Why do some agents refuse to advertise addresses

[chilliblue]

This is really giving me the pip.

It is hard enough sorting the chaff from the wheat when you are not a local, but when agents deliberately do not advertise the address it really annoys me.

I understand that sometimes the property may be on a "transport route" (read main road), but when it is used as a tool that you have to contact the agencyso that they attain your details, I am getting at the stage that I now am not even bothering.

Has anyone else who has gone to the effort of trying to attaining the address only to have the following conversation with the agent:

Agent: I believe that you are enquiring on a property - which one?

Me: The one advertised on website/newspaper ad/front window.

Agent: Do you have an address?

Me: No that is why I am calling.

Agent: Well without an address I cannot help you.

Me: So why did you not advertise the address?

Agent: No response.

Does this bother anyone else?

 

[Propertunity]

You can take some comfort in other forumites gripes on the subject here:
http://www.somersoft.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17203

 

[PeterC]

i get annoyed by the same thing, but just end up skipping those listings as if they didnt exist (if there was one that was extremely good value, then id bother ringing up, but that hasnt happened as yet)

some listings do show the property on the map

 

[BV]

Chilli
I skip the properties which show no price.
Obviously they are overpriced....

 

[BayView]

The reason properties are not advertised with addresses is because the agent wants you to call them.

Now they have another contact.

Or, you occasionally get a Vendor who doesn't want the general public to know about their house being sold so they may request some anonymity. You know; celeb or sports star who wants it kept quiet.

Can't work out that one - "I want to sell my house, but don't tell anyone".

Why even have an ad in that case? Why not ask the agent to mention it to buyers if they enquire about a property that is similar?

Nope - it's the agent wanting the contacts.

 

[Tuppence]

There's one local agent around here who always advertises on re.com, review.com and domain.com without an address, which I agree is painful.
But go to his own website and there's the address (complete with amateurish photos of the property and poor presentation). Not sure what that's all about.

 

[PeterC]

could just be the secretary's job to spam the listings elsewhere, and he/she is not all that bright

 

[65fbk]

Jenman agencies don't publish addresses...

 

[Empty Pockets]

Jenman agencies don't publish addresses...

Incorrect.

 

[andrew_de_a]

The Jenman office in my area is the only agency that doesnt list the address

 

[RumpledElf]

We have an agent here who doesn't always advertise addresses (sometimes he even gets the town wrong), AND doesn't put photos of the inside of the house up. But he'll have 10 photos of the sheds.

I almost fell off my chair yesterday when I went to look up the ad for the swish new 2br unit down the road. Its been done to an executive level of finish and has almost no backyard and definitely no shed, so people would really only be interested in the inside. He still managed to miss quite a bit of the inside of the house, yet took 2 shots of the outside front and another two of the outdoor dining table

 

[Tuppence]

The Jenman office in my area is the only agency that doesnt list the address

Same in our area...

 

[chilliblue]

We have an agent here who doesn't always advertise addresses (sometimes he even gets the town wrong), AND doesn't put photos of the inside of the house up. But he'll have 10 photos of the sheds.

I almost fell off my chair yesterday when I went to look up the ad for the swish new 2br unit down the road. Its been done to an executive level of finish and has almost no backyard and definitely no shed, so people would really only be interested in the inside. He still managed to miss quite a bit of the inside of the house, yet took 2 shots of the outside front and another two of the outdoor dining table

That would be another gripe. I see the same problems over and over.

Contact the agent for additional photographs (almost always the interiors) and they never seem to have any.

I understand that privacy may be an issue what can be so private as to not have images of the bathrooms, kitchens, garages, laundry etc?

I think that some agents/agencies get into a rut of taking shortcuts.

 

[RumpledElf]

Rut is the right word.

This agent is the oldest in the area and the most expensive by a phenomenal order of magnitude. Locals use him. But another agency just opened a mini-branch in the area and now an agency in Gawler has a northern areas branch so hopefully he gets some competition. But it'll take a lot to knock him off his perch.

The quality of ads the other agencies have over him is so big it is surprising he has 80%+ market share

 

[Empty Pockets]

The Jenman office in my area is the only agency that doesnt list the address

The nearest jenman agent here doesn't list it on RE.com.au or Domain but on their own website...go figure

 

[oneuppmanship]

Jenman agencies typically don't advertise addresses, yet I've recently noticed a local one beginning to do so.

In relation to R/E agencies photo's, I get frustrated at listings which claim to have a great view, then when you look , there's not one photo of ANY view, let alone a great one.

 

[twodogs]

On Domain.com.au where the address is not included, you can usually go to the street view link and the address, or at least close by, is displayed. Copy and paste into another session of Google maps or neapmaps, and viola!

I have doing that tonight and have only had about 1 in 10 failures.

 

[sleepy929]

in my recent situation, my landlord has asked for a market appraisal coz he is thinking of selling the place. However he didnt sign any paperwork and yet that real estate agent posted my unit on domain.com, with a picture that shows the front view of my unit, with no address and yet wrong description on the place (gas vs electric cooking, 2 vs 3 bedroom, tenanted by student vs professional)

Both me and my landlord were shocked as we came across the ad

 

[stevie_sloth]

UGH! This is the bane of my existence!! On the Gold Coast, this is RIFE in real estate listings!!

It's actually not as bad as it used to be. I find now that maybe half will have the address, or SOME means of finding out that doesn't require contacting the agent directly (I recognise the building, street, or can see the name of the building complex so Google it).

Otherwise, I have to email the agent. At least that way MOSTLY they just email back with the address and don't try and sell me stuff. Sometimes they DON'T get back to me though...one time I emailed (through RE.com) to ask the address of a place that was open that following weekend (4 days after I emailed). They never got back to me. So I couldn't attend the open home. SO OBVIOUSLY THEY DON'T REALLY NEED A SALE!!

 

[DJBarnstar]

It makes it harder for other agents to prospect around your listings if they don't know where they are..................