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For Sale Signs

Edwards99
Edwards99 Posts: 3 Newbie
in House buying, renting & selling
Hi guys,

Wondering if anyone has any advice please regarding an issue that happened to me yesterday....

I put my flat up for sale about 5 weeks ago with a reputable estate agents, they asked me at the time if I wanted a FOR SALE sign out outside.... which I obv agreed too.

I have been living elsewhere since then and went to pick up my post to discover a SOLD sign outside! It’s obviously been there for 5 weeks. I contacted the company with my corncerns and they just apologised, said they would change it and said they said they doubt it would have affected the chances of a sale because of the low volume of traffic in the area of late... which is clear BS. anything I can do? Legally they must be in the wrong...

Any help appreciated.
Shaun
«1

Comments

  • Rambosmum
    Rambosmum Posts: 2,445 Forumite
    First Anniversary First Post
    It was a mistake, they've rectified it. Just move on.
  • eddddy
    eddddy Posts: 16,398 Forumite
    First Anniversary First Post Name Dropper
    Edwards99 wrote: »
    anything I can do? Legally they must be in the wrong...

    What would you like to be able to do as a result of this?

    If you think they are incompetent, once the minimum contract period is up you can move to another EA.
  • Margot123
    Margot123 Posts: 1,116 Forumite
    This is clearly a mistake made by the sign company. However they should have wondered why a 'sold' sign was to be put up without a 'for sale' sign ever being there, and should have contacted the agent. This is a schoolboy error!

    This WILL have affected your chances of a sale. PLUS not only that, if I saw a 'sold' sign and thought to myself I'd have viewed your property, I'd now be wondering what is wrong with it. Questions such as 'did the original buyer's survey highlight something?'.

    This is dreadful, and you really need to complain to the MD of the company in writing by recorded delivery. This has undoubtedly affected the sale process adversely IMO.
  • ProDave
    ProDave Posts: 3,706 Forumite
    First Anniversary Name Dropper Combo Breaker First Post
    They are going to change it. What more do you want?

    Often the "sold" bit i a separate strip added to the sign, if so I would just have removed that myself.
  • eddddy
    eddddy Posts: 16,398 Forumite
    First Anniversary First Post Name Dropper
    Margot123 wrote: »
    This is dreadful, and you really need to complain to the MD of the company in writing by recorded delivery. This has undoubtedly affected the sale process adversely IMO.

    What outcome would that achieve?

    Would it make the OP's property sell faster, or sell for more money?

    Personally, I think it's better to concentrate on fighting the battles were you might get some benefit at the end of it.
  • AdrianC
    AdrianC Posts: 42,189 Forumite
    First Anniversary Name Dropper First Post
    ProDave wrote: »
    Often the "sold" bit i a separate strip added to the sign, if so I would just have removed that myself.
    It's often a bit that's moved from one side of the sign to the other. If it's that side, both sides say "FOR SALE". If it's that side, both sides say "SOLD STC" (or whatever).

    They're trivially easy to change, so it may just be some prankster on the way home from the pub.

    Vanishingly few people take notice of the signs, though. They're marketing the agent as much as the property. RM is the important one.
  • TBagpuss
    TBagpuss Posts: 11,199 Forumite
    First Post First Anniversary Name Dropper
    By all means make a complaint.

    However, I think it is unlikely to be a major issue. I think most people use Rightmove etc these days so unless it was also marked as sold there, it's unlikely that it would have lost potential viewings.

    Dies the sign have your flat number on it? If not then it is even less likely to be an issue as people won't necessarily know that it is your flat being referenced.

    You could, if you wanted, ask that they reduce their fees slightly but the reality is that it was a human error, they have rectified it, and you have no reason to think it has actually caused you any problems.
    All posts are my personal opinion, not formal advice Always get proper, professional advice (particularly about anything legal!)
  • Smodlet
    Smodlet Posts: 6,976 Forumite
    Name Dropper First Anniversary First Post
    Any possibility it was referring to a different flat?
  • squirrel99
    squirrel99 Posts: 40 Forumite
    I can see this being a problem. for example, me and my husband saw a new house on rightmove and it seemed quite perfect for us, so we decided to drive by that night to see it from outside. to our surprise it had 'sold' sign out, so we left it at that. two weeks later, the house is still on rightmove as available....
  • AdrianC
    AdrianC Posts: 42,189 Forumite
    First Anniversary Name Dropper First Post
    squirrel99 wrote: »
    I can see this being a problem. for example, me and my husband saw a new house on rightmove and it seemed quite perfect for us, so we decided to drive by that night to see it from outside. to our surprise it had 'sold' sign out, so we left it at that. two weeks later, the house is still on rightmove as available....
    I wouldn't take either as gospel without speaking to the agent.

    The sign can easily be tampered with.
    Agents don't always change RM flags in a timely fashion - or at all.
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