Ghost Bidders

Just a quick one.

If you ask an auctioneer very specifically if there is a ghost bidder involved are they under obligation to tell you the truth?
And are there any implications for the auctioneer if you discover after that there was a ghost bidder involved?

whats up car said:

Just a quick one.

If you ask an auctioneer very specifically if there is a ghost bidder involved are they under obligation to tell you the truth?
And are there any implications for the auctioneer if you discover after that there was a ghost bidder involved?

Click to expand...

If you are a potential purchaser, you are not employing the auctioneer. You are not paying their fees. Their function is to seek to negotiate the sale of a property on behalf of the vendor, their employer. They are under absolutely no obligation to discuss with you the existence or otherwise of a "ghost bidder". And what possible implications could there be "if you discover after that there was a ghost bidder involved?"

There are lots of threads on this board about bidding for houses - you would be well advised to read through some of them if you are engaging in that process. You will see that there are lots of people who would like to buy as they are the ones who keep asking this question. And if there are lots of people who would like to buy, it seems to me to be not beyond the bounds of possibility that the "ghost bidders" are real people.

mf

Well, what is a ghost bidder? A fake bid? A non existent person?

It's unlikely that the Estate Agent will tell you that he simply made up a bid...

You are basically asking if the EA is obliged to tell you if he is lying, so the answer is in the question.