A common practice in the rural real estate sector involves the publication of so-called "bait farms" ads. These listings are false, posted solely to lure customers to the real estate agency. When a prospective buyer expresses interest in a property, they are informed that it has already been sold or that the sale is nearing completion. Disappointed, the buyer is then shown other genuine opportunities by the realtor.
To warn buyers, Chaozão, a platform specializing in rural property listings, has compiled a list of the most famous farms that are always for sale, even though their owners have no intention of selling.
Among the top five, three are located in Mato Grosso (Roncador, Rio Preto, and AB) and two in Goiás (Nova Piratininga and Santa Úrsula). "These are farms with thousands of hectares, beautiful and captivating to buyers who are frustrated to learn they were never really for sale," says Georgia Oliveira, CEO of Chaozão.
Roncador Farm, located in Querência (MT), spans 152,000 hectares and is considered the largest in Brazil. It is often listed with prices ranging from R$ 5 billion to R$ 10 billion and is the most targeted by scammers. Nova Piratininga, situated in São Miguel do Araguaia (GO), covers 135,000 hectares and is listed between R$ 6 billion and R$ 20 billion.
With 124,000 hectares, Rio Preto, in Confresa/Vila Rica (MT), ranges from R$ 1 billion to R$ 5 billion. Smaller but equally targeted are AB Farm, owned by Amado Batista in Cocalinho – MT, with 29,000 hectares listed between R$ 350 million and R$ 600 million, and Santa Úrsula in Paraúna, Goiás, with 13,000 hectares listed at fictitious prices between R$ 420 million and R$ 700 million.
"Many uninformed realtors gather information via WhatsApp without field knowledge or verifying if the property is truly for sale. Without authorization and based on false information, they end up making extravagant and grandiose listings that do not reflect market reality," says Guilherme Veiga Jardim, partner at Mil Fazendas, the largest rural real estate agency in the country and a partner of the Chaozão platform.
This practice doesn’t constitute fraud because the farm, ranch, or site in question is not actually sold but used as bait. The tactic takes advantage of a client’s psychological vulnerability, leading them to consider other "opportunities" that might be just as appealing as the one they initially wanted.
The issue here is the unethical sales strategy employed by the realtors, both in terms of the potential buyer and the owners who are unaware of the situation unless a complaint is made.
"It’s a very common, yet highly negative practice in today's real estate market. These professionals know the property isn’t for sale, but they keep these listings because they generate a significant number of leads due to the property being advertised below market value or because it’s well-known and desirable," explains Georgia.
There is also the figure of the inexperienced real estate agent, often referred to as a "white pants" agent. According to Georgia, these novices participate in endless and inefficient groups of realtors on WhatsApp or other social networks, where they gather inaccurate and misleading information and post listings by default.
"These professionals don’t know these properties, yet they still list them, and if they start negotiations with a potential buyer, they need to involve the unscrupulous originator of the deal (known as the crab chain), who will ultimately say, 'the property is no longer for sale, but we can offer another,' which ends up being the same."
There are numerous cases where owners, upon learning that their properties are being advertised without authorization, take action against the responsible parties and report them to the relevant authorities, such as regional CRECIs, and even in the media used for such advertising, like social networks and listing portals, which can lead to legal action.
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