'Their agent tried to squeeze me for an additional £35k': Guy buys a family farmhouse directly from the homeowners after realizing the real estate agent is trying to manipulate the price to inflate his commission

A prospective home buyer caught a realtor trying to fluff his own commission after he lied about a potential higher offer, going behind the agent's back to get a good deal on a farmhouse by buying directly from the homeowners. 

Curious about how to save thousands of dollars on closing costs in this housing market? Cut out the middle man!

Realtors are the ultimate middleman. With no skin in the game and everything to gain from selling a home, real estate professionals are glorified paper-pushers who glamorize their daily desk job with a flashy watch and a mid-range luxury vehicle. With their faces plastered all over town, on billboards, bus stops, and in the penny pages, real estate agents are constantly vying for a leg up on the other salesmen in the city, hoping to line their pockets with as much commission and as many gold-star home sales as possible. Ultimately, they don't care whether a client gets a good deal or if a seller is giving their prized possession up to a worthy buyer. 

The suits only care about the commission they're taking home at the end of a sale.  

Luckily, buyers and sellers aren't beholden to these big-britches money-grubbers. There's no law that says you HAVE TO use a realtor to sell your own home. In fact, when this family realized they had found the perfect buyer to take over their family farm house, and when they found out how crooked their middleman was, they decided to take the sale into their own hands, selling a house the old-fashioned way: With a firm handshake and an honest deal. 

Author image for Jesse Kessenheimer Jesse Kessenheimer
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  • Couple happily smiling in front of a new house.
    via Brand X Pictures

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

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  • The housing market is pretty crazy these days. When I bought my first apartment, it felt like a miracle that my husband and I could even find a home that was within our range, had a reasonable HOA fee, and a good neighborhood. Obviously, some corners were cut to pull it off, but as regular people with a regular salary, that's what we gotta do to fulfill the American dream! With a laundry list of check marks to go through before buying a house, it's easy to get swept up into a mountain of paperwork, but if you keep a level head and a watchful eye on your realtor, there are deals to strike directly with a wholesome homeowner. 

    Perhaps if we all studied this guy's real estate experience, we could learn a thing or two about a gatekept industry. Maybe even living out our own American dream: Farmhouse, picket fence, and purple mountains majesty, with no realtors allowed. 

  • Tying to inflate your commmission? How about 'No'?
    via UncleHeavy
  • About 22 years ago I was buying an old farmhouse and land that had been on the market for 2 years.
    via UncleHeavy
  • I liked what I saw, knew there was going to be a ton of work to make it habitable, but I was willing to put the time and money into it.
    via UncleHeavy
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  • Contacted their agent and everything was going swimmingly. 48 hours from exchanging contracts and what do you know? A new buyer has offered
    via UncleHeavy
  • £30k over my offer, but the sellers like me, so if I can go £5k above that, the agent is sure I will be able to get the house.
    via UncleHeavy
  • Real estate agent putting a "For Sale" sign outside of a home.
    via KarzinaBialescke

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

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  • Now my parents were many things, but they did not bring. me up to be a fool, and I was well aware that I was being played and he was trying to inflate his commission.
    via UncleHeavy
  • I simply told the estate agent to advise the sellers to take the increased bid and to make it easier, I was withdrawing my offer immediately. I was willing to take the financial loss of all the surveys, etc. because I don't like being screwed over by anyone.
    via UncleHeavy
  • I wish I was a fly on the wall to see how that conversation went... By chance, I saw the sellers in town about 3 months later and they said that they hoped that I was recovering from my illness
    via UncleHeavy
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  • that had forced me to withdraw from the sale. Yes, that was genuinely the story the Estate Agent had come up with.
    via UncleHeavy
  • Now, I could have nodded and smiled, but I decided to tell them the truth instead. That their estate agent had tried to squeeze me for an additional £35k and that because of his actions, the property was still for sale.
    via UncleHeavy
  • Long story short, we had a chat and they were still willing to sell to me and since I had all the paperwork, surveys, etc. ready to go, they could pull the property from the market, & we could just get solicitors to do their bit and conduct it as a private sale.
    via UncleHeavy
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  • So that's what we did. I got my house, the sellers got a fair price, and the agent didn't get a penny. Was it Petty? Yes. Was it worth it? Absolutely.
    via UncleHeavy
  • Hempsox This is karma with a hint of petty revenge. Good story for both you and the sellers since you both got what you wanted.
    via Hempsox
  • Independent-Map5985 This isn't even petty, it's consequences. You didn't sabotage anything, you just refused to be pressured. The agent managed to talk himself right out of a paycheck. That's on him. LOL
    via Independent-Map5985
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  • cdc994 You should have reported that agent to whatever authority gives them the credentials/licenses to sell houses. They didn't act in the best interest of their client, and blatantly lied to you. In my country they'd lose their real estate license.
    via cdc994
  • 3507341C I think I'd be less petty and look into hitting the Estate Agent with a misrepresentation lawsuit. Considering it's Christmas day I do feel I'm being a bit uncharitable but Estate Agents and shysters like the one in the story deserve some real world consequences beyond losing out on a commission.
    via 3507341C
  • Corndog881 I love this story. It warms my heart. I despise lying agents so much. Merry Christmas!
    via Corndog881
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  • redditreader_aitafan You should report him to the licensing board and the seller could sue him for breach of contract. He wasn't just trying to inflate his commission, he was trying to skim money off the top of the deal. Publish the facts of the story everywhere you can near you, drive this asshole out of business. If he works for a firm, report him to their owner. I would absolutely go scorched earth on this thief. Edited typo
    via redditreader_aitafan
  • antmakka Similar story. 20 years ago we put in the asking price during a sellers market. It was the most we could afford. Estate agent called to say someone who had only done a drive past, (so no proof and no idea how much work was required) had put in a higher offer. He couldn't tell us the amount so we'd just have to guess how much more to offer (which I'm sure would have just been enough). Well we couldn't go higher so I told agent we couldn't compete and we'd withdraw our offer and keep look
    via antmakka
  • SmegB I'm not sure it counts as petty revenge, but its an excellent story and you played your part brilliantly. Well done OP!
    via SmegB
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