History Main / ShadyRealEstateAgent

* One is mentioned, if not seen, in the film ''Film/{{Se7en}}''. When Detective Somerset goes over the Mills household for dinner, multiple trains passing nearby make everything in the house shake. At one point Mrs. Mills mentions that when they were looking at the house, they thought it was great, but wondered why the realtor would only let them stay in it for 5 minutes at a time. Now they understand all too well.

* ''Manga/TheKurosagiCorpseDeliveryService'': Japanese real estate agents are legally required to tell the truth about what happened to the previous tenant (murder, suicide, hauntings etc.) [[LoopholeAbuse But]] this only applies to the tenant immediately before the new customer. In one chapter of the manga, a decidedly shady-looking real estate agent employs a man to live in dubious properties just long enough to trigger the loophole.

* The agent who sold the house to Tom Hanks' and Shelley Long's characters in ''Film/TheMoneyPit''. The former tenant was the one who talked them into buying it, and though she fit the archetype perfectly, she wasn't an agent. She and "Carlos" were scam artists who made their money by flipping distressed properties.
* One is mentioned, if not seen, in the film ''Film/{{Se7en}}''. When Detective Somerset goes over the the Mills household for dinner, multiple trains passing nearby make everything in the house shake. At one point Mrs. Mills mentions that when they were looking at the house, they thought it was great, but wondered why the realtor would only let them stay in it for 5 minutes at a time. Now they understand all too well.

* Newlyweds Literature/MarcusDidiusFalco and Helena Justina are looking to move out of the shabby apartment in downmarket Fountain Court and to move into their first marital place together, ideally in a slightly better area of Rome. A plausible and helpful apartment broker gets them the seemingly ideal place in a spanking new build among other aspiring young professionals. The only problem is, all the little creaks and shifts which the helpful estate agent assures them are down to a new build "settling" and will go away after a while. This is ''technically'' true, but unfortunately the building eventually settles so far that it collapses. After fearing Helena is dead, Falco looks the other way while enraged survivors lynch the estate agent.

* Everyone but the cop in ''Theatre/GlengarryGlenRoss'' fits this trope. The most shady of all of them is [[spoiler:Shelly "The Machine" Levene]], who robs the office to get the best leads after finding out he's going to be fired if he doesn't sell. That said, some productions avert this, as playwright David Mamet's stance is unclear. Given the ''terrible'' market for real estate and that the agents are mainly assigned to sell to people who have no desire (or money) to buy anything, they don't provably go beyond very aggressive selling. ''All'' of the cast can be portrayed as [[BeleagueredBureaucrat dedicated, honest workers who are simply being run over by the firm which owns their company]], and who end up being shady, and real estate agents, but not shady real estate agents, as it were.

* Marge [[NewJobEpisode works as a real estate agent]] in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS9E9RealtyBites Realty Bites]]". The whole office are clearly fine with lying through their teeth to make a sale, especially her boss, Lionel Hutz. The drama of the episode revolves around the fact that [[WillNotTellALie she is way too honest for her own good]], and then lied through ommission to Ned Flanders that the dream home she sold his family is a murder house and [[HonorBeforeReason she will not feel comfortable having Ned's money because of the lie]], even after Ned makes clear [[NightmareFetishist he doesn't minds (heck, he actually likes) living in a murder house.]]

* ''Series/SchittsCreek'': has a light-hearted version of this trope in Ray Butani. He's actually pretty honest, but he's aggressively optimistic and will put an over-the-top positive spin on the most modest of properties. For example, he refers to a tiny closet as a step-in closet and tries to convince Patrick and David that having a curtain instead of a door on the bathroom is a good thing.

