The dream of home ownership is becoming increasingly elusive for many first-time buyers in Ireland, with frustrations mounting over online bidding platforms, suspected bid manipulation, and a sense of being at the mercy of an inflated, highly competitive property market.

A recent account shared by a house-hunter looking in Dublin 22, Dublin 24 and surrounding areas paints a worrying picture of a system that, in their words, feels “rigged, greedy, and emotionally draining.”

From €395k to €500k+ — A Rapid Rise in Final Selling Prices

According to the buyer, houses with an initial asking price of around €395,000 are frequently closing well above €500,000. This represents a substantial increase driven by aggressive bidding wars, many of which are facilitated through the Offr platform, a tool used by estate agents to manage online bids.

Rather than promoting transparency, the buyer claims the platform fosters a false sense of urgency and encourages constant bid increases by making buyers feel like there’s intense competition at all times.

The Role of Online Bidding Platforms: Pressure Over Transparency?

The Offr platform has become a standard tool for estate agents in Ireland, allowing bidders to track offers in real-time. However, critics argue that the system:

• Encourages reactionary bidding, rather than allowing buyers to submit a considered “best offer”
• Lacks oversight or external verification
• Creates an emotional bidding environment that pressures buyers into making snap decisions

One troubling insight from the buyer was the inability to submit a higher bid once the system had moved beyond a certain point—leaving them feeling powerless despite being willing to offer more.

Suspicions of Manipulated Bids

The buyer suggests that some bids may be fake or orchestrated to drive up prices artificially. They noted that there’s technically nothing stopping a friend with mortgage approval from submitting a false high bid, only to withdraw it later—artificially inflating the market in the meantime.

Worse still, they allege an estate agent at a viewing accidentally revealed they were logged into Daft.ie under the account that had placed the current top bid. The presence of a “withdraw bid” button next to only that bid raised suspicions that the offer may have been planted by the agent to generate urgency and push other potential buyers higher.

“It’s a Competition You Need to Win”

The entire process, according to the buyer, has become less about affordability or value, and more about winning a competition fuelled by perception, pressure, and questionable ethics.

They described the current market as one where greed and manipulation appear to be unchecked, and where buyers feel they are being coerced into rushing into life-changing financial commitments just to stay in the game.

Time for Greater Oversight?

This personal account echoes a broader conversation happening across the country: Are online bidding platforms and agent practices being monitored closely enough? While technology has undoubtedly streamlined aspects of the property process, transparency and fairness appear to be in short supply for many first-time buyers navigating the market today.

Final Word

With buyers feeling increasingly disempowered, calls for regulatory oversight of online bidding tools and greater transparency in estate agent conduct are likely to grow louder. For now, the experience of this Dublin-based buyer is a sobering reminder of just how emotionally and financially draining the Irish housing market can be.

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