Black realtor: how I deceived people. Who are “black realtors” and how do they work: fraud schemes used in the secondary market and in new buildings Black realtors help

Black realtors are people who, taking advantage of the trust and “making friends” with the victim, take her money and disappear. They don’t answer calls, don’t get in touch, their residential or work address turns out to be fake. When meeting by chance on the street, they pretend to be strangers and hurry to cross the road to the other side.

You can easily run into such a “realtor,” so when working with him you should pay attention to the following.

• The main goal of a black realtor get money. We will talk about some of the schemes below, but the main thing is that the realtor will come up with reasons to get cash from your hands. Therefore, any person working with an intermediary in the sale and purchase of real estate should carefully listen to conversations regarding payment. What options for receiving and transferring money does the intermediary offer? What role does he leave for himself in this? What documents are drawn up during the process of transferring money? The seller or buyer should avoid schemes where cash ends up in the hands of the realtor.
• Realtors good psychologists and listeners. They listen to all your comments and stories, so no matter how good the relationship is between you, you shouldn’t be frank in front of them. Realtors may ask questions of a personal nature, this should also make you wary. The client’s family and financial problems should not interest anyone; the realtor is given a specific task with specific conditions that he must solve. There is absolutely no point in introducing a stranger’s personal details.
• Realtor, showing his literacy and professionalism, may offer to sign any documents. In fact, when purchasing and selling real estate, all documents are drawn up directly with the participant in the transaction, the seller or the buyer. Only a service agreement can be concluded with a realtor. Therefore, you should not sign anything “just because it will be necessary.” If the realtor insists and you are in doubt, consult a lawyer to see if this document is needed in your case.

Alternatively, the realtor may offer to issue a power of attorney for him to register the purchase and sale transaction. You can, of course, if you want to completely save yourself from all the hassle, but we do not recommend doing this. God protects the best, it’s better to play it safe and go to Rosreestr in person.

How to protect yourself from black realtors?

We will tell you the most common schemes of black realtors to deceive gullible clients.

• The realtor declares that he has agreed with the owner of the apartment or house he likes, the deal will go through, but the advance payment must be transferred. This may be, for example, in the case when the buyer really liked the property, but the price turned out to be high. The realtor allegedly lowers the price, the buyer rejoices and, before anyone changes their mind, gives the money. No receipts are issued in this case. After this, the realtor disappears along with the money, his phone number is not accessible, and the seller, of course, does not receive any money.
• After a successfully completed transaction, the client has a positive impression of the realtor, he can consider him almost his friend. Being in the grip of emotions, and holding a large amount of money in his hands, the client subsequently cannot understand how he could give away part or all of it money to a complete stranger? Without taking any receipts, but taking his word that the money will soon be returned. The black realtor, like a good acquaintance or friend, asks to borrow a certain amount, under the pretext that he needs to buy something there, takes it and disappears .
• It is more likely that a dishonest realtor, and not a “black” one, having received money from a client for services rendered, sues him. The service agreement was signed, but the client did not pay for the service. Did you pay? Where is the proof? Check? Receipt? No? So, I didn't pay. The court orders the debt to be paid under the contract, legal costs and interest. And nothing can be done about it.

There are schemes for the uneducated, elderly and sick people. For example, a person sells an apartment with a larger area and buys a smaller apartment. There are 2 options for cheating:

• The client instructs to sell the house for 3 million rubles and buy it for 2. The realtor sells for 3.2 million or buys for 1.8 million, he takes the difference of 200 thousand for himself, the client knows nothing about it.
• A realtor sells good housing and purchases a house or apartment somewhere on the outskirts of the city. Or a house that is unsuitable for living in, although according to documents it is considered residential. The buyer, the new owner, of a good home loads the belongings of the previous owner into a truck, takes it to this old house and ships it. That's it, the deal is completed, all documents are drawn up, money is paid, the move is completed.

Such cases are carried out by groups of people, an organization of black realtors, and they work with people who are not fully aware of their actions, for example, those who abuse alcohol.

