Cameron Fisher - Something Very Fishy!

Published 28 February 08 05:27 PM | Peter Mericka 

by Peter Mericka B.A., LL.B
Real Estate Lawyer
Qualified Practising Conveyancer Victoria
Director Lawyers Real Estate Pty Ltd

 

On Tuesday 26 February, 2008 I typed "Docklands" into the search facility at www.realestate.com.au. On page 4 of the Docklands listings was a Feature Listing under the banner of Changing Places, titled "DOCKLANDS $730,000-750,000 Elevated Waterfront Residence 70 Lorimer Street". A client had called me and complained that there was "something very fishy" about this advertisement. I investigated and caught (or was told) a whopper!

 

Who is Cameron Fisher?

Cameron Fisher glitters with gold, from his shiny golden vest to the golden bracelet and golden cuff links dripping from his wrists (I think he even has a gold tooth). Cameron Fisher is a Melbourne estate agent, and according to his website, he is also a "super salesman", "energy personified", "expertise in motion", "an achiever who gives and gets more", "one of Victoria's youngest estate agency owners and directors", and "adviser to leading institutions, accountancy practices and law firms on real estate issues and trends". In addition,

"As one of Victoria's youngest Estate Agency owners and Directors, Cameron's career has certainly left the mundane behind. His record of over 3,000 successful auctions bears testimony to his dynamic skills. His auctioning verve continually gains Cameron's vendors excellent prices. In such a competitive industry, few can boast such outstanding results. With his innovative style and charismatic approach, Cameron is an ideal choice for those of you thinking of buying or selling."

It appears that Cameron Fisher also regards himself as something of a genius, with the following quotation appearing on his Changing Places website:

"remember
A true genius is one who makes more while working less."

One gets the impression that Cameron Fisher is pretty damned good.

Cameron Fisher is the Managing Director of Changing Places, a Melbourne real estate agency that sells "areas" to estate agents who appear to operate from the boots of their cars.

I first heard of Cameron Fisher some years ago when he chased up a probate notice I had placed in The Age newspaper, apparently in the hope of listing the deceased's property. When it comes to getting listings Cameron Fisher knows all the tricks.

 

Cameron Tells A Whopper

The client who complained about the advertisement for the Docklands property started off by telling me that he was sick and tired of estate agents telling porkies. When he asked me if I had heard of "this Changing Places mob" I told him about the hearse-chasing letter I had received from Cameron Fisher some time ago. The client explained that he actually lives next to 70 Lorimer Street, that he knows the layouts of the various units in the Lorimer Street building, and that he was sure that Changing Places had never had a unit of the type displayed in the advertisement listed. As the client put it, "Changing Places is selling a phantom property."

More about "Cameron Fisher - Something Very Fishy!"...

 

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Filed under: Estate agent, real estate, cameron fisher, docklands, melbourne, changing places

Comments

# Stan Arthers said on February 29, 2008 8:04 AM:

This joker is not the only one.  We wasted a lot of time on fakes before we could get on to the real ones.  I would say each real ad has about 3 fakes competing with it in the inner city.

# Astrid said on February 29, 2008 8:40 AM:

Fake unit advertisements are easy to spot because they are the ones with no unit number and only the street address number of the whole building is shown and there are lots and lots of them but not just in docklands in other areas with highrise unit developments in melbourne.

# P'd Off! said on February 29, 2008 9:13 AM:

About time there cover got blown because they do it with houses aswell and they should change there name from Chaning Places to Changing Faces because you cant tell who your dealing with and what house your dealing with

# Bill Anderson said on February 29, 2008 11:11 AM:

As a Real Estate Agent myself, I find this sort of misuse of an advertising medium abhorent and one of the many things that have given the industry a reputation below the mark. I must point out that it is rare as most agents are aware of the downside.

realestate.com.au also have rules that disallow this form of promotion for the very reasons you have outlined and will remove offending promotion if they become aware of it (I suspect that what happened in this case).

What I find just as rediculous is the so called on line free appraisals that are making themselves more and more noticable from the parasites that are feeding on the industry and making a buck at the expense of the industry and the public. I refer to sites like homeguru whatpricemyhome and the plethora of other sites that have appeared recently.

These sites are condoned by even the most respected if they are "on board".

What happens is that an agancy purchases an exclusive area by paying a fee and all leads generated by the system is sent to the agent for "processing" while the unsuspecting user thinks they are getting some independant advice, they are simply at the mercy of the one that paid for the lead.

This is just another way of how NOT to choose the right agent in my opinion.

# Peter Mericka said on February 29, 2008 12:11 PM:

I think that there is a further category of "phantom" property, that being the property that is genuinely sold, but which is left as "For Sale" on www.realestate.com.au.

Any property that is listed "For Sale", but generates a response saying that it is actually sold, and ushering enquirers to other properties listed with the same estate agent should be similarly regarded as a "phantom".

# Abbey said on March 4, 2008 12:13 PM:

You should check out ICON properties they only have a hand full of genuine listings others are phantom ones are apparently "UNDER OFFER" these properties are really SOLD! but the only way they can keep them on the Real Estate sites is to have them under offer ICON are scammers !!!! they then use the enquiry to push purchasers onto other properties and refuse to remove the phantom listings saying it's an admin error Shame on you Mr Mitchelson

# Australian Real Estate Blog said on March 5, 2008 10:01 AM:

by Peter Mericka B.A., LL.B Real Estate Lawyer Qualified Practising Conveyancer Victoria Director Lawyers

# Dan said on April 26, 2008 5:02 PM:

come on. wake up. this goes on everywhere in every real estate market in the world in one form or another.