The Rise of the Fake Buyer’s agent and what consumers need to know
Have you noticed that the rise of the professional Property Advocate is here. More and more people are suddenly claiming to be a Buyer’s Agent, with many having NEVER worked in the real estate industry. I call them FAKE buyer agents. Shocking, isn't it !
It's really important for consumers to understand, because it means they have bypassed their ‘apprenticeship’ in the industry and don’t have the actual training or experience required, if you are considering engaging their services as a buyer or vendor advocate. A lack of practical experience means a lack of knowledge and insight, all of which is vital to advise clients correctly. They also have no understanding of ethics, due diligence, their fiduciary duty to clients or have even had their skillset or competency tested formally.
Its the equivalent of dealing with someone who has 'kindergarten' level real estate knowledge when you need an advocate who has effectively graduated at 'university' level.
Would you engage a surgeon who has never practiced before, making you their guinea pig and risking your health ? Or an electrician who has never had practical training before they rewire your house?
Or even a hairdresser who hasn't been properly trained to color and cut your hair ?
Of course not, so why be a guinea pig for a fake buyers agent and risk your money ?
Advocacy is about protecting, advising, guiding, and supporting clients.
It is about helping clients to buy and sell property, by providing independent professional advice.
But how do consumers navigate the journey to understanding the difference between one Property Advocate / Advisor and the next?
Here are fourteen important questions to ask when interviewing an advocate…
- Do they provide a genuinely independent and unbiased service and take a client best interest approach ? i.e. they are NOT attached to a sales agency (brand) as this does NOT provide genuine independence.
- Do they charge you a fee for service – fixed or % based - directly ? They also do not earn commissions, fees, or kickbacks from any third parties.
- Do they have a single in-depth area of expertise – Buyers Advocacy or Vendors Advocacy, or in depth and practical experience in both?
- Have they worked in the industry for an absolute minimum of 2 years doing their ‘apprenticeship’ and are a licensed estate agent (they have not merely done a non-accredited course and secured a License via Mutual Recognition) . This includes having transacted on at least 100 properties in that time.
- Check out their LinkedIn profile to see what they did before becoming a Buyers Agent. If they don't have genuine real estate sales experience, RUN! If they are "invisible" on Linked In before stating their career as a Buyers Agent, RUN!
- Do they have formal property investment qualifications if working with investors?
- Do they take a consultative, and not a sales approach? They ask you the right questions to understand your brief and they do not try to ‘sell’ you into a property. In other words, they are not an 'order taker', they can develop a tailored strategy for you
- Do they think like an advocate, and not a sales agent? They negotiate like an advocate, not like a sales agent. They bid like an advocate, not a sales agent. If they cannot demonstrate or explain this to you, they are not an advocate!
- When they suggest they are an ‘expert’ with ‘experience’, can they demonstrate years and dozens of case studies of the results they have secured for their clients, while working as a real estate agent or buyer and/or vendor advocate? You are not interested in their ‘experience’ in non-real estate professions or their personal passion for property. It must be actual real estate industry experience, otherwise your hard-earned dollars are very much at at risk!
- Are they pretending to be a buyer’s agent while charging you a ‘strategy’ or ‘management’ fee then ‘find’ you off the plan or new property, while also being paid a sales commission from a developer. This is misleading and illegal, as real estate agents are not allowed by law to receive money from the buyer and the seller in a real estate transaction. These so called ‘buyers’ agents’ should be reported to the ACCC, as they are in fact selling agents masquerading as buyer agents.
- Are they promoting 'off market property' to purchase like a selling agent, but want to charge you a fee to buy it? If so, run a mile ! They are trying to sell you a property but charge you for the privilege and are therefore NOT acting as a Buyers Agent.
- Do they work in the industry full time ? They must be a 100% full time advocate ( ie not part time or running other businesses). Real estate advocacy is NOT a part time 'property buying gig'. A lack of fulltime commitment to the role and clients, puts you at very high risk of receiving inadequate service for your fee and errors being made, at your expense.
- FAKE or 'Rookie' BA websites are usually built in 2018, 2019, 2020 or 2021. Does the About Us section of their ( often sophisticated and convincing ) website provide a detailed description of the business owner and advocate, including their name, photo and actual real estate experience ? If not, it is all smoke and mirrors and this is a RED FLAG, so avoid at all costs !
- They use KPI's to promote themselves that are FAKE. eg someone with only 3 years real estate has inspected over 10,000 homes. That's 64 per week , 52 weeks a year. Yeah right !
In summary
- Ask what real estate industry experience they have. Be very wary if they don’t have any!
- Ask them to demonstrate multiple case studies, over many years of their client success story’s
- Ask for past client testimonials spanning at least 2 years
- Check the REBAA website to find y our local REBAA Accredited local buyers agent
Property Prosperity
Have you always wanted to buy property but been confused about where and how to start and who to trust along the way? Do you want to build a property portfolio strategically, while also ensuring it is sustainable for you to hold onto over the medium to long term? Did you know that the price you pay is almost more important than you price you eventually sell for ?
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