[downeaster]

Originally Posted by Advogado

The advertised price of any house carrying an unpaid bond understates the true price of the house- in the new areas, by a considerable amount. (This gives the developer a leg up in trying to sell a new house to a buyer who is comparing its price to that of a previously owned one.) To get the true price, you need to find out the amount of the bond and add the bond amount to the advertised price. When a seller advertises the price "bond paid", he is just telling you that his advertised price is the true price. I don't think that "bond paid" is really being used as an "enticement".

Most Villagers understand this, but a lot of first-time buyers probably do not. The surprising thing about all this is that the FTC or some other consumer-protection agency hasn't required the developer and brokers to list the amount of the bond in all their house ads. I can't think of any other situation in which this kind of deceptive advertising would go unchallenged by regulators.

Well said, Advogado.