Buyer beware: 1 in 4 Aussies have dealt with a dodgy real estate agent
Millions of Australians say they've witnessed questionable – and in some cases illegal – behaviour from real estate agents during a property sale or auction, according to new research by Finder.
A Finder survey of 1,010 respondents found more than 1 in 4 (27%) have experienced dodgy real estate agent tactics – from underquoting and fake bidding to agents allegedly lying about competing offers.
Inflated price expectations to secure listings (10%) and significant underquoting (9%) were the most common issues.
Others reported fake bids, phantom offers or digitally enhanced photos (8%), conflicts of interest and withheld disclosures (6%), misleading building reports (5%), and even deposits allegedly paid with illegal cash (4%).
Graham Cooke, head of consumer research at Finder, said the findings show buyers can't afford to blindly trust what they're told – especially in a competitive market.
"Buying a home is the biggest purchase most Australians will ever make, yet many walk into negotiations where the deck is stacked against them.
"As anyone who's attended an auction in Australia will tell you, agent guide prices are often a fantasy designed to push as many buyers as possible into the system."
Cooke urged buyers to independently verify claims made by agents and never rely solely on price guides or verbal assurances.
"In my experience in the Sydney property market, I've seen dishonest guide prices, fantasy bidders, and outright lies about developer's intentions.
"If something doesn't feel right, it probably isn't. Do your own research, get independent inspections and remember the agent is legally working for the seller, not you.
"Knowledge is your best defence. The more buyers understand these tactics, the harder it becomes for bad actors to get away with them."
Have you experienced or seen any of these dodgy practices during the sale of a property or during an auction?
| Agent giving inflated selling expectations in order to secure the listing | 10% |
| Significant price guide underquoting | 9% |
| Agent lying about other offers (phantom offers) | 8% |
| Fake bidding at the auction | 8% |
| Photo manipulation | 8% |
| Omitting disclosures: failing to fully disclose legal, zoning or environmental issues | 6% |
| Being encouraged to put in an offer the agent knows won't be accepted | 6% |
| Conflicts of interest e.g. representing both buyer and seller | 6% |
| Overly favourable building and pest report/hiding building or pest defects | 5% |
| Deposit paid with cash from illegal proceeds | 4% |
| No, I have not seen any of the above | 28% |
| No, I have never attended an auction | 45% |
| Source: Finder survey of 1,010 respondents, November 2025 |  |
Methodology
- Finder's Consumer Sentiment Tracker is a monthly recurring nationally representative survey of more than 60,000 respondents.
- Figures in this release are based on 1,010 respondents from November 2025.
- The Consumer Sentiment Tracker is owned by Finder and operated by Qualtrics.
- The survey has been running monthly since May 2019.
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