it's official, EA's are COMPLETELY useless...

phil_b_2

arrgrghghgh!! I put an offer in on a property a short while ago, which was rejected.

I phoned this morning (saturday) asking to see the property again with a view to increase the offer if I got a good feeling again from it. The EA said the earliest they can get me a viewing is wednesday... WHAT?!? they can't get someone out to this houes which is about 0.5 miles from their office to show me it for 4-5 days?

I said I work away through the week so it will have to be next saturday (if at all), and she said 'ok'. It's as if they don't want to sell houses. I mean, they are hardly flying off the shelf are they? and they just wont make any effort

Well screw it, I probably won't go back and view. They can continue to sink without lifting a finger to save their own butts if they wish. Rant over :mad:

Cat695

can't you contact the seller direct i'm sure he would be interested in knowing his EA is turning people away

brit1234

phil_b wrote: »

arrgrghghgh!! I put an offer in on a property a short while ago, which was rejected.

I phoned this morning (saturday) asking to see the property again with a view to increase the offer if I got a good feeling again from it. The EA said the earliest they can get me a viewing is wednesday... WHAT?!? they can't get someone out to this houes which is about 0.5 miles from their office to show me it for 4-5 days?

I said I work away through the week so it will have to be next saturday (if at all), and she said 'ok'. It's as if they don't want to sell houses. I mean, they are hardly flying off the shelf are they? and they just wont make any effort

Well screw it, I probably won't go back and view. They can continue to sink without lifting a finger to save their own butts if they wish. Rant over :mad:

Might be a blessing. Wait a while watching the prices fall and you might get a stamp duty holiday this October, that can't be bad for the pocket.:D

bo_drinker

Stamp duty holiday wont happen, they will lose billions. They can't keep up now, it's all going pears up.

napoleon

phil_b wrote: »

arrgrghghgh!! I put an offer in on a property a short while ago, which was rejected.

I phoned this morning (saturday) asking to see the property again with a view to increase the offer if I got a good feeling again from it. The EA said the earliest they can get me a viewing is wednesday... WHAT?!? they can't get someone out to this houes which is about 0.5 miles from their office to show me it for 4-5 days?

I said I work away through the week so it will have to be next saturday (if at all), and she said 'ok'. It's as if they don't want to sell houses. I mean, they are hardly flying off the shelf are they? and they just wont make any effort

Well screw it, I probably won't go back and view. They can continue to sink without lifting a finger to save their own butts if they wish. Rant over :mad:

Most of them will have to get a proper job like sweeping the streets soon enough. So take heart in that fact.

me_jane

Quote:
Originally Posted by phil_b
arrgrghghgh!! I put an offer in on a property a short while ago, which was rejected.

I phoned this morning (saturday) asking to see the property again with a view to increase the offer if I got a good feeling again from it. The EA said the earliest they can get me a viewing is wednesday... WHAT?!? they can't get someone out to this houes which is about 0.5 miles from their office to show me it for 4-5 days?

I said I work away through the week so it will have to be next saturday (if at all), and she said 'ok'. It's as if they don't want to sell houses. I mean, they are hardly flying off the shelf are they? and they just wont make any effort

Well screw it, I probably won't go back and view. They can continue to sink without lifting a finger to save their own butts if they wish. Rant over :mad:

The EA must be sooo busy......

I bypassed the EA as we had an offer on our house from someone who was downsizing - when I originally went to the EA and asked them to help us do the deal, they were very 'busy' with other stuff. We are basically doing a 'house swap' now (although we still have to pay the EA fees).

Now, they are the ones on my case asking me to get the solicitors stuff back etc etc.....in my own good time:p

Incisor

phil_b wrote: »

arrgrghghgh!! I put an offer in on a property a short while ago, which was rejected.

I phoned this morning (saturday) asking to see the property again with a view to increase the offer if I got a good feeling again from it. The EA said the earliest they can get me a viewing is wednesday... WHAT?!? they can't get someone out to this houes which is about 0.5 miles from their office to show me it for 4-5 days? ...

