are all Estate Agents idiots?

[Norman Verona]

I've just about had it with Estate Agents!

Idiot girl couldn't sell toilet paper to a man with dhiorea!

[westfield_bumble]

estate agent been fine for me so far. But solictor acting for another party  

[John Loudon - Sponsorship Liaison]

Norman - only the bad ones  

Not sure there are any good ones? afterall they are all a form of salesmen at the end of the day  

[ljsanders]

Don't worry I've come to the same conclusion.

Despite me categorically saying to all of them that I'm looking to only buy a house with a garage ATTACHED to the house. I'm constantly being bombarded with calls from Estate Agents that either dont have a garage or has a garage but its 100 yards the other side of the street. Most of them dont have a garage.

I'm a first time buyer (ie. no chain at all). I've also had an estate agent try to start a bidding war and then when I called their bluff, they sold the house to someone else with a chain as long as the Forth Road Bridge, for 1k higher than my offer price. May have been the sellers fault, but I would have thought an Estate Agent would have advised the seller that may not be a good idea in the long run.

So yep, I've come to the conclusion Estate Agents are nunneys and quite honestly is a deterant to me wanting to look for a house.

Lee

[Norman Verona]

Lee, know what you mean.

John, thats the problem. I can't go into details yet but I asked her to ask for a small amount of money as they are in default of conditions. She asked and they said "no". Well theres a surprise. When I instructed the agent to put it back on the market she takes the purchasers side.

Her boss has had a word in her shell like, like, you know what I mean.  

[samcooke]

* waves *

We are annoying, it's true.

And the most annoying thing is, we earn loads of money for doing very little.  

Plus we buy old grannie's houses on the cheap and then sell them on for big profit.

And we take more money in backhanders in a week than most earn in a year.

QUOTE

When I instructed the agent to put it back on the market she takes the purchasers side.

Weren't you whinging the other day that it's taken a year to sell? And now you want to blow out the buyer for the sake of 'a small amount of money' ?

Without wishing to judge without knowing the facts

: Your agent is taking the buyer's side because you're being an idiot.

And you grassed her up to her boss? She's really going to want to help you now. Good move.  

[bozblat]

seems that most estate agents have had it too easy for too long and forgot how to sell, all the expected bits like being polite and punctual and informative hell the only close they know is to shut a door !

[Norman Verona]

sam, when an offer is accepted on the basis that the cash buyer completes in 2/3 weeks and we're now into the 8th I think the agent should be pushing the purchaser.

Her boss agreed with me and has taken over.

The delay is because he's got his money in a 60 day account and doesn't want to lose interest. In the meantime I've had to pay an extra months mortgage and re-insure for 3 months.

All the girl can say is "I've asked him and he doesn't want to meet you half way".

Well theres a surprise. So I asked her to tell him I was going to put it back on the market and she didn't.

Can I call this estate agent girl an idiot?

[yellow peril]

seems that most estate agents have had it too easy for too long and forgot how to sell, all the expected bits like being polite and punctual and informative hell the only close they know is to shut a door !

didn't know they had to sell....thought they just sat back and waited for a buyer to stumble along before collecting their big fat cheque!

[samcooke]

QUOTE

So I asked her to tell him I was going to put it back on the market and she didn't.

Because she feared the buyer would walk away, which they probably would. She did, based on her experience, which is probably far greater than yours, what she felt was in your best interest.

What she should have done is told you it was a bad idea and reasoned it out with you. Perhaps she didn't want to do this because you are unnecessarily aggressive?

I'm afraid the buyer is in the driving seat in this deal. You need them more than they need you. So do as your agent says and be grateful that, after a year on the market, you have a buyer at all.

Or tell them to poke it and still be in the same position another year down the line.

[oioi]

agredd to sell a property with an estate agent.  before I had signed anything the property was on there website at 30% less than we had agreed to sell it at.  i did think of taking legal action (could be argued that they had devalued my property by under advertising it) but thought fsck it, gave them a bollocking, took it to a more expensive agent (in terms of fees) who were great.  well worth the extra money.  i guess a lot of these things is you get what you pay for...

[samcooke]

* kisses oioi *

[DavidR]

I'm with Norman on this . . . .

Selling is only a minor part of what estate agents do. The service they are providing is communication . . . .  with potential buyers, with prospective buyers and most of all with the seller about what is happening and how they are handling it.

The agent in norman's case should have been on the phone explaining how she had been trying to persuade the prospective buyer to forget about maintaining his "60 day balance" and that he should get on with the purchase; as well as advising patience. She may have made all the right decisions but failed to explain them to all parties.

You earn a fee not by being right but by providing a service.

David

[Pembroke Pat]

You are paying the estate agent and therefore they should be serving you.  One reason for using and estate agent is that when you get p**sed off then they can be more diplomatic.  BUT she should have still pressed the purchaser as they had agreed to move in two to three weeks.  

Personally I would threaten to change estate agent rather than take it off the market.  That way the estate agent is hurt not you.  Last time I sold a house I did just that and sold in no time.  

If I was struggling to sell a house though I would look at what is putting off purchasers. and try to resolve it ( in as cheap a way as possible) .  Estate agents have a bad rep becasue they don't view it as their job to help the house sell itself. i.e. be a fresh pair of eyes to tell you what is offputting before a pruchaser even gets a viewing.  If they did that and mucked in with helping to do it (for an upfront fee) then I think everybody woul be happy.

Most estate agents seem to be lazy shisters  

( just put that in to get a reaction)

[oioi]

* kisses oioi *

err gerofff