These are the most common options for deceiving clients by black realtors, but in practice they also work according to other schemes.

How to escape from black realtors?

Since today there is no regulatory framework and judicial practice regarding the activities of realtors, it is quite difficult to talk about legal protection against their bad faith.

Article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation provides for liability for committing fraudulent acts, which means the theft of someone else's property through deception or abuse of trust.

A citizen who has been injured by a black realtor should file a corresponding complaint with law enforcement agencies.

Prove the fact of fraud and bring to justice under Article 159. The Criminal Code of the Russian Federation is considered a difficult matter, so you need to be prepared for different scenarios. The investigator can collect evidence and send the fraudster to trial, and the defendant’s lawyer will achieve an acquittal.

Therefore, when conducting any real estate transactions, be vigilant, and if you have the slightest doubt about the realtor, documents, or money transactions, stop the entire process. Think again whether you are doing everything correctly and logically, or whether there is some kind of catch. If you cannot answer this question, contact a professional lawyer for advice.

It's better to be safe than sorry, especially when it comes to big money transactions.

How can you escape from black realtors?The specifics and features of life in Russia are structured in such a way that everyone can encounter scammers of various types and qualifications. Black realtors have not been left out either. However, this does not mean that every realtor is a swindler and a fraudster who is trying with all his might to take away the apartment. There are just some people who use any means to make money.

Therefore, the main protective measure is to carefully review the documents provided by realtor, and also read through any paper that you have to sign. Otherwise, a meeting with a realtor can become tragic.

What is important to pay attention to?

When talking to a potential employee, it is important to think about the fact that this is a deception. The first thing you need to pay attention to is the presence of an office. Ideally, it is better to see the office yourself, without deception, and not just trust a person’s word. Such an office is a real estate agency. This place must be inhabited, it must have appropriate equipment and a large staff of workers. If black realtor argues that they don’t have an office by working at home (well, they need money for an office, but they prefer to save money), then it’s better not to have anything to do with such people at all.

The second point to pay attention to is slogans. The scammers have colorful slogans with by deception something like “we will do it quickly, efficiently”, “in the shortest possible time” or “nothing is required from you”, and others in the same spirit. The fact that the company is deliberately in a hurry should at least raise doubts. Besides, black realtors will try to put pressure on a gullible person in any way possible so that the transaction takes place and is completed as quickly as possible. This is also a move with by deception.

As for real, conscientious employees, they will not rush, since excessive haste in such matters is punishable by a fine for them due to speed and deception. In addition, they will search long and hard for suitable real estate options, and not give away the first ones they come across.

The third point is speech. If black realtor uses those speech patterns that usually cannot be heard from a civilized person, as well as phrases like “You don’t trust our company?”, then it’s better to find someone else.

What to avoid

The first thing you can’t do without is deception, this is the lack of necessary expertise to evaluate real estate. Most of all, this concerns not even the sale, but the exchange of one apartment for another. Black realtors do not need such ballast as checking the cost of an apartment. They pay money for it, plus it takes a long time, and if they are scammers, then these checks are of no use to them.

Also, you should not sign a real estate agency agreement if there is a clause according to which you need to pay realtor just for searching for an option. Who knows, maybe the owner of this option will refuse to sell apartment, and the search service was completed. In this case, the realtor will receive money only for indicating the address.

You should also avoid those about whom nothing is known, they can also deceive. Indeed, realtors and there are a lot of companies in which they work, so it is best, if necessary, to turn to those who have reviews of the work. Ideally for those who have already worked with acquaintances, friends or relatives.

Another point: if all checks have been completed successfully, you need to find out how the money will be transferred. If realtor, then you need to take a receipt from him stating that he received the money and will give it to whoever needs it. It is important that he indicate his passport details, as well as the reason and detailed circumstances under which he received the amount of money. We need to check that there is no deception. When concluding a transaction, you must take a copy of the agreement with you.

