Real estate agent calls out despised ‘fake offer’ tactic, pushes for transparency

A real estate agent has called out a widely hated tactic often used by some in the industry, saying he “doesn’t get” why people still do it.

An real estate agent is pushing back against the not-so-flattering perception many people have of the industry by calling out some of the hated tactics Aussies are well and truly fed up with.

Jordan Bulmer has been in the industry since he was 19 and currently works as a sales agent at McGrath in Terrigal, on the NSW Central Coast.

While the 30-year-old knows there are plenty of “excellent” real estate agents, he admits there are also some “pains in the backside too”.

“I think real estate as a whole just has a bad stigma around it,” he told news.com.au, adding that it is the one per cent of unsavoury tactics used by some agents that cause these issues.

In fact, this stigma is the reason Mr Bulmer initially rejected an opportunity into get into the industry.

“I got asked to be a real estate agent, and I said, ‘No way. I’m not going to be a real estate agent, you guys are wankers. Everybody hates you guys’,” he said.

But, eventually, he decided to give it a go and ended up loving it.

Jordan Bulmer has worked in the real estate industry for over a decade. Picture: Jordan Bulmer/Supplied

He has now been in the industry for over a decade and he has found being honest and upfront with clients produces a better result than any sneaky tactic might.

Mr Bulmer has been taking to social media to address some of the frustrations that Aussies have with the industry.

In a recent TikTok video, he responded to a comment calling out the use of fake offers to put the pressure on other interested buyers.

“Yeah not into this. I don’t know why agents do this. If someone comes to me and says has there been an offer on the property and there hasn’t I just say ‘no, there hasn’t’,” Mr Bulmer said in the video.

“I haven’t found the right person, there doesn’t have to be an offer on every property. I think the question would be, do you want to buy it? And then lets see if we can work out a price where everybody’s happy.

“I wouldn’t do this, don’t say that there’s fake offers.”

Speaking to news.com.au, the real estate agent said there is “no need” for people to use these kind of tactics when selling a home.

“I don’t understand why some agents do some of the things that frustrate the living daylights out of people. I just don’t get it,” he said.

“Like as if real estate agents, after all this time, can’t tell that people know that they’re playing games. It blows my mind sometimes. I find that just such a silly thing to do, but it seems to happen so much.”

Working in real estate can often be perceived as glamorous, full of big pay cheques, fancy cars and beautiful properties but, in many cases, the online perception does not match the reality of the role.

The truth is, a lot of the work behind the scenes is far from glamorous and, in Mr Bulmer’s case, he always wanted to be transparent in his work and “be the opposite to what everybody expects out of a real estate agent”.

So, when he tells clients things they don’t expect to hear from an agent, like being upfront about a property having no offers, sometimes people are shocked.

He is constantly having to face this negative perception a lot of people have about those who work in the real estate industry.

“I find it difficult that real estate agents are all sort of tarred with the same brush and I’m in the mix of that when I feel like I’m different, within reason. But it just is what it is,” the 30-year-old said.

“All I worry about is my clients and the people that come into touch with my team and our company, and I just try and do a good job to everybody there and everybody that we’re working for, and everybody else I don’t worry about.”

Mr Bulmer believes the barrier for entry into the industry should be higher. Picture: Jordan Bulmer/Supplied

He understands there is a ‘bad stigma’ around real estate agents. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Max Mason-Hubers

As a young real estate agent, Mr Bulmer sees it as his duty to try and change the stigma around the industry, which is why he started his TikTok channel.

He hopes by being upfront and answering people’s questions he can give owners and buyers the information to combat bad practices or the agents that are doing the wrong thing.

Mr Bulmer also believes the barrier for entry into real estate is “too low”.

“A real estate agent’s job is to, essentially, maximise price for an owner, maximise their outcome, to market their property, and to handle the transaction without emotion,” he said.

This can be difficult because, for many sellers, there is a lot of emotion attached to their home and it can cloud their judgment when it comes to the sale.

Mr Bulmer said there are always going to be some scenarios where people get upset, but he believes more agents would be equipped to deal with this in a respectful and productive way if getting into the industry required more training.

“You’re managing millions of dollars and lots of emotion, and it’s a pretty easy course to get into real estate, I think that they need to raise the bar,” he said.

For entry-level beginners, the process to getting into the industry typically takes between one and two months, with the time frame including completing the necessary education and training and obtaining the required license to practice.

Mr Bulmer pointed out that, while it is up to the owner to choose the real estate agent they want to represent them, it can be hard to understand from a 30 minute conversation who is going to be the right fit and have your best interests at heart.

“It’s always going to be tricky, because when you’ve got money and emotion, in general in any industry, can create tension,” he said.

“And, unfortunately, you can’t have multiple people buy one property. So there’s always going to be some people upset. You can’t help that.”

But he said coming to people with transparency, great service and avoiding worn-out tactics is the best way forward.