Real Stories of Wasted Effort from Non-Verified Listings
Why Verification Is Not “Red Tape”, But Time-Protection Infrastructure
In the real estate industry, every hour spent cannot be reclaimed, and yet thousands of agents continue pouring effort into listings that were never real, never ready, or never closeable in the first place.
This is not caused by laziness or incompetence — it is caused by missing verification.
When listings are accepted based on trust, assumption, hope, or urgency, the result is predictable: work first, truth later, and sometimes, truth too late.
Below are real-world scenarios that illustrate why the ACN Verifier role is not optional — it is industry protection.
Story 1 — “Already Sold… 3 Months Ago”
A buyer agent spent 10 days arranging viewings for a motivated corporate client:
- Site visit scheduling
- Travel
- Research
- Negotiation preparation
- Proposal formatting
On viewing day, the owner casually mentioned,
“Actually, this unit sold earlier but we still have other properties if you want.”
No malice, just poor updating + no structured verification.
Outcome:
- Buyer frustrated
- Agent credibility damaged
- Corporate client relationship weakened
- Time, petrol, and trust lost
Story 2 — “Not the Real Owner”
An enthusiastic agent uploaded a landed bungalow listing after being approached by a relative of the owner. The person seemed trustworthy, and even provided keys.
After two viewings, the actual owner called:
“Who authorised you? We never instructed anyone to market our home.”
This escalated into:
- Legal threats
- Police report mention
- Agency-to-agency disputes
Even though the agent had good intentions, no verification = instant disaster.
Story 3 — “Commission Terms Were Impossible”
A team of three agents collaborated to close a RM2.6M property.
Only after submitting the offer, they realised the signed agreement did not match the commission assumption:
| Agent Expected | Owner Listed |
|---|---|
| 3% | “1% total, all-in” |
| Abortive Fee Included | “No abortive fee under any circumstance” |
Result:
They walked away from a fully negotiated deal with zero income.
The work was real.
The deal was real.
The documentation was not real enough.
Story 4 — “The Tenant Refused Every Viewing”
A condo was marketed aggressively for 14 days. Multiple buyers were ready to view, but the tenant refused to open the door due to poor coordination and no documented viewing rights.
Work invested:
- Paid ads
- Drone photography
- 3D walkthrough
- WhatsApp blast
No viewing = no chance = no return.
Story 5 — “Price Was Never Actually Confirmed”
A lister verbally agreed with the owner on RM1.8M, but the owner assumed marketing would start at RM2.0M first to “try luck”.
After three serious prospects and two offers, the owner replied:
“We will only sell above RM2.0M, your marketing is too low.”
No common understanding = false market entry.
Story 6 — “Developer Unit, Wrong Person-in-Charge”
An agent promoted a unit via a “so-called PIC”, only to discover that:
The person was not officially appointed
The real PIC was unaware
The buyer’s unit reservation was invalid
In project sales, wrong PIC = wrong booking = wrong system entry.
The Pattern Behind All Stories
Across all failures, effort was not the problem.
Verification was the missing foundation.
| Problem Type | Result |
|---|---|
| Ownership uncertainty | Legal & reputational risk |
| Unconfirmed pricing | Market misalignment |
| Unverified commission | Income collapse |
| Bad paperwork | Deal unenforceable |
| Wrong PIC | Invalid transaction |
| No access rights | No viewings possible |
Effort without verification is not productivity — it is misallocated labour.
What These Stories Teach Us
- Good effort cannot save a bad listing
- Trust is not a workflow
- Hope is not documentation
- Speed without verification is false speed
- Verification protects ambition, not slows it
- Real estate is not only about closing deals — it is about closing correct deals.
Closing Message
A professional industry is not built on:
“Try first, see how.”
It is built on:
“Verify first, then execute.”
Because listings don’t waste time — non-verified listings do.
