REAL ESTATE STALKERS

by Neil Jenman

Reading Time: Apx 5 mins

In these supposedly cautious times, the lack of privacy in the real estate world beggars belief. Like so much in the real estate world, the privacy issue needs attention – in the form of stricter regulations, enforcement and penalties. Millions of consumers are at risk because of reckless disrespect for their privacy.

If you are doing anything in the real estate world – from selling to buying to leasing, you should be concerned about privacy – not only for your personal safety but also for your financial safety. In the real estate world, chances are that you and your financial situation are an open book.

Unlike the medical or legal profession – indeed, unlike most personal situations today, privacy in real estate is almost non-existent.

For whatever reason or whoever they might be, most people can discover personal and property details of just about anyone. Even being famous, won’t help you. These days, it’s easy to discover information about celebrities.

Without wanting to reveal how it’s done, here are a few examples of what is done. With some suggestions on how you can increase your privacy and safety by avoiding real estate stalkers.

AGENTS – Most agents are dreadful gossips. If consumers heard how these agents talk about them, not just in disparaging terms – which is bad enough – but in revealing confidential information, they’d be mortified.

Most times revealing personal information works against the interests of consumers. That’s one of the reasons agents reveal private details. It helps them make sales if they betray the trust of sellers. Plus, of course, many agents are not nice people.

Check it out for yourself. Most agents are so contemptuous of clients’ privacy, they’ll reveal the most private information to the most anonymous people.

Just visit any open-house and whisper to the agent: “So, what’s the story with this place, mate.” Out will come all the family secrets – everything from health to tragedy to financial matters. It’s all there. Even those asking for the information are often stunned at what agents tell them.

If you’ve got your home for sale, check it out. Get a friend to do something horribly unethical such as pose as a buyer. Brace yourself for when your friend reports back to you.

And just in case the industry spokespeople trot out the old lines about a “minority of agents doing the wrong thing” or “most agents respect their clients’ privacy”, don’t believe it. Like so much in the real estate world, the majority of agents give the minority a bad name.

Most agents don’t give a damn about the privacy of anyone but themselves. Even among themselves, bitchiness and backstabbing are legendary. Agents speak of taking their diaries to the bathroom to stop other agents stealing their leads. If only consumers could do the same to protect their details.

PREVENTION: Make it known to your agent that your privacy is important. Of course, most will say they always respect clients’ confidences. Make it clear that you will have friends mystery-shop the agent to be sure your confidences are kept. As agents have dummy bidders, you will have dummy buyers. There is no need to threaten them or be nasty. Just stress how much you value your privacy.

ON-LINE PROPERTY DETAILS. The most brazen breaches of privacy occur with at least half the family homes of Australia. You can get anybody’s address and go online and likely have a good look through their home.

Even when a home is sold, website owners seldom remove property details. This causes enormous distress to buyers who value their privacy. Some buyers (now owners) plead for months with agents and web owners to have personal information removed. All to no avail.

Almost no one seems to care.

Indeed, as the writer of these words, I will likely get more abuse from agents than the agents will get from consumers – most of whom are either unaware of what’s happening or simply tolerate it. Unless something happens to them, of course.

There was at least one instance where a killer entered a home and murdered a young lady. He went straight to her bedroom. And yes, the home’s floor plan was online. How many other cases – in this age of stalking and domestic violence – are occurring all over the country?

Just ask any police officer if it’s a good idea to show the world photographs of the interior of your home with a map of that interior.

Or an on-line video where an agent says, “Let me show you through this lovely home.”

Show who, mate?!

What are you doing? Are you stupid? Or don’t you care about your clients’ rights to privacy?

How much publicity are you getting for yourself, agent? How many leads are you getting at the expense of trusting sellers? And most despicable of all, how much are [some] videographers paying you for each video?

Oh sure, it’s all disclosed in the fine print of the listing agreement that most sellers never read. It’s like the scene from The Godfather when Michael says: “How much is the Turk paying you to set up my father?”

Despite what agents and advertisers tell you, it is not necessary to have lots of photographs and details of your home online. It’s necessary for their profits, not your privacy.

Indeed, personal information is repellent to people who value privacy.

Who wants to buy a home where the whole world can look inside their home for months or years to come? Who wants to live in a home where hundreds or thousands of sticky beaks and neighbours and various lookers (everything from burglars to murderers) have wandered through that home?

Like many people, my wife would never buy such a home. She is pleased that nobody has details of the interior or exterior of our home. Years ago, an unethical journalist threatened to publish our Melbourne home address. My wife would have sold if that happened. The journalist was later fired.

Sellers, you do not know how much damage you do to yourselves by putting so much information online. The purpose of advertising is not to sell your property, it’s to create an enquiry from a genuine buyer. It is then the agent’s job to identify and qualify those prospective buyers; before giving them details of your property.

PREVENTION: Do not let anyone – other than identified and qualified buyers – see the interior of your home. Why let millions of people view your personal details when, in reality, all you need is one buyer? Use basic advertising if you must but provide your personal details only when it’s safe to do so.

Ideally, of course, you should find an agent who uses advertising as a last resort not the first action. A hard-working smart agent. They are rare but they do exist.

Most agents have hundreds of buyers on file. But most agents are too lazy to call buyers. They’d rather splash your private details all over the Internet thereby promoting themselves and getting extra leads at your expense while risking your safety.

And wilfully damaging the value of your home.

Many sellers do not realise that if they advertise their home and it hasn’t sold in a few weeks, the value drops. Buyers wonder what’s wrong with it. Why hasn’t it sold? Oh, that’s right, it must be too dear. That’s why it’s being rejected by thousands of viewers. Meanwhile the web site companies are raking in billions of dollars, the agents are getting free publicity (if they’ve persuaded you to pay for “your advertising”) and they’re finding plenty of new leads.

Don’t let it happen to you. Only allow your information to be given to buyers who are identified and qualified. If an agent doesn’t know how to find buyers without breaching your privacy, find a better agent.

TRACKING YOU DOWN. With the decline in land-lines and the rise in mobile phones, it was getting harder for agents to contact people. But not anymore. Now there are several services designed for agents to access millions of people.

Got a silent number or a private address? It doesn’t matter they’ll stalk you down.

As one on-line advertisement states: “A 360-degree view of both the property and the owners of the property that’s what this can do for you. It will tell you everything you need to know about when it was on the market, when it was withdrawn, about where the owners can be contacted, what their details are. Information is power and you can have that with this product.” Plus driver’s licenses, dates of birth, your partner’s details, you name it. Maybe your blood group. Surely not.

All for around $150 a month and reportedly with more than 10,000 real estate agents paying gladly. It’s a real estate stalking stampede and it’s coming your way.

Yes, millions of dollars are being earned by creators of these systems who, despite furious accusations, all claim it’s perfect legal.

Perhaps, but it’s certainly Orwellian in its creepiness.

As one agent commented on the weekend: “It’s great for getting past clients who have changed their number, but very scary to think everyone’s details are so easy to get hold of these days.”

I don’t know how you feel, but I want to spend time with my loved ones (or take my dog for a walk) without an agent stalking me.

PREVENTION: Set your phone to total silence other than for your loved ones. Record a voice mail asking callers to identify themselves by text before you will consider replying. Or get a second phone – one for loved ones only.

Protect this number with your life. After all, your private life does depend on it.

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