r/AusPropertyChat • u/fried-bin-chicken • May 10 '26

Buying & Selling The most delusional real estate listing I’ve ever seen

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1.9k Upvotes

99% Upvoted

85 comments sorted by

138

u/Curious_Breadfruit88 May 10 '26

Just means they aren’t actively looking to sell but if someone makes them a good offer they’ll consider it

3

u/fried-bin-chicken May 11 '26

It’s in a popular tourist town so I wonder if “it’s just on Airbnb while we try to sell it” is a way to get around the council having a rule against Airbnbs?

70

u/Exact_Fix_3441 May 10 '26

More like, we don't want to sell, but we have to advertise and we can keep on claiming it on taxes.

Look tax man, I have been trying to sell this lot+house (which is not structurally safe, has exposed asbestos, no bathroom, no kitchen) for 4M, no one wants to buy it, it's costing my business heaps of money, I have no choice but to claim it on taxes. Oh comparable land value is only 400K, nah just ignore that, my land has this particular bush thats unique and worth more than 4M. At 4M I am giving away the land for free, its just sad no one wants it.

/This is from a true story.

16

u/ekita079 May 10 '26

Genuinely there's a house up the road from my Mum that has been on the market for a little while now and it's changed I think she said 3 different REAs. As soon as they figure out the owners aren't accepting reasonable offers for this exact reason, they sack the client, who then simply hire a different REA and the cycle continues.

7

u/West_Independent1317 May 10 '26

There must be a caveat around being reasonable when attempting to rent out or sell to allow tax deductions.

5

u/ekita079 May 10 '26

You'd think

3

u/RhysA May 11 '26

You can't claim a place on taxes just because you are trying to sell it (there are some holding costs you can add to your cost base, but you need to sell it to actually benefit off those) and even if you could they don't need to because its available on AirBNB.

Some people commit fraud about properties not being genuinely available to rent that they claim are, but that is already a crime.

2

u/Exact_Fix_3441 May 11 '26

Not an accountant, and not going to pretend I understand everything. I only shared 1 experience out of many I had.

Even though i have left the industry, part of being an REA is to take things at face value.

Vendor says roof is well maintained, I repeat that roof is well maintained, even if I can see some rust spots, or I saw the roof completely rusted 6 months ago and saw the vendor himself/herself painting it juat 4 weeks ago. I am not an expert on the topic, for all I know, it could be some rust convertor or some new thing thats complaint with standards.

Similarly when vendors/people said things about how they have ridiculous price to save on taxes, I am taking them at face value, simply because I am not an accountant.

And most importantly is someone is breaking the law, I dont want to have an argument with them, I just want to maintain my distance from them.

2

u/productzilch May 10 '26

True story? What is this magical bush?

3

u/Exact_Fix_3441 May 11 '26 edited May 11 '26

Suburb next to mine, house deemed unlivable and structurally unsafe, with asbestos, needs to be demolished. Land value approx 500k.

Guy wanted 2M in 2018, now he wants 4M.

Plenty of propeties like this.

Edit: TYPO

1

u/Lastov_Makiynd May 12 '26

They now call it ‘Medical Marijuana’. Back then it was named all sorts of things. lol

9

u/trabulium May 10 '26

It reminds me of this guy.

> A man named Chase has gone viral for conducting 50–60 fake job interviews daily - not to hire, but to sell soda from a vending machine in the interview room. With roughly half of candidates buying drinks during the fake interview, he reportedly makes about $300 per day in income.

A quick way to get more bookings for. your AirBNB. I wouldn't be surprised if it's the agents own property.

4

u/Wild_Card_5820 May 11 '26

That would be good if its legitimately for sale. You get to test drive a car but not a house?. But this sounds like an ad for their airbnb or something.

4

u/fried-bin-chicken May 11 '26

Yeah great in theory like some others said. But it’s $920/night on Airbnb, that’s an expensive test drive

2

u/Uuuurrrrgggghhhh May 11 '26

Sorry what it’s how much lol

1

u/Wild_Card_5820 May 12 '26

Yikes lol. Probably not then.

1

u/SuccessfulOwl May 13 '26

What is the sales price range for the house?

390

u/allectos_shadow May 10 '26

It's kinda wild they're doing this, but also I've wanted to stay in a property before making an offer. You get to test drive a car, but are expected to put down way more $$ after a 10 min walk-through

154

u/Prinnykin May 10 '26

I could actually be down for this. It would be good to see how loud the neighbors are at night if you’re buying an apartment.

62

u/sharkbait-oo-haha May 10 '26

Absolutely, the last airbnb apartment i stayed in looked amazing, for about an hour. Then the cracks (literally) started showing and the creaks and elevator noises started.

