An Australian homeowner has expressed outrage after being charged a $17,000 marketing fee by a real estate agent, despite her property failing to sell. Mel O'nilia Nou explained that she had agreed on an asking price with the agent before he listed her Sydney home on realestate.com. However, she later discovered the price was listed at $40,000 less than agreed. The agent reportedly claimed this was a strategy to attract buyers.
Property pulled from market
Ms Nou decided to withdraw the property from the market after four weeks. She stated, 'I told him I was going to take it off the market because it was costing me money to pay the mortgage without a sale.' The agent then pressed potential buyers, who offered prices similar to the advertised amount. When Ms Nou expressed doubts about achieving her intended price, the agent advised her to trust him. She recalled, 'I asked him how we could push for the extra $40,000 of my actual asking price, and he said, "Just trust the process and let me do my job."'
Feeling misled
After receiving offers well below the promised figure, Ms Nou felt the agent was not being truthful. 'I felt like the agent lied to me to keep our listing and maybe try to persuade me to sell for a lower price,' she said. Despite the property not selling, she was presented with a $17,000 bill for marketing expenses.
According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), it is illegal for real estate agents to mislead consumers. The ACCC website states, 'Real estate agents must give consumers truthful and complete information relevant to a property, including the property’s price.' Agents are also prohibited from advertising well below the selling price to generate interest.
Public opinion divided
Some Australians sided with Ms Nou, blaming the agent. One commenter said, 'He was planning to wear you down and potentially buy it himself. I know an agent who did this multiple times.' Another added, 'S*** realtor behaviour—they're not all like that, but a lot will tell you anything to get you to sign and then roll back their projected achievable price.' A third simply called the agent a 'scammer.'
However, others defended the agent. One argued, 'It can't all be the agent's fault; sellers need to do their due diligence.' Another noted, 'They did the work, and you changed your mind. You still pay for the work, just not the commission for a sale.' A third said, 'The agent didn't earn anything either for the time, effort, and the price that couldn't be achieved.'
Ms Nou declined to name the agent, as she still has other properties under their management. Daily Mail has reached out to Ms Nou for comment.
