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Book Exposes Real World Of Real Estate
19 October 09 07:01 AM | Peter Mericka | 6 Comments   

by Peter Mericka B.A., LL.B Real Estate Lawyer Qualified Practising Conveyancer Victoria Director Lawyers Real Estate Pty Ltd I was watching "First Tuesday Book Club" on ABC TV a few months ago, and I saw the host, Jennifer Byrne hold up a copy of Brendan Read More...

Filed under: appraisal, Auction, corruption, Deception, estate agency, fraud, gullifer, listing, real estate industry, sold

Video Recording of Real Estate Auctions
16 February 09 07:13 AM | Peter Mericka | 23 Comments   

OPINION by Peter Mericka B.A., LL.B Real Estate Lawyer Qualified Practising Conveyancer Victoria Director Lawyers Real Estate Pty Ltd It's time for consumers to get serious about the tricks and criminal conduct associated with real estate auctions. As Read More...

Filed under: Auction, Auctioneer, Deception, dummy bidding, recording, video

Walk Away To Bid Another Day
19 February 08 09:08 AM | Peter Mericka | 1 Comments   

by Tim O'Dwyer M.A., LL.B Solicitor Consumer Advocate watchdog@argonautlegal.com.au Walk away to bid another day - but not before the auction is over. Picture yourself as a duly registered, cashed-up bidder at the auction of a seaside mansion. Bidding Read More...

Filed under: Agent, Auction, Auctioneer, Bid, Conveyancing, Deception

In NSW Dummy Bidders Now Face $55K Fine
03 May 07 04:45 PM | Peter Mericka | 0 Comments   

From domain.com.au "Tougher dummy bidding laws were introduced to the real-estate industry last weekend on one of the year's busiest auction days last Saturday." But contrary to what Fair Trading Minister Diane Beamer suggests in the article, we do not Read More...

Filed under: Auction, Deception, Estate agent

The Latest In Real Estate Deception
01 May 07 04:49 PM | Peter Mericka | 0 Comments   

It appears that estate agents now have a new weapon in their auction deception armory. Street theatre! Gary Lapersonne, writing as "Secret Agent" in the Domain section of The Sunday Age (Domain p.2 Sunday Age 7 May, 2006) reports on claims that a Melbourne Read More...

Filed under: Auction, Deception, Estate agent

The "Private Auction" – A Haven For The Dummy Bid
01 May 07 03:45 PM | Peter Mericka | 1 Comments   

OPINION by Peter Mericka B.A., LL.B Real Estate Lawyer Qualified Practising Conveyancer Victoria Director Lawyers Real Estate Pty Ltd The dreaded "dummy bid" never really went away; it simply mutated into a more insidious form through the concept of the Read More...

Filed under: Auction, Bid, Deception, Estate agent, Private Auction, Sale By Tender, Tender

Contracts - Find The Devil In The Detail
30 April 07 09:52 AM | Peter Mericka | 0 Comments   

Purchasers should take care before signing a contract to purchase real estate, particularly at auctions. Special conditions can be used to pass a vendor's risk to an unsuspecting purchaser. We have shown that estate agents often insert nasty special conditions Read More...

Filed under: Auction, Conveyancing, Deception