'Two wrongs don't make a right' does apply here IMO, but if you...

'Two wrongs don't make a right' does apply here IMO, but if you were forced to deal with the mafia or terrorists or some other lowlife, you would be stupid to limit yourself to 100% honest and good faith methods.

It's an unfortunate fact that we must deal with a similar breed of scum representing vendors in the property market in some cases. Loobs obviously likes to stand up for himself and make it a fair negotiation.

What other defenses do you suggest when an agent brings forth mysterious bidders from no-where to get you to compete in a silent auction against yourself? I have seen this happen to my sister and a mate of mine. The mate got done over, however my sister was saved by a bad building report. My brother has had agents try this on him, he just tells them to let the other parties go for it and most times the bidders have remarkably vanished almost overnight. This tactic is not always viable as some buyers will not risk losing the property they want.

Loobs postulated tactics would not even see the light of day if this industry had some pride, class and regulation, but it doesn't. If there was a way of only allowing private sale bidding if the bidders were registered and identified both by name and proven intention to buy a property, the story might be different. Ebay has more transparency than the current methods used in the property market.