‘Push every dollar out of you’: Property experts warning after Sydney agent reveals sales trick

A property expert has issued a stark warning about real estate agents trying to “push every dollar out of you” after one revealed his trick.

Property investor Jack Henderson has claimed that agents making up “imaginary buyers” to get Aussies to bid against themselves is a common trick.

Mr Henderson, 28, has amassed a $40 million dollar property empire, and he has secured over 15 investment properties.

The 28-year-old Sydney bloke lives and breathes real estate and runs the buyer’s agency called Henderson Advocacy.

He said real estate agents making up “fake offers” is a very common sales tactic in 2025 and one to dodge.

“If you’re in a hot market, there’s a good chance they’re telling you the truth, but in this market right now … it is highly unlikely,” he told news.com.au.

Mr Henderson’s comments come after Sydney real estate agent Amir Jahan revealed to news.com.au that he makes up “imaginary buyers” to sell properties.

“Whenever there’s a serious buyer, and they make a serious offer, then we say, ‘You need to hurry up because I’m talking to another buyer, and you’re going to miss out,’” he explained.

“It is a magical phrase and it does work.”

Jack Henderson said he has encountered the sales tactic plenty of times. Picture: Instagram/JackHenderson

Mr Jahan said it is a magical phrase that gets buyers moving. Picture: Instagram/MyAgentAmir

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Mr Jahan’s trick quickly caused a stir on social media, with some calling his actions “disgusting,” “cooked,” and “totally unfair” towards buyers.

“This is why the industry has a bad rap,” one claimed.

“This is low level tactics. There are proper and honest ways to do it,” someone else said.

“This is cheating,” another complained.

One argued that this is why real estate agents should become obsolete and claimed that selling houses without a middleman isn’t that hard.

Mr Jahan said he always mentions the threat of another buyer whenever he gets into the negotiation stages with anyone.

“It is a magical phrase – ‘other buyer’ – it only appears when people start asking serious questions. It is like a code,” he said.

The real estate agent claimed the most he has ever driven up the price by using this trick was $70,000.

According to the Australian Consumer Commission, real estate agents “should be honest in their dealings” and never mislead consumers.

Mr Henderson told Aussies to call agent’s bluffs. Picture: Instagram/JackHenderson

Mr Jahn’s claim has caused a stir online. Picture: Instagram/MyAgentAmir

Mr Henderson said he has had real estate agents create fake offers in an effort to make him bid against himself “heaps” and has learned to call it out.

“You can catch them out by calling their bluff,” he said.

The 28-year-old said he has had situations where he has put in an offer of $1 million and then been told by a real estate agent that another buyer has offered $1.1 million.

Then when he said he wasn’t prepared to go higher and told the agent, suddenly the buyer with the higher offer was nowhere to be found.

“Two hours later they’ll call and then that buyer has disappeared,” he said.

He said you have to know the market. Picture: Instagram/JackHenderson

He told Aussies to go to auctions. Picture: Instagram/JackHenderson

Mr Henderson said in general real estate agents are working for the vendor, so their aim is to “push every dollar out of you”. As the buyer, you need to be aware of the market so you don’t get sucked in.

“A good way to understand the market is going to auctions. Seeing how many bidders are there and who is bidding,” he advised.

“Auctions are the best way to see what is actually going on.”

Mr Henderson said if you’re looking for a particular type of property in a small area you’ll start to see who you’re up against by going to auctions. You’ll also quickly learn when people start to tap out because the price gets too high.

“You start understanding what people are willing to pay,” he said.

The property expert said that understanding the market is your best defence against sales tactics.

He also warned that at the end of the day you have to remember agents are working for the seller and not the buyer.