Sydney real estate agent exposes the sneaky lie that many use to pressure buyers

A Sydney real estate agent has revealed a common tactic used by agents to pressure home buyers for higher offers – and how to call out their bluff. 

Amir Jahan, 25, owner of A-Class Estate Agents, warns buyers to be cautious when agents claim they have received higher offers. 

‘A lot of agents are trying to get extra money for the vendor by saying they have higher offers when they don’t. They’re lying,’ he told Daily Mail Australia.

Jahan believes this tactic isn’t just about securing the best price for sellers, it’s also a way for agents to showcase their skills and attract more listings. 

‘It’s greed. Just say there is a building or an area and most of the properties sell for $1.5m or $1.6m, ‘ he said.

‘But if one agent sells higher than everyone else, who is likely to get the next business?

‘Its not fair to the buyers because they can lose a lot of money for no reason.’

Mr Jahan explained that even if a property owner is satisfied with an offer, the agent might still try to ‘prove themselves’ by telling the buyer there’s a higher bid, even if it’s untrue. 

‘And now that buyer loves that property and might be happy to just pay it to secure the home,’ he said. 

Mr Jahan urged buyers to use the same tactics that real estate agents do. 

‘Don’t show a lot of interest in the property,’ he said.

‘If you want to submit an offer, just submit it and leave it there.

‘Don’t try and chase the agent. Just leave it at that.

‘And if the agent doesn’t have a buyer and really wants to sell it they will contact you.’

He also warned buyers to stand firm if an agent responds with, ‘Your offer is good, but we had a higher one’. 

‘Don’t show any interest. Say “alright you go with the higher offer”,’ he explained.

‘Because if they truly have a higher offer, there’s no point with the agent wasting time on you when your budget is lower, they go straight away for the higher offer’.

Mr Jahan admitted that sometimes there could be genuinely higher offers for a property – and there is an easy way to find out.

‘You can ask for proof,’ he said.

‘If it’s private treaty – an agent can disclose what the offers are.

‘But if it is an auction property an agent cannot disclose the offers. It is illegal.

‘There is nothing stopping them from telling you what the higher offer amount is on a private treaty property though.’

Mr Jahan explained the best way to not overpay on a property is to do research.

‘A lot of first homebuyers are just excited to buy property, they’re not thinking,’ he said.

‘They just say they love it and are willing to pay for it.

‘But do your homework. Look at the street – what was the recent property sold for?

‘Are there others in the area similar to the one you like on the market?

‘Are you paying the right amount or are you overpaying for the property?’