Is it Ok if I stalk you?

[reynardo]

Once da_norvegicus has finished his HSC, we'll be selling the Sydney house where he's living with his father. To start the ball rolling, I wrote to the 16 Real Estate agents within 5km of the house asking them for details of their fees and commissions for the sale. I didn't give the house address as I didn't want the lads disturbed, although I did say we'd bought in late 2004 for $X, so that the agents knew where they stood.

We have 8 large glossy envelopes with sales pitches now, most giving prices of nearby houses and a fair picture of prices in the area.

But one agent has obviously done his homework and doesn't mind us knowing, by including the Real Estate Institutes' file on OUR HOUSE, complete with the last 4 sales over the previous 15 years, the size and layout of the house, and a picture taken of it while we were living there (and probably at the time the front garden looked the best it ever had).

Should I be pleased that he's done his research and knows what he's doing, or should I be totally creeped out?

Comments

[scascot.livejournal.com]

Feel free to be totally creeped out.

Bonus points for writing a letter to the agent explaining exactly why you are creeped out and won't be using his services.

[reynardo.livejournal.com]

Adam's father isn't that sort of person, so that's unlikely, but yes, the timing of the photo is odd.

[sly-girl.livejournal.com]

Did the agent identify it as your house? Or is it just a creepy coincidence? Have they just found files on a house that sounds very similar (size, location, sale price etc.) and compared it with that one - only to hit the exact target?

[reynardo.livejournal.com]

We're still listed in the phone book in Sydney and on the rates notices, so it wouldn't take too much work to find it.

My gut feeling is "how many of the *other* agents also know which house it is - but just haven't told us they know."

[17catherines.livejournal.com]

If your name is on the title of the house, a quick look in the Titles Office would do the trick, especially if he cross-compared with sales reports for that amount, area and year.

Creepy or not, I'm rather inclined to be impressed. He obviously does know how to do his research, after all, and he clearly wants your business... and if he has been a bit snoopy, at least he is letting you know.

Of course, I'm not sure what this says about his social skills... enthusiasm is all very well, but it doesn't sound like sensitivity is his forte...

[bast-believer.livejournal.com]

I am not sure that sensitivity is any real estate agent's forte.....

[17catherines.livejournal.com]

It might be a disadvantage, in fact!

[caimekazie.livejournal.com]

Well, he obviously wants to make the sale. Personally, I'm quite impressed. Even if it is more than a little creepy.

[lordstorm.livejournal.com]

Agreed.

[da-norvegicus.livejournal.com]

When I grow up I'm gonna be an realtor!

[http://users.livejournal.com/raven_/]

I'd be a little creeped.

There's doing your research, and there's taking it just that wee bit too far.

[manna]

Given that the main problem I've had with estate agents is getting them to do *anything*, and that some seem actively hostile to the idea of trying to sell a property at all, I say go with the guy. Creepy or not, at least he's putting some effort in.

[quatranoctal.livejournal.com]

The "knowing all about your house" is kind of creepy, but at least (a) he did some research and (b) he's being honest about having a file (like you said, how many of the others have the same file?)

[naturalredhead.livejournal.com]

This is pretty much what I think. Creepy, but at least he's doing his research...

[saluqi.livejournal.com]

I don't find it creepy because it's about selling you a service, and doubtless if you don't contract his services, or if you do and the sale is over, he will file all the info in the circular file.

IOW, it's clear why he did it, and the purpose isn't sinister. I would be creeped out if a coworker with a chip on their shoulder did it.

[the-funkmeister.livejournal.com]

Wow, looks a tad on the weird side -- but i'd not put anything past a real estate agent, nor would I doubt they've got a file on every property they have had any dealings with, or their neighbours property ever.

(At least that's what one sees when they have to turn a metric truckload of paper data into a company-wide database, anyway).

[frou-frou.livejournal.com]

Yes it's creepy but it shows he's serious and prepared to go the extra yards...as others have pointed out, the info isn't hard to find out and the other agents would have at least have been able to do the same, even if they didn't reveal that info.

I'd hire him if the rest of the boxes get ticked. You want someone who is keen and hard-working.

[waitingman.livejournal.com]

I don't find this creepy at all...

These people are in the property market & have easy access to records & cross-reference materials that anyone with a bit of nous or enough interest could probably go looking for just as easily... except Agents are commercially motivated to do so.

As for the photo of your house, so what?! How many times have you photographed flowers in someone's yard, or taken a shot of an interesting-looking house or streetscape & then showed it to people (Look on Flickr & you'll see thousands of photos of people & places who didn't necessarily consent to being in a 'snapshot')? The owners of those gardens or houses would have every right to be as 'creeped out' as you if someone showed them one of your photos, even though your intention was harmless. But again, Agents are motivated to gather this sort of information, especially if it was a property they'd sold ~ why wouldn't you keep records/photos/stats of it??

The only valid reason to be 'creeped out' would be if there were photos of the inside of the house during your tenancy. Otherwise, I'd hire this guy.

After all, even though RE Agents don't enjoy a good reputation (arguably deservedly so), any doctor you've ever visited knows more personal details about you than just what house you live in...& we hear of doctors being struck off for all sorts of 'ethical violations' all the time.

So who's creepier, the guy who photographs your house, or the one that releases, sells or abuses your personal medical history?

No, I'm not speaking from experience, nor am I defending the not-so-noble RE profession, it's just a hypothesis... but I do find this over-reaction puzzling.

[seedy-girl.livejournal.com]

It's publicly available information, available from the Land Titles Office. You can do a search (for a small fee of course) on a person's name and bring up details of the property they own. Whilst it does show the agent has done their research, it would have made it less creepy if they had explained what they had done to get the information.

[darkwing22.livejournal.com]

the real question is, did he go take a photo, or just use google street view? ;)