* Everyone but the cop in ''Theatre/GlengarryGlenRoss'' fits this trope. The most shady of all of them is [[spoiler:Shelly "The Machine" Levene]], who robs the office to get the best leads after finding out he's going to be fired if he doesn't sell. That said, some productions avert this, as playwright David Mamet's stance is unclear. Given the ''terrible'' market for real estate and that the agents are mainly assigned to sell to people who have no desire (or money) to buy anything, they don't provably go beyond very aggressive selling. ''All'' of the cast can be portrayed as dedicated, honest workers who are simply being run over by the firm which owns their company, and who end up being shady, and real estate agents, but not shady real estate agents, as it were.

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A seemingly helpful character whose job is to help people like newlywed couples looking for their first home to find the best possible domicile, but whose personality practically screams "real estate fraud" to the viewer. Whether he's a real ConMan or just a really, really immoral entrepreneur, you can be sure that the characters will be cursed with [[TheAllegedHouse leaking roofs and drafty windows]] as soon as they have signed the papers...[[HauntedHouse Or worse]].

See also RealEstateScam, LandmarkSale, TheAllegedHouse. Compare HonestJohnsDealership.
----
!!Examples

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* The character who launches the events of ''Manga/LittleHouseWithAnOrangeRoof'' qualifies, by selling the same house to two families, who are then forced to live together.
* ''Manga/TheKurosagiCorpseDeliveryService'': Japanese real estate agents are legally required to tell the truth about what happened to the previous tenant (murder, suicide, hauntings etc.) [[LoopholeAbuse But]] this only applies to the tenant immediately before the new customer. In one chapter of the manga, a decidedly shady-looking real estate agent employs a man to live in dubious properties just long enough to trigger the loophole.
* Frieza and his Planet Trade Organization from ''Manga/DragonBall'' acts as this. He sends the Frieza Force into a planet and liquidate it so he can sell the planet back to the highest bidder.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film]]
* ''Film/{{Ghostbusters 1984}}'': The female real estate agent trying to get the heroes to buy an old firehouse as their headquarters.
-->'''Real estate agent:''' There's office space, sleeping quarters and a full kitchen.
-->'''Peter Venkman:''' It seems a little pricey for a "unique" fixer-upper. What do you think, Egon?
-->'''Egon Spengler:''' I think this building should be condemned. There's serious metal fatigue in all the load-bearing members, the wiring is substandard, it's completely inadequate for our power needs, and the neighborhood is like a demilitarized zone.
** Ray, on the other hand, falls in love with the place immediately, and since they used his family property as collateral to get their seed money, the other two have to go with his wishes. Besides, the pole is pretty sweet.
** Egon's complaints may be about dropping the price, and there might be nothing wrong with the firehouse itself.
* The agent who sold the house to Tom Hanks' and Shelley Long's characters in ''Film/TheMoneyPit''. The former tenant was the one who talked them into buying it, and though she fit the archetype perfectly, she wasn't an agent. She and "Carlos" were scam artists who made their money by flipping distressed properties.
* One is mentioned, if not seen, in the film ''Film/{{Se7en}}''. When Detective Somerset goes over the the Mills household for dinner, multiple trains passing nearby make everything in the house shake. At one point Mrs. Mills mentions that when they were looking at the house, they thought it was great, but wondered why the realtor would only let them stay in it for 5 minutes at a time. Now they understand all too well.
* A whole room full of them in the film version of ''Film/GlengarryGlenRoss''. See Theatre for details.
* Hilariously inverted in ''Film/LethalWeapon3'', in which Murtaugh asks Leo Getz to help him sell his house. Leo, unfortunately, is a bit too law-abiding for Roger's good and the two people who are interested enough to see the house are [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere scared off real quick]] when Leo mentions [[ContinuityNod the multiple damages the Murtaugh house has suffered]] as a result of the villains of the previous two movies [[TheVillainKnowsWhereYouLive trying to kill Roger.]] The scene ends with Murtaugh angrily hollering at Getz that he didn't had to tell them ''those'' details.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* Newlyweds Literature/MarcusDidiusFalco and Helena Justina are looking to move out of the shabby apartment in downmarket Fountain Court and to move into their first marital place together, ideally in a slightly better area of Rome. A plausible and helpful apartment broker gets them the seemingly ideal place in a spanking new build among other aspiring young professionals. The only problem is, all the little creaks and shifts which the helpful estate agent assures them are down to a new build "settling" and will go away after a while. This is ''technically'' true, but unfortunately the building eventually settles so far that it collapses. After fearing Helena is dead, Falco looks the other way while enraged survivors lynch the estate agent.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* Bob Jelly from ''Series/SeaChange'' is not a con man, but definitely opportunistic.
* Harold Gribble from ''Series/RoundTheTwist''.
