WebVetted Beta
Recommendation
Proceed
Overall Summary
Safe
Why we think so

✅ realestate.com.au is a high-traffic, Australia‑focused property portal with strong infrastructure (Akamai, CloudFront, DigiCert TLS), clear DNS/SPF records, and no public blacklist or Google Safe Browsing hits. Some consumer complaints exist about agent reviews and listing accuracy, but independent checks and traffic data indicate the site is a legitimate, widely used platform — not an outright scam.

Confidence Score
88%

Risk Insights

🛡️

Large Australian audience

≈50M monthly visits, ~92% from Australia — strong signal of legitimate, local market presence.
Category leader in Real Estate on SimilarWeb.

Enterprise technical stack

Uses Akamai and AWS CDN, UltraDNS/Route53, DigiCert TLS and SPF — reduces phishing/misuse risk.
Multiple domain verification TXT records for third‑party services.
⚠️

Watch agent reviews & listings

Consumer reports flag fake/biased agent reviews and listing inaccuracies.
Verify agency details independently before transactions.

Contradictory Signals

Platform-level technical and traffic signals point to legitimacy, while some users report bad experiences tied to agents or listing data rather than the core site being fraudulent.

Signal A: High trust signals (traffic, TLS, enterprise DNS)

Signal B: User complaints describing fraudulent or misleading experiences

Category Scores

Identity 90/100
Reputation 85/100
Technical 92/100
Content 80/100
Legal 72/100
Business Validity 90/100

Red Flags & Warnings

  • Multiple consumer reports allege fake or manipulated agent reviews and occasional listing inaccuracies (platform complaints on ProductReview and consumer forums).
  • Past legal disputes (copyright, trademark/competition) show the company has been involved in contested cases—relevant for trust but not proof of fraud.

🔎 Detailed Checks & Analysis

Identity — domain ownership & registry

Score: 90/100
Passed

"WHOIS shows realestate.com.au registered in the Australian registry (whois.auda.org.au) with registrar Corporation Service Company (CSC). DNS contains many verification TXT records (Google, Facebook, Adobe, Atlassian), which is consistent with a large, legitimate corporate site."

Reason: Domain sits in AU registry with corporate registrar and multiple verification records.

Reputation — traffic, reviews, news

Score: 85/100
Passed

"SimilarWeb and traffic stats show ~50M monthly visits and top category rank; Google News and site editorial pages are active. ProductReview and forum complaints raise issues about agent reviews and listing accuracy, but independent checks (Scamadviser-style signals) mark the site as legitimate."

Reason: Very high traffic and active editorial/news presence; some consumer complaints but no authoritative fraud findings.

Technical — TLS, DNS, hosting, anti‑phishing controls

Score: 92/100
Passed

"Technologies include Akamai, Amazon CloudFront, UltraDNS/Route53, and a DigiCert Global G3 certificate for www.realestate.com.au. Multiple TXT verification and SPF entries reduce risk of mail spoofing and indicate active domain control."

Reason: Enterprise-grade CDNs and DNS, valid DigiCert certificate, SPF records present.

Content — listing accuracy & user complaints

Score: 80/100
Passed

"User reviews on ProductReview and commentary pieces highlight problems with fake or biased agent reviews and occasional listing errors. These are platform-policy issues that require user vigilance, but they do not prove the site is a scam operator."

Reason: Content volume is large and editorially active; there are documented user complaints about review integrity and listing data.

Legal / regulatory signals

Score: 72/100
Passed

"REA Group (owner) has been involved in litigation over copyright licensing and trade mark disputes; outcomes have varied by court level. Regulatory scrutiny (ACCC reviews) has occurred for acquisitions but does not indicate criminal fraud."

Reason: Has been party to copyright and trademark disputes, which is expected for a market‑leading platform.

Your Next Steps

  • 1
    If you plan a financial transaction, verify the agent or seller independently (phone call to agency number, check ABN/agency website).
  • 2
    Do not transfer funds without a signed contract; confirm listings by contacting the named real estate agency directly using contact details from their official site.
  • 3
    Report suspicious emails or listings to realestate.com.au support (use the site’s official help pages) and to Scamwatch if you suspect fraud.
  • 4
    Cross-check agent reviews on multiple platforms (ProductReview, RateMyAgent) and look for consistent contact/address details before engaging.

Evidence & Citations