Salesman

Very often, black realtors work alongside sellers. In order to avoid falling for such fraud and becoming a victim, you must:

1. Meet the seller personally and find out his passport details;
2. Take the corresponding extract from the Unified State Register. There you can determine exactly who the property is registered to and whether there is any fraud;
3. Go to a notary to request information about the apartment, as well as find out information about the presence or absence of heirs to this apartment.

How to protect real estate

The worst and most dangerous thing about black realtors is that they act legally, that is, they draw up contracts in such a way that they cannot be terminated in a short time in court if something happens. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor the actions of realtors and check all the information they offer.

There is an excellent option for protecting your property - this is registering it in the name of your loved ones as an inheritance for the future. Thus, through inheritance, it will be possible to appeal against almost all transactions of black realtors that were concluded through deception.

And one more option - if the owner of the apartment is a socially unstable person, that is, a person who drinks, is constantly in debt, or someone who is undergoing treatment, you can register in his apartment. In such a situation, he will not be able to independently conclude sales agreements.

If debts arise for an apartment, black realtors may appear as bailiffs. They will say that they will soon take the apartment for debts. And then, after a couple of days, your accomplices will come and say with a kind face that this can be avoided.

Important! To everyone who has encountered black realtors, if you were deceived when selling an apartment, house, cottage, or if you were deceived when buying an apartment, house, cottage, building, land, you don’t know what to do, where to turn:

Call the legal hotline number 8-800-777-32-63 for housing issues, which operates throughout Russia.

Lawyers for housing issues and lawyers for housing and criminal issues who are registered on Russian Legal Portal, will advise you on all questions and try to help, taking into account existing practice.

Black realtors often appear on TV in crime stories. This is the most dangerous category of intermediaries. A meeting with them always ends tragically. They can deprive you of your life and your apartment. They work as part of criminal groups whose goal is to take possession of real estate at any cost. They use deception, violence and murder in their work.

After reading the article, you will understand how not to get into their sight and not become prey. Who works together with them and how they can be evicted from the apartment. You will see stories and a documentary about black realtors. Our goal is to help figure it out, because the issue is very important and can affect everyone. We will give recommendations and talk about protection methods. This article contains all the working methods and schemes of fraud of black realtors for 2019.

Who are black realtors?

This is a private broker or employee of a real estate agency who, through fraudulent transactions, deception and violence, tries to take possession of real estate. They are called black because their working methods are often associated with death and crime. There are no borders or laws for them. There is only a fine line when the court can give a suspended sentence, release a person altogether, or sentence him to life imprisonment. A black realtor's career usually ends in prison.

Schemes of black realtors

The entire field of real estate agency services is built on deception. It all starts with minor deceptions, but then some intermediaries’ work becomes like the plot of a horror film. And most importantly, you never know in advance who is a black realtor or just a scammer.

Various schemes are being invented. The main goal is to take possession of real estate or money for it. The owners are treated in cold blood. Some are taken to another city to live in a barracks, others are simply killed. Deception, crime and any methods of violence are used. These people don't care what happens to you and your family. Below we will look at all the main schemes of black realtors.

Take a person away - sell an apartment

The scheme works with gullible, lonely people, pensioners and alcoholics. Having received information about a good apartment, a black realtor is looking for a way to gain trust and deceive. Alcoholics are drunk with vodka. Pensioners are being deceived. They may promise to exchange housing, help sell or exchange for a better apartment.

And then they act according to circumstances. The goal at this stage is to rewrite the apartment. Those who do not agree to give up their apartment voluntarily are forced to use physical violence. You need to obtain a general power of attorney for further sale. Once the power of attorney is signed, the owner is in great danger. Often, after the transaction, people are taken to live in a dilapidated rural house. Helpless and weak old people are driven to death. And if all methods do not work, then they simply kill to cover their tracks.

The price of the apartment contributes to any turn of events. People disappear from behind their apartments, end up in a mental hospital, and die mysteriously. After this, the property becomes the property of new owners, who may not have known about the sad fate of the previous owner. And the black realtors and their accomplices rejoice and divide the money. By writing out a power of attorney to an intermediary under various pretexts, you are in great danger and will almost immediately lose your apartment. Remember this.

