Say NO to Beijing's real estate agents!

If you have been in Beijing enough (or not) you might have cross road with a housing agent. Yes, these unscrupulous people who overload local classifieds pages with fake information, fake photos, fake contacts, FAKES! 

Is a common conversation among people looking for a place to live that they have been taunted by these housing agents. Things such wasting phone calls, visits to places that have nothing to do with picture, scary stories in crazy shit holes, lost deposits... you call it! 

For example the user RPG, describes a rather simple situation "that apartment isn't available, but I have another one I can show you." Being helplessly naive, I met him at the subway, hopped on the back of his scooter, and 10 minutes later we were in a studio that can best be described as "occupied" and "run down".

These kind of stories can go really bad. I won't forget about these guys who found a place without the aid of an agent, and after they moved they started getting terrorizing messages and threats from local agents because they took "their" apartment. 

Another friend from Bolivia got beaten by a couple of agents after she refused to take the apartment that they "negotiated" with the landlord. They showed one place and then gave a completly different one. In that same place she got beaten! No need to say she never recovered the "deposit". 

I could continue with many more scary stories... 

We are all aware of this situation, and no matter how many times these "Jimmy" "Sissy" "Andy" John" Sandy" write down NICE AND CLEAN, REAL PHOTOS, NO FEE, ETC, will be much more likely to be a big awful LIE! Not to mention that they are greatly responsible for the rampant increase of rents in Beijing. Even for me, that have been here several years, is painful to change apartment because everything posted in TimeOut, Cityweekend, The Beijinger, are all FAKE and I know that is a big pain in the ass for the editors to review each classified. Although I am sure they could identify and ban some of these annoying persons. 

So you, dear reader, If you are in Beijing and you are looking for a new place, take action!! SAY NO to online agents! Those cheeky people are not here to help you but to screw you! SAY NO! 

 And if you own an apartment and want to rent it.. even more!! SAY NO TO AGENTS!!!

Say NO to Beijing's real estate agents!