Village Voice News - Community - Feeling the pressure of the power of suggestion

Property-hungry real estate agents who ply elderly people with free home valuations are putting undue pressure on them to sell their homes, say local welfare agencies.

The caution comes as demand for local properties begins to outstrip supply, prompting real estate agents to ramp up the search for potential sellers.

Manager of Inner West Neighbour Aid, Kylee Blackwell, said elderly clients had reported feeling "bombarded" by real estate agents pressuring them to sell up.

"They constantly get leaflets under the door, asking 'Do you want to have your house valued?', 'Do you want to sell?'" Ms Blackwell said.

"Older people take what mail they get very seriously. The influx every week makes them wonder 'Am I coping at home?' and 'Should I be selling?'" she said.

Ms Blackwell said the asset rich-cash poor status of many older inner west residents made them particularly vulnerable to suggestions they could make "mountains of money".

Beryl Robinson from Concord Meals on Wheels said long-term elderly residents had built up a support network and should not be unduly encouraged to leave.

"People might have been living there 60 years, they don't want to move away. They're involved in the community and they want to stay in the area where their friends are," Ms Robinson said.

Steve Newell, legal manager at the NSW Aged Care Rights Service (TARS) said real estate agents often saw older people as an easy target.

"We try to educate people to be aware of what's going on. We tell them to read the brochures in the knowledge they don't have to sell, that the other person has interests that might be in conflict with yours," Mr Newell said.

But Debra Wilde from First National Real Estate in Drummoyne denied the leafleting practice preyed on any one group.

"We don't know who lives there, it's a general canvas. But perhaps older people take it more to heart," Ms Wilde said.

According to Ms Wilde, elderly residents often inhabited cheaper, older-style units which were in high demand.