If you’re an estate agent, it’s possible – just – that you may not be a total stranger to the ancient art of bluffing.

But what happens if the public bluffs you back? Would they even know how?

There’s a lovely blog here

It has clearly been written by an agent (and we’d love to know who you are), with not so much tips but insights into the estate agent’s psyche.

For example:

“One classic is the ‘We have a network of offices across the UK’ bluff. Really, what difference does that make?

“That magical invention, the internet, lets us all see every single property available, as well as a good few sold or let ages ago, but have been left in the property portal graveyard to entice the zombies in.

“If they’re using old properties on their website, don’t let them sell yours.”

Quite so.

The public are also advised to accept that estate agents do tell the whole unvarnished truth – at least sometimes.

“I worked with a senior property valuer who would say at every appointment, ‘This is a lovely place, I’d like to live here myself’. Lo and behold, this won him many instructions.

“One day I called him on it. Wasn’t it a little clichéd, even if it did bring in the business? ‘Oh no old chap,’ he replied quickly, ‘I really would like to live in them. My wife threw me out a few months back and I’m kipping on a friend’s sofa’.”