I have complained about ‘portal juggling’ before and whilst it has abated somewhat as a result of the exposure that rogue agents got for re-listing properties to make them seem fresher and to trigger a new email alert the phenomena still exists even if it’s not quite so deliberate.
Take the example of this nice Chorleywood property which had you been looking would have caught your eye yesterday. Had you set up an email alert on Rightmove for example you would have found it in your inbox. Even though the advert states that it was ‘added to Rightmove’ yesterday in fact this property has been knocking about for months.
A ghost listing still exists of it’s first outing back in 2015.
It also seems to have been advertised by another agent in January 2016.
A buying agent would have picked this up indeed some savvy buyers would have checked but there may well have been people who take an estate agents advert on trust. They would be foolish to do so and there may wall find that they pay a price for doing so.
‘Caveat emptor’ – “Buyer beware” and if in doubt, ask!