5 non-obvious scams on the real estate market

The most dangerous schemes on the real estate market rarely look like a scam. More often it's a likeable seller, clean-looking documents, and the feeling that the deal is about to slip away to another buyer. Here are five tricks that most often make buyers lower their guard - and how to spot them before any money changes hands.

A staged bidding war and a price that rises after the viewing

A classic trick: list the apartment slightly below market to draw a queue of interested buyers. Once you agree to buy, you're told "someone already offered more," and the price starts climbing step by step. The decision is rushed by the feeling that a competitor is about to outbid you. If the seller or agent raises the price after you've already agreed to the original terms, that's a reason to pause and check whether the new price actually matches the market - or just the moment's emotion.

A charming seller who asks for an understated price in the contract

A pleasant, likeable seller who shares personal details and builds trust is not a reason to lower your guard on paperwork - especially if they ask you to state a lower amount in the contract, say, "to avoid extra tax." If it later turns out the seller was on the verge of bankruptcy at the time of the deal, an understated contract price becomes the main argument for voiding the sale, and the apartment ends up in the bankruptcy estate.

Verbal promises instead of documents

A seller's verbal assurances - "everyone's been discharged," "there are no other heirs," "I'm the sole owner" - carry no legal weight and prove nothing in a dispute. Any claim about family composition, heirs, or people registered at the address needs to be backed by documents: a residency certificate, a certificate of inheritance, information from a notary. The rule is simple: if a fact isn't backed by a document, treat it as unconfirmed for the purposes of your check, no matter how sincere the seller seems.

Hidden heirs and a sale that happens too soon after a death

If an apartment is sold shortly after an inheritance case was opened - when the certificate of inheritance was only just issued - it's worth carefully checking whether every heir has claimed their rights. There are cases where a distant relative or a child from a previous marriage is deliberately not told about the owner's death, to sell the property faster and avoid a dispute over the division. Such heirs can still come forward later, and the deal can then be challenged.

A dishonest agent asking for a payment "on the side"

A separate category of risk is when it's not the seller but the specialist formally representing your interests who is pursuing their own. If an agent asks you to transfer part of the sum separately from the official contract price, directly to them rather than the seller, that's a reason for concern. This scheme not only creates a financial risk for the buyer but formally fits the definition of fraud under Russian criminal law (Article 159). Any payment should go directly to the seller and be reflected in the contract.

How to avoid getting caught out

• Don't decide under pressure from an artificially rising price - pause and check it against the market average.
• Verify any verbal assurance from the seller with documents, not trust in the person.
• Pay attention to the time between an inheritance case opening and the sale - a very quick sale calls for a closer check.
• Never transfer money personally to an agent or a third party outside the official contract price.
• If the seller asks for an understated contract price, consider whether it might be linked to hiding a looming bankruptcy.

Not sure about the seller or the deal terms

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