How to check a broker or salesperson before you pay anything

Under the Real Estate Service Act (RA 9646), only a broker licensed by the PRC may negotiate a sale for a fee, and a salesperson may only work under a licensed broker. A person who cannot show you a PRC number and card is, whatever the business card says, not allowed to sell you property. Start with the number. Ask for the PRC license number and type it into REACTIVE.PH's verification page at /verify. If a verified practitioner holds that exact number, you see their profile; if nobody does, the page tells you so plainly. A "no" is not proof of fraud — the holder may simply not be on REACTIVE.PH — but it means you have not verified anything yet. Check it against the source. The PRC's own online verification lists every licensed broker by name and number. The name on the PRC record must match the name on the ID in front of you, and the license must be current. A photocopy of someone else's license is the oldest trick there is. For a salesperson, check the broker too. Salespersons are accredited under a specific broker, and that broker is accountable for the transaction. On a REACTIVE.PH profile, a confirmed registering broker shows as "Confirmed by the broker"; "Stated by the practitioner" means the broker has not confirmed it. Ask the salesperson for the broker's name and number and verify the broker the same way. Look for the badges, and read what they mean. On REACTIVE.PH a PRC Verified badge means our staff reviewed a license document bearing that number and that member's name. Mobile Verified and Email Verified mean exactly that and nothing more. No badge is a guarantee of any person or transaction — they confirm documents, not character. Never pay the practitioner. Reservation fees, earnest money and the purchase price are paid to the owner or the developer against an official receipt, not into a broker's personal account. A practitioner who insists on being paid directly "to hold the unit" is describing a scam. Search for a verified practitioner at /professionals, or verify a number at /verify. If something does not add up, use the Report control on the listing or write to us at /contact.