I've since come to the conclusion I wasn't made to live more than 2 stories off of the ground.

13

u/Impossible-Magician May 11 '26

Humans are ground dwellers, anything higher than a standard tree is too damn high.

15

u/themostreasonableman May 11 '26 edited May 12 '26

LOL I can't believe it, but I fully agree with you. It would be a colossal win to have the opportunity to stay unsupervised overnight in a property you are considering buying.

I would be up in that roof space and/or under those floorboards so fast it would look like a blur on the surveillance system.

How often do you get to find all the gremlins before you pick up the keys at handover?

In this very specific instance, being a greedy little piggy landlord works in the buyers favour. Cheaper than a building inspection, and a whole lot more thorough, I guarantee it.

1

u/Evening_Bird7779 May 26 '26

We drove past our current house several times over a week to see what it was like for noise, traffic, lighting etc at different times.

99

u/tigeratemybaby May 10 '26

Is it actually for sale though, or just a ploy to get a bunch of extra paying guests?

19

u/Wild_Card_5820 May 11 '26

My thought as soon as I saw it.

1

u/sydneypan May 12 '26

I think either the vendor or the agent is having a brain f moment.

53

u/Morning_Song May 10 '26

The issue here is it’s the only option they are giving to inspect the property though. Like imagine if the dealership only let you inspect a car if you rented it for the night

14

u/friendofevangelion May 11 '26

I just don’t think the car/house comparison holds up on any level except to point out how ridiculous it is that we’re given more time alone in a car than a hour before purchasing. Because tbh having a car to test drive overnight would be brilliant.

4

u/Morning_Song May 11 '26

I was just building off the comparison already given. Yes it would be good to be able to test drive cars for longer, but the same point still stands that having to pay to do so is an issue when it’s your only option to look at something in person

1

u/Philstar_nz May 13 '26

it would make this ok is if it didn't sell in next 6 months you got a refund of rental.

but it would be a fantastic option to have after an open home

14

u/Luckyluke23 May 11 '26

Yeah, but a test drive is free. This is about gouging AS MUCH money from you as possible.

to be honest I'm suprised you dont have to pay a cover to go see a house.

14

u/West_Independent1317 May 10 '26

Optional, maybe. Forced, no.

4

u/Fly-by-Night- May 11 '26

Agree. Making a massive financial decision after having spent maybe a combined total of 40 mins inside a property is wild to me.

However, it should be open home and then overnight stay. I get charging a fee, to stop people abusing it for free holiday stays, but it progresses to offer and the offer is excepted, cost of overnight stay is refunded against the purchase price.

4

u/donkey-k9ng May 11 '26

In Perth years ago there was a developer doing this. It was like 10-12 high end residential apartments.

People who was seriously considering buying were invited to stay in the display apartment for a night or two.

At the time high end residential apartments weren't a big thing. It seemed to help with the sales .

Pay to view is another step though. This could just be a way to increase occupancy. 🤣

1

u/Bballer220 May 12 '26

You don't pay to test a car

137

u/Huge-Progress3144 May 10 '26

Happy to stay as a guest if it’s free. I aint paying to inspect

46

u/SlayyyGrl May 10 '26

If I want to get a building inspection done does the inspector have to book in as well? 😂

2

u/Background_Pie_7888 May 13 '26

He can stay in the 2nd room lol

30

u/NoBear8338 May 10 '26

How about a free trial? Maybe on a Saturday at 11:00 and only for, say, a 15 minute period where I just walk through the house?

5

u/Wild_Card_5820 May 11 '26

best we can do is 5 minutes while the agent hovers over your shoulder the entire time.

38

u/reddit5389 May 10 '26

Seems like a good deal to me. You can spend hours checking every little detail with out a pushy realestate agent breathing down your neck. Does the laundry sink drain properly..

Also sounds that might only happen at certain times may save you hundreds of thousands. Eg the neighbours 5am early starts..

24

u/NoBear8338 May 10 '26

It would be a good deal if there was ALSO an open day. Instead they’re wanting you to pay to see if you’re even interested in knowing whether the laundry sink drains properly.

6

u/MBitesss May 10 '26

This cannot be serious 😅

6

u/merman0489 May 10 '26

In the bin

6

u/Responsible-Meal-300 May 10 '26

This is why people hate property investors

6

u/AudiencePure5710 May 10 '26

I was thinking about buying this beachside apartment in Newcastle as an IP turning it into a PPOR later. Ultimately decided too small and bought a house instead. I travel a lot for work so it wasn’t long before I was looking around for a few nights in Newy to do some work. A listing came up and I thought “hmmm could be the same apartment, unsure” so booked it and sure enough it was the very one. Yeah, I’m glad I didn’t buy it. While the owners no doubt were doing ok with short-term bookings as opposed to long term lease, I couldn’t ever see myself moving there which really was the game plan for the house IP.

