Surfing the real estate listings this morning before breakfast, I was shocked to find that some premium agents violate their clients’ basic expectations of privacy.
Luxury real estate agents are rightly held to a higher standard than others. More money is at stake in every transaction, and both vendors and buyers are more financially sophisticated.
At this price range (I searched for properties above $4 million), it is understandable that many vendors prefer to keep the exact address of their home private, to all but interested potential buyers.
That’s why, on listings portals like Thehomepage.com.au or realestate.com.au, it’s very common to see the words “address available on request” at the top of the page where the street address would normally appear.
Yet, agents who hide the address at the top of the listing sometimes accidentally reveal it further down the page — often in big, bold letters half as tall as your thumb.
The culprit is the floor plans, which may be prepared with the address written on them. Careless agents who upload the floor plan without removing the address thus reveal the precise location of the home shown — against the vendor’s wishes.
This careless mistake is not limited to agents in one metro area. The brief research I did before breakfast this morning found three agents who are breaking their clients’ bond of trust.
They are:
- The agent with this $4 million-plus listing at 7 Pretoria Avenue, Mosman, NSW.
- The agent selling the entire apartment block at 297 Ernest Street , North Sydney, NSW.
- The agent listing this ornate $5 million-plus house at 197 Jumping Creek Road, Wonga Park, VIC.
This mistake is easy to make, and it seems minor enough, but it violates a client’s basic trust — and their privacy.
If one of these properties were to be burglarized by someone who had found it on realestate.com.au, the client would probably feel justified in holding the agent responsible.
Also, I thought you’d like to know: as soon as I posted this item I sent an email to each of the agent’s listed so they can fix their mistake.
NOTE: This post has been edited to remove agent names and brands.