can be quite contradictory. You should also pay attention to the ads to which attached too good photos, they are probably just taken on another site. And if the cost seems obviously low, then call on such an ad at all not worth it.
You also have to understand that the main objective of such announcements is to find a potential buyer, which in the future should cooperate with this intermediary.
Real option with phone intermediary
Another popular method, often used by fraudsters-realtors, is the actual theft of real ads from apartment owners. An intermediary places a foreign ad on its behalf, most often without the permission of the owner.
When a potential buyer calls on the ad, he thinks he is contacting the owner, but gets to the intermediary. In the future, the buyer is forced to find out who is the real owner of the house, and who just wants to receive a commission from the transaction. It must be said that the fees that the buyer will have to pay often reach $2,000.
If you do not want to pay an intermediary, you should look for sites where the real estate owners place ads.
I’m not a realtor, I’m just a friend
Intermediaries often indicate in the advertisement that the apartment is sold by the owner. But at the first interaction it turns out that the buyer contacted a friend, a relative, a friend who just helps to sell. If you think that in this situation you do not have to pay commission, it is not at all true.
After the buyer comes to see the apartment, it turns out that the house is sold through an intermediary who needs to pay. And in a phone conversation the buyer was tricked into just coming.
Such situations are extremely unpleasant, because the buyer understands that his banal scam. The man wanted to find an apartment from the owner, but again came across a cheating broker.
And only after the potential buyer looks at the apartment, the question of its cost is raised. It is at this point that it is revealed that the mediator, who introduces himself as a friend, wants his commission. Naturally, you do not want to spend your energy and precious time on such situations, so it is better to know about it in advance.
Psychological techniques
Often, intermediaries do not immediately show what the buyer wants. The client is driven through scary and murdered apartments that only partially meet his expectations. Then the middleman says that just a couple of hours ago, there was another option that would suit the buyer. And indeed, the new version is good, fully meets all the requests.
The essence of this scheme is that a good option was originally, but the realtor wanted to push the buyer, make it more malleable and ready to buy immediately. Of course, after viewing terrible apartments, the person immediately agrees to buy, and often even pays more than evaluated apartment in fact.
The apartment is shown only at certain times
The main task of the realtor is to sell the apartment by any means and to receive commissions. This is why mediators never focus on housing deficiencies. For example, if the house violent neighbors, then the apartment will necessarily be shown only in the morning, when everyone is still asleep. And if there are problems with parking, then the apartment can be viewed only on a weekday, when everyone will leave for work, and there will be practically no cars in the yard.
If the view is terrible from the windows of the apartment, the potential buyer will be invited only at night. That is why you should look at the apartment you like several times, and necessarily at different times of the day, as on work days as on weekends.
It also happens that the view from the window changes radically depending on the season. In our practice there was a case of selling an apartment in Kyiv on Antonovich Street. In spring and summer, a view of the green park was opened from the window, just as the visitors told. In the autumn and winter, when the leaves fell from the trees, the view was quite different. Graves and crosses of the Baikovo cemetery, over which there is smoke above the crematorium. Of course, for some people this kind is not a problem. But others would hardly knowingly buy an apartment with such a feature.
A straw buyer
When the intermediary sees that the client exactly fits the apartment, he begins to rush with the purchase, without giving time for reflection and the opportunity to reduce the price a little. To do this, various techniques are used. For example, during the time you will be looking at the apartment, unexpectedly come another buyer. This creates an artificial demand for housing and the appearance of excitement, thereby pushing to buy without bargaining.
Another popular method of deception is that the realtor is supposedly called by other buyers who are willing to make the first payment if the owner gives up a little. The realtor says that the apartment can be taken right now without bargaining, otherwise others will buy it. This is quite old, but still an effective and popular way of psychological pressure on buyers. Which realtors actively use even by that day.
They refuse to return the advance
Many intermediaries do not understand the difference between an advance and a down payment. Or they just pretend they don’t understand so they can cheat the client and profit from it. However, there is a significant legal difference between these terms. Realtors often say that you need to pre-issue a deposit. But it can not even be mentioned in the text of the preliminary contract for the purchase/sale of housing.
In the standard contract text, the process of transferring funds is referred to as advance or amount of collateral. Each buyer should know that the deposit cannot be legally secured in the preliminary contract.
Another deception is that the buyer is often refused to return the advance under the guise that it was part of the deposit. However, it should be understood that in almost all situations, however enshrined in the text of the preliminary contract of buy/sale, it is the advance issued.
Of course, the amount of security and the amount of fine, which is compensation for the owner in case of refusal of purchase, will be fixed in the contract. However, if the text referred to the advance, it should be returned in full. If the buyer is told that it was a deposit and refuse to return the funds, he is being deceived.