* An episode of ''Series/InPlainSight'' has Mary's latest witness being a con artist who turned on her partners. The story opens with her pulling a scam of cleaning up a house and showing it off to a couple, getting a hefty "down payment" for it. The couple are moving in when the police show up to inform them that the house had been foreclosed on and was never on the market.
* One episode of ''{{Series/Minder}}'' had a crooked slum lord who might have been based on Peter Rachman, below (or at least the two used similar methods).
* An episode of ''Series/{{CSINY}}'' features an estate agent who earns his living by breaking into houses to evaluate them before his competition. Unfortunately for him the house he breaks into is [[spoiler:[[DeathTrap booby trapped]], Franchise/ResidentEvil style (minus the undead)]] and he ends up [[spoiler:burnt to death by a trap triggered by a phone while trying to call for help.]]
* Mr. Haney from ''Series/GreenAcres'' is usually an HonestJohn, but he did sell Oliver his old home, which is borderline dilapidated.
* Gary on ''Series/TheCloser'', who Brenda and Fritz enlist when they want to sell Brenda's house and buy a new one together. His CatchPhrase is [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial "Gary doesn't lie!"]]
* Marcy from ''Series/AmericanHorrorStoryMurderHouse'' is a rude, bigoted middle-aged woman who always tries to downplay the fact that the house she is selling is a Murder House [[spoiler: and never mentions that everyone who has lived there has been murdered and comes back as a trapped ghost]]. She still has difficulty selling it though, which is why the house is so cheap.
* ''Series/MidsomerMurders'' had one who scammed clients with the help of a CrookedContractor.
* The reformed monks of Old John from the British comedy, ''Series/{{Yonderland}}'', after being taught how to lie, become "real estate agents". (They don't exactly know what real estate agents do or how they make a living, but they wear suits and try to sell houses... Despite having no properties to sell.)
* In the documentary series ''Scam City,'' when the host of the show goes to [[VivaLasVegas Las Vegas]] to explore what kind of scams are used to target tourists he tries to go to the apartment he rented for the duration of the shoot, only to be told that the place was motel, (this was filmed a year or so before [=AirBn=] took off) and that the person he spoke with on the phone to rent the apartment had repeatedly pulled the same scam on other people.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theatre]]
* Everyone but the cop in ''Theatre/GlengarryGlenRoss'' fits this trope. The most shady of all of them is [[spoiler:Shelly "The Machine" Levene]], who robs the office to get the best leads after finding out he's going to be fired if he doesn't sell. That said, some productions avert this, as playwright David Mamet's stance is unclear. Given the ''terrible'' market for real estate and that the agents are mainly assigned to sell to people who have no desire (or money) to buy anything, they don't provably go beyond very aggressive selling. ''All'' of the cast can be portrayed as dedicated, honest workers who are simply being run over by the firm which owns their company, and who end up being shady, and real estate agents, but not shady real estate agents, as it were.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* Dr. E. M. Balmer from ''WebComic/AwfulHospital'' is an odd version of this: The "real estate" is corpses, and the customers are [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decomposer decomposers]] like maggots and fungi.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* Pretty much the point of the French animated short ''Villa Mon Reve''.
* Marge [[NewJobEpisode works as a real estate agent]] in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS9E9RealtyBites Realty Bites]]". The whole office are clearly fine with lying through their teeth to make a sale, especially her boss, Lionel Hutz. The drama of the episode revolves around the fact that [[WillNotTellALie she is way too honest for her own good]], and then lied through ommission to Ned Flanders that the dream home she sold his family is a murder house and [[HonorBeforeReason she will not feel comfortable having Ned's money because of the lie]], even after Ned makes clear [[NightmareFetishist he doesn't minds (heck, he actually likes) living in a murder house.]]
-->'''Lionel:''' Marge, I had a lot of calls about you! Customers love your "no pressure" approach.\\
'''Marge:''' Well, like we say, "the right house for the right person!"\\
'''Lionel:''' Listen, it's time I let you in on a little secret, Marge. [[ByNoIMeanYes The right house is the house that's for sale. The right person is anyone.]]\\
''(Lionel then coaches Marge on proper sales technique, showing her a catalog of available houses.)''\\
'''Marge:''' It's awfully small...\\
'''Lionel:''' I'd say it's awfully … cozy!\\
'''Marge:''' That's dilapidated...\\
'''Lionel:''' Rustic!\\
'''Marge:''' That house is on fire!\\
'''Lionel:''' Motivated seller!
* Buddy Baker from ''WesternAnimation/AsToldByGinger'' operates his business under the same philosophy as Lionel Hutz, even attempting to sell a disgusting and run-down house to a couple expecting a child.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
* Peter Rachman is an infamous British real-life example.
* In an infamous case in the UK, an agency advertised a country cottage for sale along with a lovely picture of the scenic view from one exterior angle. They neglected to mention that viewed from the other direction, there was a ''nuclear power plant'' directly behind the house.
[[/folder]]

