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🇰🇷 South Korea /Economy & Trade

“You want to charge separately for viewing homes?”: Consumers push back against paid property visits

From Dong-A Ilbo · () Korean

Translated from Korean and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • South Korea’s licensed real estate agents’ association is proposing a fee for property viewings and on-site inspections, known as an inspection fee.
  • Under current law, brokerage fees can be charged only when a transaction is completed, so the proposed fee would be collected in advance and deducted from the final commission.
  • Consumers oppose the plan, while the industry says organized groups that view homes without intending to buy or rent have increased the burden on agents.

“You want to charge separately for viewing homes?” The proposal to introduce a fee for property visits has triggered strong opposition from South Korean consumers.

The Korea Association of Realtors has raised the need for an inspection fee when consumers view homes or visit properties in person. Critics ask why agents should charge for a service they consider part of the normal process of showing a property. Some say they would turn to direct transactions instead.

You want to charge separately for viewing homes?

· ConsumersA quoted reaction to the real estate agents’ association’s proposal to introduce fees for property viewings.

Under the current Licensed Real Estate Agents Act, brokerage fees can be charged only when a transaction is completed. The association’s proposal would collect a set amount from consumers in advance, then deduct it from the brokerage fee if a contract is eventually signed.

The idea was also discussed once last year but was not introduced after significant consumer opposition. The industry says agents have recently faced groups known as “property tour crews,” who visit homes in groups for real estate study without any real intention to buy or rent, while still demanding property introductions. The proposal has revived the dispute over who should bear the cost of such visits.

If this is how it is going to be, I will deal directly.

· ConsumersAnother quoted reaction opposing the proposed inspection fee and suggesting direct transactions instead.
About this summary

Originally published by Dong-A Ilbo in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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