Recently I have come across a rash of advertisements for properties that don’t really exist. My client handed me a list of five homes she would like to see. All five of them had already leased. Not by days or weeks, but by months. I got an email from a client yesterday, she wants to see a house that was last on the market in 2008, well at least that is what the Austin Board of Realtors, MLS data showed. I called the agent and it has leased again, I assume they advertised it with the old MLS number.
The same client handed me a Postlet yesterday. The postlet did not include the address of the property, so I called the agent to find the address and to see if it was still available. The nice agent informed me she did not know anything about the listing, that is was not hers and, she did not need permission to advertise other agents listings.
Not only is that a violation of the Realtors Code of Ethics, but it is also getting really close to a truth in advertising problem. It was clear that the agent was only interested in finding buyers by advertising a property that was not really available. I am not an attorney or expert in advertising law but it sounds like bait and switch to me.
So, while I am trying to find available property for my client, I am constantly having to fact check rogue advertisements. Maybe I should thank my fellow agents for the extra busy work. I understand that sometime we forget all the places we have advertised a property. I am guilty of that as well. Please all agents out there, help me police the internet. Life is to sort to be chasing ghost properties, and worrying about other agent misrepresenting your properties.
