11 Times Realtors Tried to Outsmart Everyone and Failed

Many people think that working with realtors is just a formality. But these stories will prove that some realtors will do anything to close a deal: tricks, absurd promises, etc. Get ready to learn more about it.

• A relative of mine was looking for a simple one-bedroom place downtown, so she reached out to an agency and also asked me to help look.
  The next day, the realtor invited us to see a “great option.” She showed up an hour late and kept praising the apartment, even though it clearly needed major renovations. They offered a “discount,” but we said we’d think about it.
  The next day, we found a better place ourselves — directly from the owner. Bought it with no middleman involved. A couple of days later, the same realtor calls, all excited, offering us our own apartment — now at a higher price, calling it an “exclusive deal.” © andbest / Pikabu
• I went to see a 2-bedroom apartment that was supposed to come with furniture and appliances. The woman was all smiles, pouring coffee, raving about the place. I asked if there was a catch. She said, “No catch at all, I’m just helping out a friend!”
  But then she let it slip that the owner would be coming back from his work rotation every 2 months and that I’d have to move out for a couple of weeks when he did. Oh, and I’d need to be really careful with the furniture — everything had to stay like new.
  I finished my coffee, politely thanked her, and declined. The next day, I got flooded with calls and texts — she was upset I’d turned down “such a great opportunity.” © portulakis / Pikabu

• My boyfriend was renting a villa in India while he was working there. When it was time to sign the lease, the agent decided to throw in a little cherry on top (and by the way, the villa really was gorgeous): “Sir, this is a lucky villa. The last 3 tenants got married while living here.”
  My boyfriend, with a poker face, put down the pen and said, “Then I don’t want to rent it.” The joke landed perfectly — the broker nearly had a heart attack. When my boyfriend was moving out, he told the next tenant he’d lifted the curse from the place. © Overheard / Ideer
• My personal favorite was the realtor who told me the house we were looking at we could get for less than the list price. Then, when we talked about making an offer the next day, he told us to not be unreasonable as the list price was a steal of a deal. © AlexBanich / Reddit
• The realtor convinced us (first time buyers in our late twenties) that an unpermitted second story addition was no big deal, “Lots of people do unpermitted work around here, it saves money.”
  The floor under the second story sloped about 2 inches in 20 feet. And then we let him choose the home inspector, who of course agreed with him. Lots of lessons learned for us on that one. © original_evanator / Reddit

• When my parents were selling their apartment, realtors kept calling nonstop, wasting time by pretending to be buyers.
  But one guy really outdid himself — he called and said he had “tentatively” listed our apartment on his agency’s website, had already found some buyers, and wanted to show them the place. My dad agreed.
  The realtor brought the people over, and my dad deliberately ignored him, spoke only to the buyers, openly exchanged numbers with them, and said our trusted lawyer would be handling the deal. The realtor was pacing around, fussing, rolling his eyes, saying, “This isn’t how it’s done.” Everyone thought it was hilarious — except him. © Overheard / VK
• I’ve had really bad experiences with realtors and honestly wish I never had to deal with them at all. One time, I was apartment hunting and found a place where the owner hadn’t hired a realtor yet. We’d pretty much agreed on everything — I even left a deposit.
  But that evening, a realtor showed up and convinced the owner not to rent out their place to me, said he could get more money and that I had kids. Good thing I know how to keep my cool, the realtor got lucky that day. © Not everyone will understand / VK
• My friend took his cat along when viewing apartments. The cat kept running off, hissing, and getting stressed out. The realtor didn’t know what to do — nothing seemed to please the cat. In the end, they picked the apartment where the cat felt comfortable.
  A year later, they found a little bottle of catnip under pipes. Apparently, the realtor was so tired of running around with them that he broke the cat’s superstition himself using catnip. © Not everyone will understand / VK

• The realtor tried to pull the old “we’ve had a higher offer, would you like to increase your offer?” I laughed and said no, it’s not a house I’m prepared to fight for, they can have it. Strangely enough, the invisible second buyer vanished over the weekend, and she phoned me back first thing Monday with the good news. © AccomplishedBid2866 / Reddit
• I’ve been looking for rental properties and one estate agent asked me what the rent was... I remember thinking, “Dude, that’s your job. You didn’t even check the listing before coming for the viewings?” We weren’t even the first appointment, it was halfway through the block. © Carrotface94 / Reddit
• Realtors who think they’re smarter than everyone else really get on my nerves. Like, rules are for everyone — but not for them, the “special” ones. I posted an ad to sell my apartment, clearly stating no realtor services needed and to come only with clients.
  In just one day, I got 28 calls from realtors saying stuff like, “I want to offer my services” and “If you change your mind.” If I did change my mind, I’d definitely go to someone who can read. © Overheard / VK

And here are things that real estate agents may not share with you.