Don't forget that it's in a realtor's best interests to stir up the pot about all this foreign money. "Bid higher or the Chinese will outbid you!!".

Apparently there was a scam in Vancouver, BC where a local realtor group was busted doing this exact thing.[1] They took a couple of their Chinese employees and had them wander around expensive homes with a story about buying up a ton of real estate.

Very smarmy. And they weren't the only ones doing it.

[1]http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/former-mac-ma...