Withdraw money after payment

After helping to sell an apartment, black realtors sometimes forcefully, sometimes voluntarily put the former owner in their car and take them away from the city. They can simply take the money at the exit from the notary and hide. They can take you out and strangle you with a rope along the way. You need to be very careful after the transaction and not get into the cars of realtors or their accomplices. Worry in advance about how you will carry the money.

Loan agreement secured by an apartment

This scheme is no longer fraudulent, there is no violence. A black realtor promises to give money as collateral for your apartment. The person agrees and goes to the notary to sign the agreement. But instead of a loan agreement, the intermediary slips in a purchase and sale agreement, arguing that this is how a loan is needed, that’s what everyone does. The victim signs, and at the same moment loses the apartment.

Forgery of contract

The scheme is similar to the previous deception. Black realtors often take advantage of people's simple legal ignorance. Few people read contracts in full and understand the essence of each clause. This is what intermediaries take advantage of. They tell you one thing, but they slip you a completely different agreement. Instead of a preliminary agreement, immediately the main one. By signing it, you think that you are only agreeing on the terms and taking an advance, but in fact you have already lost your apartment. Instead of a power of attorney for the provision of interests, they can enclose a general power of attorney. In all cases, you lose your apartment.

Video about black realtors from Kyiv who killed people for 2 years

Apartment raiding

There is a category of black realtors who buy shares in apartments. They buy half or any part of the apartment with the second owner. Having completely legal ownership rights, they simply ring the bell and enter the apartment. Or they cut off doors and locks and break in. When they move into an apartment, they create unbearable living conditions for the second owner. That's why they are often called survivalists.

Realtors introduce a cheerful group of criminals and they already influence the second owner. They force him out of the apartment by removing the toilet and plumbing, breaking out windows and doors. They are turning the apartment into a garbage dump and a very dangerous place to live. They threaten reprisals and murder to anyone who gets in their way. The goal is to buy part of the owner’s apartment for a low cost. And after that, sell the apartment completely.

Sale of apartments of deceased

The scheme is very common among black realtors. Informants send them details of apartments where a person has just died or has not been home for a long time. You need an apartment where no one lives and no one will disturb you. After this, a false power of attorney is created. Using this power of attorney, a lock picker is summoned. Together with them, they enter the apartment on a seemingly legal basis.

The owner’s things can be taken out, or they can leave them, taking away the most valuable ones. After this, black realtors falsify certificates from the Housing Office and other documents necessary for the transaction. And through the purchased notary, the apartment is re-registered to the new owner. And no one cares that when the old owner or his relatives find out about this scam, there will be a lawsuit against the apartment. New tenants will sue the old ones. And the black realtors simply scammed everyone and made money.

Lifetime maintenance agreement

In this way, pensioners and lonely old people are deceived and deprived of their lives. Not all life agreements are bad, but due to the thirst of black realtors for profit, many problems happen. During the transaction, the grandmother may be given a sales contract right away. After that, she is simply kicked out of the apartment.

If they sign a normal contract, then they can help the grandmother end her life faster. They do this because the right to dispose and sell real estate will appear only after the death of the owner. Therefore, this scheme is widespread. People receive prison sentences in rare cases, because it is difficult to prove the death of a grandmother by violent means if she was simply gradually poisoned. One of the common ways black realtors make money.

A film about black realtors

I recommend viewing. This is a documentary film on real cases of fraud by black realtors in Russia. A lot of scams are carried out due to expensive real estate in the capital. Every mediator is very tempted to cross the line. And in all cases, they cross it, leaving people to live on the street. And this is the best outcome of a meeting with a black realtor. At worst, they lose their lives.

How they work and who is the organizer

A black realtor organizes the fraud, attracting the right people to the business. They work as a criminal group, where everyone is responsible for their part of the work. Then it depends on the specific scheme of housing acquisition. Bandits and former criminals are used for crime. Fraudsters for forging documents. The more people in the business, the less money everyone gets. That's why sometimes a black realtor does all the dirty work. Because of violence and crime they are called blacks.