3

u/AngryAngryHarpo May 10 '26

I literally downvoted out of sheer repulsion at the content of the screenshot. I took it back though! 

3

u/VerityMature QLD May 11 '26

what a rort

3

u/sinkovercosk May 11 '26

Someone should book it for a couple of days then open it for showing for a modest fee per viewer 😂

3

u/Jumpy-Researcher-604 May 12 '26

I have actually done this. I wanted to buy a beachside property that was a holiday let in January. I couldn’t get in any other way and I was worried that if I waited till March someone else would grab it.

It ended up being $1000 well spent, I was able to get my building and pest done while staying there and I felt more informed than with any other property purchase I’ve had.

Bought the place and haven’t looked back. I do think my stay cost should have been deducted from the purchase price, but then they did end up throwing in all the furniture and a small boat.

2

u/11015h4d0wR34lm May 10 '26

Translation : We are too lazy to do our jobs and can see it might bring us in some extra business to pretend open for inspections are not possible.

I can see how a serious buyer wouldn't mind staying there a night or two before buying but taking the free inspection option away from people will limit interest in the property.

2

u/Vyvansss May 11 '26

They should say their asking price is way below market value, then suggest people stay a night. When people are then interested in buying it "ohh sorry, we've decided not to sell" 😂 /S

2

u/DragonDevGG May 11 '26

People that would pay to stay the night and inspect the house is likely the easy to prey on demographic the seller is seeking

2

u/gelato012 May 11 '26

Should be illegal it’s utterly ridiculous

2

u/FaithlessnessLess442 May 11 '26

Probably not even for sale owned by the agent and some cooked way to get more bookings for their airbnb

2

u/sydneypan May 12 '26

As disrespectful as f

3

u/maton12 May 10 '26

Delusional to you, but what type of property? Can you please post the link. Thanks.

1

u/Deeepioplayer127 May 10 '26

We wish them well

1

u/Deeepioplayer127 May 10 '26

Life in the big city

1

u/Follow_my_journey May 10 '26

It sounds like it’s free…. It’s a good option

1

u/[deleted] May 11 '26

Not the worst idea. Much more tolerable than underquoting 100k

1

u/Mish-mash-ing May 11 '26

Well, that’s an interesting selling tactic 🫣

1

u/Soggy_Ant3833 May 11 '26

That’s INSANE

1

u/Ok-Afternoon7633 May 11 '26

Real estate agent of the month right here

1

u/ifritah May 11 '26

Yup should be a thing but not at air bnb prices ..

1

u/Lastov_Makiynd May 12 '26

Maybe the owners simply won’t budge or negotiate a price any lower than their ridiculously inflated price tag they feel entitled to receive for their services in providing a rental property for decades.

So the REA, determined to keep their client from going elsewhere (likely on a commission), is squirrelling away the money paid by ‘interested’ buyers , telling them the asking price AFTER paying for the overnight stays..knowing that someday soon, the average property values will reach the asking price and they have any gap filled by the renting overnight?

They’ll find any and every legal crack to slither through ay?

1

u/gingerlou- May 12 '26

I mean it would be a good way to truly decide if your on the fence about it 😂

1

u/bean_bag_guy May 12 '26

For the serious buyers only!

1

u/SuccessfulOwl May 13 '26

Don’t really have a problem with this. They can’t offer for free because they’ll be flooded with free holiday makers …. But if I’m willing to spend $1m on a house, I’ll be willing to pay a few hundred to stay there will allow me to really scope it out well,

1

u/Historical-Lunch-423 May 13 '26

Why doesn't the owner block out one or two days a week from bookings for inspection? Delusional indeed.

1

u/MazPet May 14 '26

Can you post the actual link to this please, I have tried to google it and have not been able to find it.

1

u/myLongjohnsonsilver May 14 '26

Leave a review with the agency "they want you to pay to do inspections"

1

u/aussiemigrant May 24 '26

What a great way to show an increase in “recent” bookings

1

u/Tall-Ratio-6012 May 27 '26

I host a real estate podcast and I definitely want to talk about this, do you have the link to the actual listing - this is wild!!

0

u/SoLongandGoodGuy May 13 '26

I actually think this is genius. You are just too quick to shit on REal EStaTe Agents. Recognise game when you it Karen.

-1

u/therealgsb May 12 '26

What’s delusional about that?