Fakes on the Georgian Real Estate Market: How to Spot Fake Listings and Not Waste Your Time
Imagine this: you've found the perfect apartment — beautiful photos, great price, stunning view. You call the agent, and they say: "Oh, it's already sold, but I have another option…" Sound familiar? On the Georgian real estate market, this situation isn't the exception — it's the rule. We decided to figure out how this deception mechanism works and put together a guide on how not to fall for fake listings.
Why 26 Out of 28 Apartments Turned Out to Be Fakes
Recently, a client came to us who had been searching for an apartment on aggregator websites on his own. He selected 28 options that he liked and asked us to verify them. Out of the 28 apartments, we were able to schedule viewings for only two. The remaining 26 were either fakes, already sold, or listings where no one answered.
This isn't an isolated case — it's a systemic problem in the market. Today, we'll explain how these schemes work so you don't waste time on pointless calls and don't end up disappointed.
How to Spot a Fake Listing: 5 Warning Signs
1. Unrealistically Low Price
When you see an apartment in a prestigious complex at a price below market value — that's the first red flag. For example, in Black Sea Towers, the current price per square meter with finishes is around $1,625. If you see a listing at $1,300 per square meter — it's almost certainly a fake.
Developers and sellers don't sell at a loss. If the price seems too good to be true, it's probably bait.
2. Photos Taken at Night or from a Distance
Pay close attention to the photos in the listing. Fake listings often use photos taken in the dark to hide the view from the window or the condition of the apartment. Or, conversely, they show beautiful interior shots but take the window view from a completely different building.
A real example: one listing had photos of an apartment with white plastic windows, even though all the windows in that complex are black aluminum. Plus, all the photos were taken at night. The last photo showed a beautiful sea view — but it was taken from a completely different building.
3. Different Prices for the Same Apartment
The same apartment can be listed by 15 different agents at 15 different prices at the same time. It's not a fake in the pure sense, but the situation is no less absurd. You go to the website, see 15 listings for the same apartment, prices jumping from $78,000 to $85,000, and you have no idea who to call and who is the actual representative of the seller.
In such a situation, the client usually just stops considering that property — too much confusion.
4. They Ask You to Write on WhatsApp but Don't Answer Calls
This is a classic lead generation scheme. An agent posts an attractive listing but, instead of showing the apartment, asks you to write to them in a messenger. Then you get a standard message: "Thank you for your interest. Are you looking for real estate for yourself or as an investment?"
This isn't selling an apartment — it's collecting contacts. Your number goes into a database, and you start receiving offers for other properties that often have nothing to do with what you were originally looking for.
5. The Apartment "Just Sold"
This is the most common tactic. You call about a listing, and they say: "Oh, the apartment just sold, but we have a similar one." Meanwhile, the listing stays up on the site for weeks. Why isn't it removed? Because it attracts calls. The more calls, the more chances to sell something.
What Is "Lead Generation" in the Real Estate Market?
Behind many fake listings is a simple business model — collecting and selling leads. Agencies create dozens of attractive listings, collect phone numbers, and either sell them to other companies or use them for their own sales.
This approach destroys trust in the market and wastes hundreds of hours of buyers' time. Instead of searching for an apartment, they're calling fakes.
How the Market Reacts to Fakes: Real-Life Examples
The Story of Two Realtors and One Apartment
Once, we scheduled viewings for two different apartments in the same complex — with different agents, at different times. The client was late, and we ended up meeting both agents in the lobby at the same time. It turned out that both realtors had keys to the same apartment on the same floor. Two agents, two keys, one property. The client asked: "Is this normal for you?" — "No, but it happens when the seller gives the apartment to everyone."
26 Apartments That Couldn't Be Viewed
Here's the breakdown of those 26 listings:
"Sold"
"Sold, but there will be a similar one in a month"
"Rented out, not for sale"
"No answer"
"Number blocked"
In the best case, someone answered — but the apartment was no longer for sale. In the worst case, you were simply ignored.
How GPI Fights Fakes
We don't sell leads. We don't post fake listings. We work with verified properties and are always ready to show an apartment if it's genuinely for sale.
Here's our approach:
In our Telegram channel, we only post real properties with honest prices.
We don't charge for viewings — only for results.
We verify every apartment before offering it to a client.
Yes, we charge a fee for property selection ($1,000 + 1% of the transaction). But that's payment for your time and peace of mind. So you don't spend weeks calling incompetent realtors and scrolling through thousands of fake listings.
If you're looking for a property in Georgia and don't want to waste time on fakes — reach out to us. We'll find real options, show only verified properties, and save your nerves.