There was no such profession
“People come to us with complaints about realtors, not just often, but regularly,” says Alexey Koitov, co-chairman of the Union of Consumers of the Russian Federation.
— They usually complain about their low competence, especially in legal nuances. A real estate transaction is one of the most expensive in a person’s life. But many are trying to save money: they are looking for a realtor who charges less, or do without one at all. As a result, due to a lack of documents and errors in them, especially when applying for a mortgage at a bank, the transaction may be delayed, and the buyer may go to another seller.” “Despite the fact that the real estate market in Russia has existed for about 30 years, the profession of “realtor” has not officially existed until now, there were no documents that would clearly formulate uniform requirements for specialists engaged in real estate activities,” - says the head of the legal service "INCOM-Real Estate" Svetlana Krasnova.
Real estate agency check
If you want to independently check a real estate agency when purchasing an apartment, then check the following information about the organization:
- Work experience . It is good if the company has approximately 3-5 years of experience in this field. This already speaks of its stability and reliability. At the same time, you shouldn’t think that all the “younger” companies are necessarily dishonest, you’ll just have to be more careful about checking them.
- Agency staff . As a rule, experienced realtors are members of a guild or association of realtors, or other similar organizations that characterize them as professionals. In addition, such organizations often check their subordinates, which obliges the agency to perform at the highest level.
- Internet site . The presence of your website on the Internet indicates the seriousness of the agency. Such a site must be full-fledged, that is, it must contain not only offers for the purchase and sale of real estate, but also all information about the enterprise itself, its certificates, supporting documents, the names of the manager and chief accountant, as well as telephone numbers.
- Preparation of proposals . All exhibited real estate must be accompanied not only by clear photographs with a description, but also by a price.
- Reviews online . Reviews about the agency you are interested in are worth taking into account, but you still shouldn’t believe them completely. It's no secret that positive reviews can be ordered from freelancers, while negative ones may turn out to be the work of competitors. On the other hand, video reviews from satisfied customers often speak volumes. If you manage to contact them and talk, this will be an additional plus in your research.
What can a pro do?
The professional standard states that it is enough for a realtor to have a secondary education or complete a bachelor’s degree, and then undergo advanced training programs every two years. He must be able to do market research on the housing market, advise the client on location and access, type and size, cost of housing, as well as the cost of its maintenance (meaning utility bills, taxes, etc.). Such a specialist can read technical passports, cadastral plans and certificates, drawings, floor plans and explications of real estate objects. He can also advise the client, for example, on the costs of completing a transaction and registering rights and encumbrances. It is emphasized that a realtor must also comply with ethical standards. For example, do not disclose the terms of the transaction to third parties, do not hide the real cost of the property or the shortcomings of the housing. He is also obliged not to slander competitors or discredit colleagues. “The standard is the minimum requirements for the professional qualities of specialists,” says Arsen Hunanyan, president of the Russian Guild of Realtors NP.
What should you be wary of?
One of the favorite tricks of “black” realtors is asking for an advance payment . They motivate this by the need for advertising, the cost of communication services, and others. Such a request will signal the agent’s unclean intentions, because there is no guarantee that the realtor will cope with the task and will be able to sell, rent out, or select the object the client needs.
When drawing up an agreement, it is very important to clarify in advance the amount of the realtor’s remuneration. Agents often don't provide specific numbers until the deal is completed. This is one of the pitfalls - after the transaction is completed, the agent may demand an unreasonably large amount.
You should not negotiate with the realtor about his remuneration as a percentage of the transaction amount. This encourages the realtor to look for more expensive options. It will be better if the rate is fixed.
There is also a big risk of charging hidden commissions - when an unscrupulous realtor tries to collect commissions from both parties without their knowledge, which is a complete deception.
You shouldn’t chase a low price - everyone knows where the free cheese is. There is a certain range of prices for real estate services. Some companies offer cheaper prices, while others inflate the price tag for their services. But the suspiciously low cost is a reason to doubt the purity of the broker’s intentions.
There are common cases when unscrupulous realtors sell lists of potential buyers and tenants, and so on. In 90% of cases, such lists are fiction. The telephone numbers provided do not exist or do not answer. The money has been paid, the client has no way to return it, and the realtor just shrugs.