How to become black realtors

Black realtors are people who are inclined to get rich quickly and have no moral principles. This is a feature of many working intermediaries in real estate agencies and private brokers. But those who want to earn even more cross the line. A 5% commission is not enough for them. They want the full price of your apartment.

During times of crisis and decreased consumer activity, realtors have fewer transactions, and the family needs to be fed. Intermediaries begin to look for new ways to earn money and try to earn more. This is how criminal groups appear. In a conspiracy to take possession of apartments, everyone from the director of the agency to the employees of passport offices, housing office, police, notaries and authorities.

Who's at risk

Lonely people are at risk. They won't look for them or make a fuss. Trusting pensioners. They may not even read the contract. Alcoholics and drug addicts. Persons with utility debts. People who don't understand documents. Sole apartment owners. All information is leaked to intermediaries by Housing Offices, district police officers and other informants.

You should trust a realtor, tell him about your property, family or relatives, and you are at risk. Anyone who can succumb to suggestion and deception can become the prey of black realtors. There are no categories here. Some are more, some are less, but everyone can be in danger. Because black realtors also work in regular real estate agencies and as private brokers.

Terrible things happen because owners talk too openly to outside realtors about their purchase desires, property, family and money. You don't know who you're talking to. The intermediary gains confidence and is already fraudulently looking for a way to leave you without an apartment or deprive you of money. And in some cases, life, to cover their tracks.

List of black realtors

As such it does not exist. Because a black realtor can be any intermediary who is ready to cross the line. They are indistinguishable from ordinary people. A black realtor can be a private broker or an entire real estate agency. Many scammers receive prison sentences for such crimes. But after the zone they go out and go about their usual business again.

The only way to compile a list of black realtors and real estate agencies is to include all intermediaries. Don't contact them at all. But they will call you themselves and offer their services. You can run into them at any time. You’ll find out whether it was a black realtor or an ordinary intermediary when everything is done.

Their job is to deceive. At first they’ll just put up an ad with the left-handed photos, then they’ll sort things out with the documents. And if a really big deal comes along, with the opportunity to cross the line, but earning 50 thousand dollars. Not everyone, even a previously decent realtor, can resist the temptation. This is how they become black brokers.

Which cities have the most black realtors?

Black realtors appear where there is an opportunity to earn a lot of money quickly and at once. The larger the city, the greater the risk of running into a black realtor. According to statistics, 7% of transactions fall into this category of criminals. This is approximately every 14 trade. The most criminal frauds are registered in Moscow, Kyiv, and Minsk. In the capitals, where the cost of housing is maximum.

But even in the million-plus cities of Odessa, Kharkov, and Dnieper, there are plenty of black realtors. Due to the very high cost of housing, people make any transactions with conscience. They are ready to deprive anyone of housing who owns expensive real estate and is not very protected. Even in small villages there are problems with illegal acquisition of property and its resale. So there are black realtors everywhere and in every city. There are more of them in big cities, less in towns.

Black realtors from Odessa. Channel 7 Investigation

The story is from 2017. In Odessa, a son and daughter-in-law, the owners of a real estate agency, decided to send their mother to a psychiatric hospital. And sell her apartment on Shevchenko Avenue. They began to squeeze out the apartment according to the classic scheme of black realtors, but without crime. They wanted to send her to a hospital, declare her crazy, and sell her apartment. A doctor at a medical institution was bought and participated in this scam.

The grandmother was saved only by her neighbors, who did not allow her to be taken to the hospital, where her fate was already sealed. There she would have ended her life under heavy drugs. But the neighbors managed to make noise and call the police. They did not allow the raiders to leave the front door and turned to journalists to cover the situation. It was only thanks to these actions that the grandmother remained living in her house. But her own son, a realtor, could not sell her apartment.

2017 story about black realtors from Belarus

Black realtors chose victims from single people who had debts on utility bills or liked to drink. They met under the guise of a married couple or a bailiff who came to collect a debt. Realtors fraudulently persuaded and helped sell the apartment.

