[Citroënbender]

The gay nomads were looking for a unit or townhouse near the Wollongong CBD in order to be close for work. They looked literally for weeks - application after application went nowhere.

Then they tried offering equal of a week’s rent in a “brown paper bag” as an incentive. Instantly an application was approved; they then cantilevered off that approval with another agent and a different property (but no paper bag). Again, instant approval and they withdrew their initial application.

I’m not clear on who gets to hold the paper bag, whether the agent splits it or what. But it shows the marketplace as corrupt and stupid. I also know that only one of their referees was ever contacted, and only once at that. So we can probably add “lazy” to the list of agency shortcomings.

Properties the guys viewed in the last week or so, but were “not selected” for, mostly remain on the market if you assume that agencies keep their stock lists current. Perhaps the rental shortage is being made worse by agencies not really doing much?