Category Archives: Dirty Real Estate Tricks

Licensing Scams and Mortgage Fraud: More Bad Press

Posted on February 21, 2007 by Doug Heddings

Being that the Dirty Real Estate Tricks segment of TrueGotham gets the most visits per day and people stay on the site the longest when they are reading them, I couldn’t resist sharing the following "multi-level marketing" licensing "course" being … Continue reading →

Posted in Dirty Real Estate Tricks | 112 Comments

Real Estate Board of New York Responds to New York Times “Attack”

Posted on January 31, 2007 by Doug Heddings

Last night, I received this email from Steven Spinola, the President of REBNY: Dear Member: Last Sunday the New York Times Real Estate section printed an article, Agents of Angst, which heavily criticized the residential real estate industry in its … Continue reading →

Posted in A Broker's Job, Dirty Real Estate Tricks, Fun, Market Insight | 4 Comments

Tuesday Link O Rama Because I’m Crazy Busy!

Posted on January 30, 2007 by Doug Heddings

I’m insanely busy right now as the market continues to defy odds.  I find myself in the midst of a 2nd "highest, best and final" scenario on behalf of my sellers in as many weeks and it appears that this … Continue reading →

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The Post-Offer Open House

Posted on January 18, 2007 by Doug Heddings

Curbed put a question to the Property Grunt. I am a first time homebuyer. I went to an Open House in Brooklyn and really liked the apartment I saw. I offered the full asking price for the unit. The broker … Continue reading →

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Tuesday Link-o-Rama

Posted on January 16, 2007 by Doug Heddings

Property Grunt: Craig’s List is working with the government to bust bad listings and bad brokers! Change is in the air for MLS systems all over place. Cheap, nice, new condos in other cities. Jonathan Miller with thoughts on the … Continue reading →

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When Money Clouds Judgement (Which is All Too Often in Real Estate Industry)

Posted on January 12, 2007 by Doug Heddings

I stumbled upon John Harper’s blog after he posted a comment on True Gotham. There is some very interesting information on his blog and this fascinating case study on real estate ethics and fraud is especially revealing. It’s an incredible … Continue reading →

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Puffing vs. Fraud

Posted on December 15, 2006 by Doug Heddings

Here’s an interesting little passage from Real Estate License Exam for Dummies by John A. Yoegel, PhD, DREI: "This is the prettiest house on the street." When you, the seller’s agent, say that to a prospective buyer, they realize you’re … Continue reading →

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Look Who’s Whining About Open Listings

Posted on November 22, 2006 by Doug Heddings

Remember the happy day when we learned that REBNY plans to make New York City listings publicly available online? We should have known it was never going to be that simple. Curbed has anonymous information that a mutiny of some … Continue reading →

Posted in A Broker's Job, Dirty Real Estate Tricks, Market Insight | 6 Comments

Cutting Corners, Cutting Plywood

Posted on November 14, 2006 by Doug Heddings

I wish I could say that I was shocked and stunned by this unbelievable bit of trickery but it is no surprise that this developer has found a way to circumvent the system (and even have their sales agent inform … Continue reading →

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Patrick.Net Spoofs the NAR Ad Campaign

Posted on November 9, 2006 by Doug Heddings

Go to Patrick.net for the full-sized original and commentary. I would only add that the National Association of Realtors is not alone. Not EVERYONE who stands to profit from a sale or purchase is blowing smoke, but the NAR is … Continue reading →

Posted in A Broker's Job, Dirty Real Estate Tricks | 1 Comment