Fraudsters often invite dummy buyers . For example, when coming to view a house for rent, a client encounters a married couple who are ready to give a deposit right away just to get the desired property. Potential tenants begin to argue over who will get the right to live in the house. In 90% of cases, buyers who “accidentally” come at the same time are fake.
In addition to all of the above, realtors often use “anchors” - influence on the subconscious of clients. For example, the aroma of coffee and cinnamon creates a favorable atmosphere and makes the client associate the apartment they are viewing with coziness and comfort.
Another classic technique of realtors is playing with contrast . Almost all agents use this technique. The client is shown several properties with inflated prices and poor repairs. The last object stands out significantly - reasonable cost, clean entrance, “green” yard, new plumbing in the apartment, and so on. Naturally, the buyer involuntarily tends to buy the last option he viewed.
When planning to view real estate, you need to make an agreement with a realtor during daylight hours. Often, agents, in order to hide the shortcomings of the home, make an appointment for late evening in order to prevent the client from seeing all the shortcomings.
There are often cases of purchasing housing opposite a cemetery, and other objects unpleasant for the neighborhood, only because each viewing of the apartment took place after sunset.
Pull the ticket!
You can learn to become a realtor through some courses; there are currently no universities that teach such specialists. However, in just a few months, many realtors will have to take exams at qualification assessment centers. Those who successfully pass will be included in a special register, through which clients will be able to “check” their realtor to make sure of his professionalism. Now there is a similar certification system for companies and real estate market specialists, registered by the Russian State Register back in 2002. You can check whether your realtor or real estate agency is included in it on the website reestr.rgr.ru.
How to choose a real estate broker
Not every owner of an apartment, cottage or country house has a bunch of familiar realtors who are ready to do their job efficiently and honestly at every stage of the transaction. As a rule, an inexperienced client goes to the nearest agency engaged in mediation and enters into an agreement for the provision of services there. How to check the honesty of a real estate agency in this case? There is no specific step-by-step instruction in this matter. It is recommended to pay attention to the following objective indicators:
- Successful firms constantly participate in symposiums, exhibitions and have their own representation in the media.
- Recommended experience in the market is 3 years or more.
- It is not recommended to contact large agencies with a huge staff turnover. Managers simply cannot control all employees.
In modern realities, most qualified companies are represented on the Internet and media space. As a rule, checking any real estate agency is a fairly simple task. The World Wide Web is replete with reviews about each employee and, especially, the company representing him.
Real estate agency or independent realtor
The services of large companies are usually quite expensive. This is explained by the large number of employees simultaneously working to solve the housing problem of a particular client. For simple purchase and sale transactions with two owners, one independent expert is sufficient to oversee the collection of documents and monitor the progress of transactions for the transfer of property rights.
Important! Compared to a well-known agency, the amount of commission for the work of an independent intermediary can be 3-5 times less.
Before signing a cooperation agreement, it is worth checking the chosen realtor for honesty by personally communicating with him. Singles rarely have documents confirming their involvement in the guild of realtors or accreditation in the federal registry. You should not pay the main attention to the manner of communication and appearance - even an ideal candidate can cheat a client out of a lot of money. If the requested commissions are too small or too large, you should add such an agent to the blacklist.
How to avoid getting scammed by black realtors
No matter what year it is now - 1990, 2021, 2021 or 2030, there will never end people who want to get rich from the gullibility and lack of information of their fellow citizens. The variety of scams and scams when buying and selling apartments will surprise even an experienced law enforcement officer. Every year, black realtors are developing the skill of deceiving clients using cunning combinations. The most popular divorce schemes today are:
- Buying an apartment from a fake incompetent citizen. A few days after the purchase, a subpoena will be sent to the court about the invalidity of the transaction.
- Sale of property to several owners. The black realtor takes a commission from 3-4 people and disappears.
- Changed object address. After the purchase, it turns out that the purchased apartment is located in a neighboring building, building or city.
In large cities - Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, etc., there is a database with a list of black realtors. Before concluding a cooperation agreement, it wouldn’t hurt to take a quick look there to protect yourself from possible financial loss. It would be a good idea to rewrite the intermediary’s passport details, as well as compare the information provided about his company with the unified register of companies.
