are all Estate Agents idiots?

[DickieB]

Round here houses go within hours of being on the market (including the one we've just bought luckily) Estate agents are really not needed since if you can advertise it on Rightmove, it will go immediately, and normally for the asking price or more.  Whilst trying to buy around here, I was in one estate agent's office and listened to them lieing to a vendor. OK only minor lies in front of me (about visiting times) but what would they do if I wasn't there? I don't trust them.

Luckily I'm only buying around here not selling.  Mind you I've just sold in Bath and I went with the chap who recommended £30K more than the other 3 estate agents.  OK, we only got £20K of that, but he earnt the extra commission!

[Norman Verona]

I'm selling at £108,00 less than the 4 valuations I got in November 2005.

I'm sure most of that is because I'm not there. I fail to see how not one of the 4 agents it's been with have bothered to get of their arses and visit the property. I built a web site but none of them would use it. I offered to take any prospective purchaser on a "virtual" tour (after they had been to the property) none took me up on that offer.

Agents work on the basis of being the bucket that properties are placed in and purchasers can come along a choose what they want.

My experiance shows that, apart from the boss(es), the "negotiaters" can't actualy negotiate their way out of a paper bag.

I wonder if there's an opening in the market for sales training for estate agent staff?

Sorry Sam, I haven't accused you're proffesion of any of the things you cite, only a lack of salesmanship, which will cost me a lot of money.

[samcooke]

QUOTE

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.

Yep, I said that.

QUOTE

Sorry Sam, I haven't accused you're proffesion of any of the things you cite, only a lack of salesmanship, which will cost me a lot of money.

What you said was that all estate agents are idiots.

I don't think you can expect to make a comment like that without someone in that line of work taking issue with it.

I'm sorry you're [sic] experiance [sic] of my proffesion [sic] and in particular the negotiaters [sic] in your area is poor, but that doesn't mean we all are.

Just like all Caterham owners aren't arrogant GJOBs and all BD owners don't have over inflated claims of the output of their engines.

Tarring all with the one brush, no matter how flippantly, is ignorant.

[Norman Verona]

Well, I understand how upset you must be . However, it was a question and you must admit that not many are answering "NO"

[samcooke]

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you must admit that not many are answering "NO"

Difficult to suggest anything else.

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it was a question

No it wasn't.

I'm sorry you're £108,000 down on what you had anticipated, you obviously had some bad advice and you have every right to be cross with the agents who gave you the advice.

But it wasn't me, so don't call me idiot.

[Derby Allen]

Sam I will exclude you from this but my experience also with Estate agents so far has been bad, it may just be here "up North" but i am sure they couldn't sell Gold if it was a £1 a Kilo. I should now be living  in the Forset of Dean and put the collapse of my sale down to a estate agent who wanted to give my buyer time, money, simpathy etc. at the end of the day who would be paying the bill!. Sometimes i cant work out how they make money this way,

Ps should have added my house sold in 2 days of being advertised with others at the time who wanted the house. now the estate agents don't seem to want to know now they have to have to advertise etc. only way forward is to change agents and hope for the best.

[V8grunt]

Hi Norm.

Really pleased the re-build is finished.

Sorry to hear about the sale problem.

I have had the same problem with my place in France.

Up for sale and then not.

So much so that we are over there for the summer

running the place.

I am sure that like me you have invested your money and time wisely.

I'm glad that I don't have to go to work everyday at the same mundane place trying to earn a crust....    

As specially at the cost of the houses today!  

Bought a new mower yesterday.

Life is so hard!

[neilwillis]

I also know from first hand experience that in this area at least the estate agents rip customers off when it comes to advertising.

They charge £30.00 per insertion, and make a VAST profit on that merely through what they pay the Newspaper for the space.   I confronted them about that, and just got bare faced lies.   I had to explain politely just how much I was prepared to pay them per column centimetre, owing to the fact that I had made up their ads for the past 20 years.   That rather p******** on their chips, and made them look total prats!

You'll have to excuse me for being on the side of the vendors here, but selling houses in the current climate is money for old rope.   Hardly takes a genius, and the hassle, and heartache they cause is out of all proportion to the alleged service they provide.

[pistonbroke]

My old Dad bought the family home ( An old farmhouse ) from the owner with £1K and a handshake with a deal that gave the seller the interest on the loan

No middlemen and the seller got a better deal than he would have got through a building society as he got all the interest on the loan paid into his own bank .

[Norman Verona]

"Are all estate agents idiots?" is a question. It's followed by a question mark to show this.

Sam, no one can defend what this girl has done. She is in breach of her care and duty to her customer. When I asked her to put it back on the market and said I would "send her an 6cmx6cm advert tomorrow" she failed to tell me that THEIR deadline for adverts was in 3 hours time. Had she done so I would have pointed out that it was newspaper space I wanted not their space and I could have sent it then and there anyway.

I would have grounds for legal action.

I'm not interested in that, only to get the verbal contract, which is now in breach (8 weeks is not 2 weeks or a quick completion) remedied.

Am I being unreasonable in asking for 50% of my extra cost in mortgage and the 3 months building insurance paid last week, which he can have the benifit of?

So, no ones saying you or your staff are idiots but the vast majority are saying, that in their experience, Estate Agents are not very good at selling.

Can you defend the above?

Are you sure your staff wouldn't do the same?

Would you call someone who purports to be a sales person who hasn't the faintest idea how to negotiate a sale an idiot? If not what would you call them, a fraudster?

Well I'm not sure it's helped but I feel better now, thanks Sam

[samcooke]

QUOTE

"Are all estate agents idiots?" is a question. It's followed by a question mark to show this.

Ah, I see. Punctuation is your strong point rather than spelling and grammar.

QUOTE

no ones saying you or your staff are idiots

You are.

QUOTE

Can you defend the above?

No. Why would I want to?

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Are you sure your staff wouldn't do the same?

Yes. Positive.

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Would you call someone who purports to be a sales person who hasn't the faintest idea how to negotiate a sale an idiot? If not what would you call them, a fraudster

That's the point isn't it? It's her, not all of us.

Just because you consider her an idiot doesn't make everyone in the same business one.

I'm bored now. If you can't be bothered to read what I type I shan't bother.

[Bazzer]

Sam

If he asked his agent to put his property back on the market she should have done it, end of story !!! She works for him don't forget, she can advise him but its Normans decision.

You’re not getting many people defending your profession (and I use that word loosely) are you? (That’s a question).

Also your aggressive replies are not doing much to change people’s views on estate agents !!!

All the best    

Bazzer

[stu999]

And regardless of the punctuation or grammar - it definately *read* as a question to me

[YouMustBeJoking]

My last contact with Estate Agents was about 10 years ago.  

The Sale: It is a complex story but in essence, when I sold my house the agent colluded with a buyer to obtain a quick sale at a low price.  To achieve this the agent concealed the true identity of the buyer from two other people selling similar houses in our locality.  It was pure coincidence that we knew each other, discussed the details of our sales and made the link through the name of the purchasers solicitor.  

The Purchase:  So, having sold our house we set off to the other end of the country to purchase another.   We found one that was interesting but the asking price was higher than we could afford.  During our conversation with the agent he produced a document which "he shouldn't really show to us".  It was the result of a mortgage valuation survey performed for a previous prospective purchaser that had not gone through.  His finger lingered over the valuation figure, which was slightly higher than the current asking price!  What he failed to mention was that the valuation included a substantial plot of land which had since been fenced off and sold seperately!

[Norman Verona]

Oh well Sam, I'm pleased to see your not bothered.