To be convincing, they showed the victim the apartment into which she would later move. To do this, we simply rented it daily. After registration and sale of the apartment, the victim was taken to the forest, the money was taken and they were killed. For these brutal crimes, the organizers were given the death penalty, and the accomplices were given 46 years in prison between them.

Only 1 person escaped from the embrace of death, and then by coincidence. With the help of a friend, he was able to escape and survive. The plot is not for the faint of heart, but worth watching. This is how the most cruel black realtors work.

How to protect yourself from black realtors

It’s better to try not to contact any realtors at all. Search and sell an apartment on your own, engaging a lawyer to accompany the transaction. No intermediaries are needed. This way you will protect yourself as much as possible. If you own a large apartment with a high price, it is better to protect yourself.

Seizure on an apartment

You can enter into a loan agreement with a relative secured by your apartment. Get it registered with a notary. Thus, the notary will seize the apartment and it can be sold only after it is lifted. You can lift the arrest in one day, and you don’t have to lend money. The notary does not care about money issues between you, but black realtors will not be interested in an apartment under arrest. They will not get involved in such a complex scheme.

Sale and caution

If you have a large apartment, you are the only owner and you don’t really need it, then it is better to sell it and move to one that will not interest scammers. The fewer people who know about your money and housing issues, the safer it is. Don't tell anyone about your relatives and family connections. How many apartments and houses do you own? Money loves silence. This is your peace of mind and safety.

Pay your bills for the apartment, do not contact realtors or contact them. Do not leave the apartment unattended for a long time. One month may be enough to hack it and sell it. The main thing is to be careful and avoid unnecessary people. Black realtors are not scary if they don’t know about you and what you own.

Conclusion

In many cases, trouble happens because the owner does not read the contract or simply does not understand it. This is understandable; it is difficult to understand the legal intricacies if you have never encountered this. That's why black realtors deceive, depriving owners of apartments. For them, this is an easy way to earn big money.

Read all the contracts yourself. Tell other people less about your home, analyze the risks with the help of lawyers and do not contact realtors. You can sell, buy, rent real estate yourself. Why do you need unnecessary intermediaries in the chain? This only increases the risk of information leaks and fraud.

This phrase is used to describe people who commit crimes in the real estate market. Because of their actions, people lose their apartments, and sometimes even their lives. In Russia, such criminals appeared in the 1990s. They still exist today.

A “black realtor” can work alone or with accomplices. Usually he offers standard services for the purchase and sale and rental of real estate, but more often than not he does not fulfill his obligations. The main thing for such a person is to gain benefits for himself. He also does not have any certificates that would confirm his right to engage in this activity. Often, “black realtors” are former employees of real estate agencies who were fired for some offense.

In addition to realtors, criminal groups may include notaries, employees of municipal institutions, and representatives of law enforcement agencies.

In the real estate industry, most of the crime occurred after the repeal. Therefore, when making real estate transactions, anyone can be an intermediary. Today, real realtors consider it important to reintroduce the licensing system to protect citizens from criminals.

Who is at risk

“Black realtors” look for their victims mainly among those who are unable to defend themselves. These are single pensioners, minors, low-income people, citizens with various diseases (including mental ones). In addition, unemployed citizens who lead an antisocial lifestyle and abuse drugs and alcohol become victims of unscrupulous realtors. The main condition is that they have their own living space, as well as the absence of spouses and close relatives.

However, anyone can be a victim of “black realtors”. The main reasons for this are inattention and carelessness when choosing an intermediary, legal. Therefore, when concluding real estate transactions, it is highly undesirable to contact little-known agencies and unverified brokers.

How to protect yourself and your loved ones

Take a close look at the surroundings of your single relatives and communicate with them. Invite your relatives to visit you, with his new friends, watching whom you can better determine their true intentions and goals.

If your relative is unable to properly understand the implications of their actions, you may want to consider taking custody of them. By doing this, you will make him uninteresting for unscrupulous brokers, because he himself, without your knowledge, has no right to sign documents.

