The real estate business is hotter than ever — prices have ballooned, demand is high and the supply low. Hence, it's twice as competitive as it was a day before: according to recent data, there are about twice as many working real estate agents as available listings. No wonder then that some of them will be willing to cut some corners to push out the competition and stay in the biz — no matter at what cost.
As TikTok user 'busymomonli' shared in her viral video with over 8 million views, her doorbell camera captured a bewildering sight: random strangers casually heading in and out of her home in the middle of the day. "Had I not had a 'Ring' camera, I would never have known this happened at all!" the author says in the video, claiming this is the fault of a real estate agent who decided to do a little tour of her house without anyone's permission.
Now, not only do the homeowners know about this 'accidental' intrusion but also millions of TikTok users who are glued to this ongoing four-part saga which only keeps on giving.
A video of a nondescript real estate agent went viral after he was caught showing a house that wasn't listed
Image credits: busymomonli
The doorbell camera's footage, which has 13.5 million views on TikTok, shows the real estate agent making sure there's no one home
Image credits: busymomonli
Soon, a car pulls up and the real estate agent begins the tour
Image credits: busymomonli
Image credits: busymomonli
Random strangers are seen moving in and out of the house while the homeowner is watching everything through her doorbell camera
Image credits: busymomonli
Image credits: busymomonli
Image credits: busymomonli
Bewildered by this strange occurrence, the homeowner shared the recording with her followers who were no less startled than her
In the second video, we see that the police have arrived to see if the homeowner's worries are real
Image credits: busymomonli
Image credits: busymomonli
When the dust settled, the realtor went back in and apologized for causing all this trouble
Image credits: busymomonli
Image credits: busymomonli
Later, the author answered people's questions to fill the missing gaps in
In the end, the homeowner believes it all comes down to this incident being a stroke of strange luck
According to statistics, knowing how to properly showcase a listing is one of the make-or-break factors responsible for finishing most real estate agents' careers within a year. Presumably, most don't accidentally break into homes that aren't for sale. On the other hand, these not-so-friendly stats help to explain why hustling estate agents would come up with sleazy tactics, such as "ghost" listings, in the first place.
In order to learn more about the code and ethics of this vicious industry, Bored Panda has reached out to the National Association of Realtors (simply 'NAR') for a comment. Besides informing us that there were a record number of realtors in 2021, NAR pointed out that there's a difference between a realtor and a real estate agent. "Realtors are members of the National Association of Realtors and [they] abide by our Code of Ethics," explained Spencer High, the Director of Media Communications for NAR.
According to their website, only about half of licensed real estate agents in the US — or around 1,522,801 million agents to be precise — are members of this longstanding organization. And the NAR ethics code is what separates realtors from non-member real estate agents who aren't obliged to be on their best behavior and not cut a few corners from time to time.
People urged the homeowner to press charges and start locking the backdoor
Asked what would happen to a realtor who accidentally showcased a property that wasn't listed, as per the titular TikTok video, Spencer said that would likely go before the NAR's tribunal. "If someone believes that a realtor has violated one or more articles of the Code of Ethics," High explained, "they can file an ethics complaint alleging a violation(s) through the local association of Realtors where they hold their membership." Ranging from $500 to $10,000 fines, breach of the code can also mean suspension or removal of one's precious license.
One thing is clear: with far more real estate agents than homes for sale, competition can be fierce. Hence the importance of being careful with whom you trust to provide you with the best (and fully legal) home buying experience. More importantly, one that doesn't involve you being an accidental star of a viral TikTok video.