Tips on How to Bid at Auction
As consumers we are rightly very protective of our privacy, and of our personal details and so it can be confronting when you attend an open home inspection and the agent is taking your details before they let you into the property. However, it is important to understand why agents are collecting your details and what happens to that information and what your rights are around that process.
Image Source: www.realestate.com.au
What information do agents collect?
Typically, the information includes your name and address, your phone number and your email address. Sometimes they may require additional information such as a driver’s licence.
Why agents collect information:
There are no secrets about why we collect this information. Primarily it is a security measure. We are taking groups of people through someone’s home and it’s important to know exactly who those people are. However, we also collect the information as part of our ongoing research into the market.
Your address and/or your postcode helps us understand where the bulk of our potential buyers come from – are they from nearby suburbs or have they come from further afield? This helps inform our marketing decisions and how we advise our clients.
We also collect your details so we can help you further on your purchasing journey. We may take an opportunity to contact you to discuss what type of home you’re looking to buy and to offer similar properties that we are selling.
What you can do:
You are entitled to refuse to give your details to the real estate professional. However, please understand this may preclude you from entry to the property.
You can ask how they will use this information and they may have a privacy statement for you to view. You’re also entitled to ask the agent to not add you to the marketing list, or to only contact you regarding the property you’re visiting that day.
Ultimately, as agents, we are protecting our clients by ensuring we know who is in their property. But we’re also doing our research and offering our services to you as buyers, because that’s what we do.
Source: http://reiq.com/
Image Source: www.realestate.com.au