It is better to conclude a real estate purchase and sale transaction through reliable and trusted real estate agencies. When contacting such an organization, carefully read its documents and details. Legal and actual addresses must match.

Require the company's management and employees to enter into an agreement for intermediary services. In addition, contact experienced lawyers to ensure that all documents are completed correctly.

Purchasing real estate is one of the most serious events in a person’s life and, of course, such a purchase must be planned with special care and maximum caution.
It's no secret that the real estate market also attracts those who want to make money through fraud and deception. Various frauds in the real estate industry are unfortunately very common.
In order to avoid falling into the hands of so-called “black realtors” and simply swindlers, you need to know what deception schemes exist when making a real estate transaction.
Buyers of apartments and houses are deceived much more often than sellers. At the same time, “black realtors” use a great variety of methods of fraud, but the most common are the following.
1) “Invalid transaction.” After selling a home, a person files a lawsuit with a request to declare the transaction invalid for some reason. By court decision, the seller is returned his apartment, and the buyer is given the amount specified in the contract. As a rule, in order to reduce taxes, the contract specifies a significantly lower amount than what was actually paid for the apartment. Thus, at best, the buyer gets back the amount under the contract, and the seller keeps the apartment and makes a good profit.
2) “Tenant not allowed to travel abroad.” After selling an apartment or house, a person continues to occupy the living space, citing the fact that he has nowhere to live. The court usually forces the apartment owner to return the money to the buyer. The property owner states that he has already spent the money or it was stolen from him, and he will gradually return it from his salary. Since he does not refuse to pay, it is difficult to apply any sanctions to him. But even if he officially receives a salary, he can take no more than 30 percent towards the debt. With an average salary, the buyer will be able to return the money spent in 50-70 years.
3) “Simultaneous selling session” Selling an apartment to several people at the same time. A citizen leaving abroad, having made duplicate documents, within one day in different notary offices certifies the purchase and sale agreement, receives the money - and leaves abroad with a suitcase full of money. In this case, only one of the buyers will be lucky - the one who manages to register it first.
4) "Pay-per-view". Some “firms” charge a little money for viewing options. They take clients to different apartments (many of which the owners don’t even think about selling), and when interest arises, they set impossible conditions or prices. Buyers refuse, but you won’t get your money back for viewing.
5) “Privatization based on trust.” An advertisement is posted for the sale of a non-privatized apartment. The buyer is given a full package of documents for registration of privatization and purchase and sale of apartments, and is also given a power of attorney to complete the above transactions, while the seller receives money. Next, the so-called seller applies for the loss of documents for the apartment, restores them, privatizes the apartment and resells it to a third party.

To avoid becoming victims of scammers, we recommend:
- Conduct a real estate purchase and sale transaction, preferably through a real estate agency, and not through random people who willingly agreed to act as intermediaries. When contacting real estate agencies, carefully read the agency’s documents and details. The actual and legal addresses must be the same. When meeting an agent, ask for his passport and write down his details for yourself. In addition, he must have with him a power of attorney from the company, indicating that he (she) is indeed a representative of this company and is authorized to carry out the relevant transactions.
- Require employees and management of the real estate agency to enter into an agreement for intermediary services.
- Be careful with people who try to do everything urgently, rush you, and take care of all the paperwork themselves, citing their existing connections.
If you nevertheless decide to find an apartment for yourself (or buyers for your apartment), keep in mind: the participation of specialists is necessary, at least in the final stages of completing the transaction. Specialists will ensure timely preparation of documents and help the buyer find out how “clean” the apartment is, for example: whether there are encumbrances on the apartment, whether registered persons remained in the apartment before the purchase and sale transaction, etc.
To summarize, I would like to emphasize once again that the secondary real estate market is very large, and in addition to unscrupulous real estate agencies, “black realtors,” there are also professional reliable real estate companies and decent professional private brokers, but no one is immune from the fact that you personally will not encounter a real estate scammer or simply an incompetent realtor.
A real estate development and research agency operating in the real estate market for more than five years will become a reliable partner for you, guaranteeing high quality of services provided and security of transactions.