Fake advertisements
Both on the Web and on the pillar, near the entrances you can often find ads that say about buying an apartment for yourself. A person who wants to sell an apartment, calls on the ad in the hope that contacts with real buyers. However, in reality, such ads are most often just a lure mediator who wants to fill up their customer base.
Thanks to such a trick broker just looking for apartments, and then offers them to other people. To realtor not deceive, you should be extremely careful and not respond to such advertisements.
How realtors bring down the price
To sell the apartment as soon as possible, intermediaries use a variety of methods. For example, a realtor can come with potential clients to show them the apartment. Buyers like everything, they want to buy an apartment and even offer an advance. But the cost for them is a little high, so they ask for a little bit off.
Of course, the owner of the real estate agrees, because it is the real buyer. And concedes, for example, from 45 to 42 thousand. Then the realtor says you can meet tomorrow to hand over the advance and sign all the papers. Only the next day it turns out that the buyers refused, found a better option or just changed their mind.
In fact, there were no buyers who changed their minds. In fact, the mediator was just checking to see if you were willing to lower your apartment’s rating. After that, the realtor will offer your real estate at a lower cost. And, if the real buyers already want to bargain, then the price will have to lower. All this is done in order to sell the apartment as quickly as possible and to receive commissions. Only from the actions of such dishonest realtors suffer it is sellers of apartments.
Intermediary lowers cost without the seller’s knowledge
This is a pretty popular method used by realtors. For example, an intermediary finds an ad for the sale of an apartment. He then places the same ad with his contacts, but with a price that is insignificant but lower. This is done in order to simply attract potential buyers and dial the customer base. After that, the buyer will contact no longer directly with the seller, but with the realtor, which will lead him to show the apartment.
For example, initially the apartment was put up for sale by the real owner for 50 thousand UAH. A realtor reduces the cost to 49. In this case, in the search for an advert with a lower price is shown first. When the buyer comes to look at the apartment, he will be surprised why the cost is higher than was indicated. Naturally, it will appear that he just want to deceive. The intermediary really cheats, but not only the buyer, but also the seller. So, the broker just prevents the sale of the apartment.
The realtor expects that if the real buyer likes the apartment, and the seller sees that his property really want to buy, then the cost will be reduced. And the mediator for his services will take a commission, thus earning some money.
Can I get a photo?
To place an attractive advertisements on your behalf, the mediator needs new, high-quality photos. For this, the realtor brings to see the apartment of his friend, who under the guise of a real buyer asks to take a couple of photos. Which she supposedly wants to show her husband at home.
But in a few days, these photos will be posted on all real estate sales sites on behalf of the realtor. Thanks to this trick, the intermediary will be much easier to sell the apartment and get their percent.
Deception with fake buyers
Often, under the guise of real buyers, middlemen bring their friends who are simply actors. All this is necessary in order to create the appearance of active work, reduce the cost for faster sale.
Such actions of realtors just waste your time. People who are not going to buy an apartment, just walk, look, create a buzz. And it is good if the mediator warns about the visit, but he can come without a call, creating obvious inconvenience to the owners of the apartment.
Real buyers, but not of this apartment
Many people turn to realtors to help them find an apartment. There is nothing wrong with this, because an honest and conscientious mediator can greatly facilitate and even accelerate the search. But here is a dishonest so-called broker, whose main purpose is to sell real estate in the shortest possible time, will show customers all the options he has. Even though they are obviously not very suitable for a potential buyer.
Most often buyers are looking for a particular option. For example, people want to buy two bedrooms apartment for rent, not a corner one, in the sleeping area, first and last floor do not want to even consider. And the intermediary takes the buyers to the one-room apartment on the first floor, shows huge one bedroom apartment in a new building etc.
The realtor will show all the apartments that are at least a little bit like what buyers want. It should be understood that the main task of the mediator is to sell real estate in the shortest possible time. Buyers’ requests are therefore often ignored.
It happens that such a deception is an accident. If the realtor has never been to the apartment, but leads to show it to buyers. Not all middlemen look at apartments that are sold before showing them to customers-buyers.
But often this is done specifically so that after viewing a dozen inappropriate options, the buyer agreed to the first apartment, which more or less suits him. Even at an inflated cost.
If the intermediary is dishonest, and his main goal is only and exclusively to receive commissions, he will show you everything that he has in sight. Use various tricks, cheat and cheat. All for a percentage with the sale. As a result, both buyers and sellers of apartments suffer because of such actions, which waste their time and nerves, and the real sale may not take place.