Well it worked didn't it? They are playing hard to get, and you are letting it get to you. They probably take your delay to Saturday as ploy too!

phil_b_2

I really can't work out if it is a game of tactics of just slack incompetence. Probably a mix of both. I would'nt have thought their choice of tactics are a good idea though really.

The house was for sale at £185,000 and I offered £150,000 (was originally £195,00 before I viewed it). They came back and said the vendor wouldnt take less than £160,000. I held out for about 3-4 weeks before making contact again this morning. the house was reduced to £175,000 just over a week ago hence why I'm letting them know my interest is still alive. I'm sure upping to 155k would get probably get the house but dont really intend to do that.

I am in a position to proceed and move as quick as anyone else they'll get an offer from so thought they might show more willing. The line about working away through the week is true. So it's frustrating I'm kept waiting as I only really get saturdays to do viewings and something is likely to crop up next weekend also, so I prob wont bother viewing it.

Bah! Anyway. It's win-win I suppose. If it all works out I think I'll have got a good deal on a house which is pretty perfect for me in most ways, at a price I can comfortably afford (even if rates go up etc), but if not then I'll continue to sit it out and another will come along. I'm glad prices here up north are at least reasonably sensible compared to down south.

phil_b_2

The stamp duty thing would be great, but I too feel it is unlikely to happen. It would'nt really make a difference to house sales IMO and the government would just lose money so they would be shooting themselves in the foot a bit.

Chris2685

heh, interesting to see how different estate agents work.. the one i'm buying from was happy to let us view the house twice, with very short notice (hours). We also arranged a viewing last week to go and get measurements for some stuff, and we have been well delayed (4 weeks since we put the offer in and still haven't been able to get it surveyed!) due to using a housing scheme which is totally incompetent.

Incisor

phil_b wrote: »

I really can't work out if it is a game of tactics of just slack incompetence. Probably a mix of both. I would'nt have thought their choice of tactics are a good idea though really.

Tactics, I think. As you have given it below, I would say the agent knows you have p'd off the vendor, so you are not getting another viewing!

The house was for sale at £185,000 and I offered £150,000 (was originally £195,00 before I viewed it). They came back and said the vendor wouldnt take less than £160,000. I held out for about 3-4 weeks before making contact again this morning. the house was reduced to £175,000 just over a week ago hence why I'm letting them know my interest is still alive. I'm sure upping to 155k would get probably get the house but dont really intend to do that.

It all depends how hard you really are pushing, which in turn depends on their asking price. If £195,000 is last year's asking price [when they could expect to have no more than 1% knocked off], then they are prepared to take the hit in negotiation, but I would think you are pushing them slightly too hard - your offer is effectively 77% of initial asking and they were generous in going to 82%.

However, £195,000 could just be inflated above last years asking prices. Depending upon the extent to which it has been inflated, your offer begins to look more reasonable. But in the first case the vendors are being generally realistic - but don't want to be bombed out. In the second, they are playing a harder game and are less prepared to take a hit.

In either case, it looks like £160,000 is their bottom line for you at least, and I think that they have been quite straight in telling you exactly where that bottom line is. As you didn't bite at the time, but you are back when they drop the price, they have you down as a circling vulture. They don't want to 'waste the time' to give you another viewing just to get an offer of £155,000.

I am in a position to proceed and move as quick as anyone else they'll get an offer from so thought they might show more willing. The line about working away through the week is true. So it's frustrating I'm kept waiting as I only really get saturdays to do viewings and something is likely to crop up next weekend also, so I prob wont bother viewing it.

If you are going to play hardball, you have to be more prepared to walk away. If they want more money, you can tell them till you are blue in the face about how quickly you can move. The time to get it for £155,000 has passed for the time being - you might have done it when they said £160,000 and their thinking on going down was fluid. But now, their resolve is set.