----

* An episode of ''Series/CSINewYork'' features an estate agent who earns his living by breaking into houses to evaluate them before his competition. Unfortunately for him the house he breaks into is [[spoiler:[[DeathTrap booby trapped]], Franchise/ResidentEvil style (minus the undead)]] and he ends up [[spoiler:burnt to death by a trapped phone.]]

* Marge [[NewJobEpisode works as a real estate agent]] in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS9E9RealtyBites Realty Bites]]". The whole office are clearly fine with lying through their teeth to make a sale, especially her boss, Lionel Hutz. The drama of the episode revolves around the fact that she lied through ommission to Ned Flanders that the dream home she sold his family is a murder house and [[HonorBeforeReason she will not feel comfortable having Ned's money because of the lie, even after Ned makes clear]] [[NightmareFetishist he doesn't minds (heck, he actually likes) living in a murder house.]]

* Marge [[NewJobEpisode works as a real estate agent]] in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS9E9RealtyBites Realty Bites]]". The whole office are clearly fine with lying through their teeth to make a sale, especially her boss, Lionel Hutz.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* Newlyweds Literature/MarcusDidiusFalco and Helena Justina are looking to move out of the shabby apartment in downmarket Fountain Court and to move into their first marital place together, ideally in a slightly better area of Rome. A plausible and helpful apartment broker gets them the seemingly ideal place in a spanking new build among other aspiring young professionals. The only problem is, all the little creaks and shifts which the helpful estate agent assures them are down to a new build ''settling.'' The building eventually settles so far it collapses. After fearing Helena is dead, Falco looks the other way while enraged survivors lynch the estate agent.

* Everyone but the cop in ''Theatre/GlengarryGlenRoss'' fits this trope. The most shady of all of them is [[spoiler:Shelly "The Machine" Levene]], who robs the office to get the best leads after finding out he's going to be fired if he doesn't sell. That said, some productions avert this, as playright David Mamet's stance is unclear. Given the ''terrible'' market for real estate and that the agents are mainly assigned to sell to people who have no desire (or money) to buy anything, they don't provably go beyond very aggressive selling. ''All'' of the cast can be portrayed as dedicated, honest workers who are simply being run over by the firm which owns their company, and who end up being shady, and real estate agents, but not shady real estate agents, as it were.

'''Lionel:''' Listen, it's time I let you in on a little secret, Marge. [[AndByThatIMean The right house is the house that's for sale. The right person is anyone.]]\\

'''Lionel:''' Listen, it's time I let you in on a little secret, Marge. [[ByThatIMean The right house is the house that's for sale. The right person is anyone.]]\\

* Marge worked for one of these briefly on ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', where Lionel Hutz was her boss.
-->'''Lionel:''' Marge, I had a lot of calls about you! Customers love your "no pressure" approach.
-->'''Marge:''' Well, like we say, "the right house for the right person!"
-->'''Lionel:''' Listen, it's time I let you in on a little secret, Marge. The right house is the house that's for sale. The right person is anyone.
-->''Lionel then coaches Marge on proper sales technique, showing her a catalog of available houses.''
-->'''Marge:''' It's awfully small...
-->'''Lionel:''' I'd say it's awfully … cozy!
-->'''Marge:''' That's dilapidated...
-->'''Lionel:''' Rustic!
-->'''Marge:''' That house is on fire!
-->'''Lionel:''' Motivated seller!

A seemingly helpful character whose job is to help people like newlywed couples looking for their first home to find the best possible domicile, but whose personality practically screams "real estate fraud" to the viewer. Whether he's a real ConMan or just a really, really immoral entrepreneur, you can be sure that the characters will be cursed with leaking roofs and drafty windows as soon as they have signed the papers...Or worse.

See also RealEstateScam and LandmarkSale. Compare HonestJohnsDealership.

* Hilariously inverted in ''Film/LethalWeapon3'', in which Murtaugh asks Leo Getz to help him sell his house. Leo, unfortunately, is a bit too law-abiding for Roger's good and the two people who are interested enough to see the house are [[ScrewThisIAmOuttaHere scared off real quick]] when Leo mentions [[ContinuityNod the multiple damages the Murtaugh house has suffered]] as a result of the villains of the previous two movies [[TheVillainKnowsWhereYouLive trying to kill Roger.]] The scene ends with Murtaugh angrily hollering at Getz that he didn't had to tell them ''those'' details.

*** Egon's complaints may be about dropping the price, and there might be nothing wrong with the firehouse itself
* The agent who sold the house to Tom Hanks' and Shelley Long's characters in ''Film/TheMoneyPit''.
** The former tenant was the one who talked them into buying it, and though she fit the archetype perfectly, she wasn't an agent. She and "Carlos" were scam artists who made their money by flipping distressed properties.

* The reformed monks of Old John from the British comedy, [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Series/Yonderland Yonderland]], after being taught how to lie, become "real estate agents". (They don't exactly know what real estate agents do or how they make a living, but they wear suits and try to sell houses... Despite having no properties to sell.)

* Everyone but the cop in ''Theatre/GlengarryGlenRoss'' fits this trope. The most shady of all of them is [[spoiler:Shelly "The Machine" Levene]], who robs the office to get the best leads after finding out he's going to be fired if he doesn't sell.
** Some productions avert this, as the playwright's stance is unclear. Given the ''terrible'' market for real estate and that the agents are mainly assigned to sell to people who have no desire (or money) to buy anything, they don't provably go beyond very aggressive selling. ''All'' of the cast can be portrayed as dedicated, honest workers who are simply being run over by the firm which owns their company, and who end up being shady, and real estate agents, but not [[ShadyRealEstateAgent Shady Real Estate Agents]], as it were.

* MidsomerMurders had one who scammed clients with the help of a CrookedContractor.

* Marge worked for one of these briefly on ''TheSimpsons'', where Lionel Hutz was her boss.

* Buddy Baker from ''AsToldByGinger'' operates his business under the same philosophy as Lionel Hutz, even attempting to sell a disgusting and run-down house to a couple expecting a child.

* ''Film/{{Ghostbusters}}'': The female real estate agent trying to get the heroes to buy an old firehouse as their headquarters.

* A whole room full of them in the film version of ''Theatre/GlengarryGlenRoss''. See Theatre for details.