Nasty Estate Agent Man

chickmug

kerryhoney wrote: »

I can't believe that people get a £10, or some nominal amount just for a bum on seat, guess that's the nasty world of buying houses though?!

It's the way of the world and not just in EA's. It can happen in any, and every, business! So watch ouit the greedy b's are about!

bubblesmoney

Ian_Griffiths_Halifax wrote: »

I came across an EA who's front line receptionist and sales negotiators got £25 for each buyer who sat in front of the Mortgage Adviser. That's why a lot of them say you have to see them to establish your financial position.

Strapped wrote:

I've worked weekends in an EA. We got £10 for each "bum on seat" in front of the mortgage advisor. Didn't matter to us whether they really needed to see him. (Oh the shame, but it could basically double your wages).

if EAs get 10-25£ for refferals, how much more do they get if the referrals lead to succesful mortgage applications via their advisor. probably a lot more i guess.

i wouldnt mind any incentive given for successful applications via their advisors but i would mind incentives given to them for needlessly making me run after their advisor when i am not interested in their products even if they find me a better deal

curiously when i refused to meet their advisor i was told the offer couldnt be considered unless 'their' advisor told i could afford the mortgage. so i said ok but when the advisor called me to fix the appointment i told him i wasnt interested in his products or financial advice but was seeing him purely because the EA was insisting on it. i also told i wouldnt be giving copies of any investment paperwork and would only be willing to give a mortgage agreement in principle. the advisor said ok but that they could get me better deals for mortgages but i told him the rate i was getting and he kept quiet. next thing i know i get a call from EA telling me my offer was rejected even before i saw their advisor!!! i said thanks for informing me and that i wouldnt increase my offer even if could afford a higher price and if they got back to me i would consider if i wasnt interested in another property in the meantime. and they did get back after a few days and accepted my offer without insisting on seeing their advisor but still wanted proof of affordability as in copies of my savings statements even though they had physically seen the same original documents.

sometimes some EAs can be a bit difficult to say the least. if that happens bypass them totally and contact vendor or vendors solicitor directly if u know their details. in my case the arsy EA put me off and i abandoned the deal but then then vendors solicitor contacted my solicitor as to what was happening and thats when things got moving as they immediately complied with my conditions (in 2 hours) when the EA was hopelessly wasting 3 weeks of my time regarding the same conditions. looks like the EA was feeding both me and vendor different stories atleast from what my solicitor gathered from vendors solicitor. afterwards i told EA to discuss anything with my solicitor. i wasnt bothered after that by them, but my solicitor told me today they kept ringing him many times even though my mortgage application went through in a little more than a week. my solicitor has been great though and handled everything efficiently plus has told me wont charge anything extra for any of the extra work acting as a go between me and EA/vendor for many of my queries/requirements!!!

wish i could sell the same house via the same solicitors firm rather than an EA when i come to selling years down the line. has anyone used a solicitors firm for selling houses instead of an EA. can one advertise on rightmove even if selling privately??? i wouldnt mind the hassles of viewings etc and would leave the checking affordability bit to solicitor or ask buyers to get their solicitor/mortgage advisor to confirm affordability to my solicitor. i wouldnt mind paying a bit more for someones services if they didnt irritate me and did a good job

Ian_Griffiths_Halifax

If you were buying a car through your local papers classified ads, would you expect a phone call from the paper asking you to provide proof of car insurance and finance? I don't think so!

EAs ask far too many personal questions when they are working on behalf of the seller, not the buyer, and I wouldn't entertain any of their probing questions. They are simply an advertising medium at the end of the day.

RHemmings

kerryhoney wrote: »

I can't believe that people get a £10, or some nominal amount just for a bum on seat, guess that's the nasty world of buying houses though?!

If that's the case , then if I get pressure, I'll ask the EA to give me £5 to go speak to their Mortgage advisor.

Strapped

bubblesmoney wrote: »

if EAs get 10-25£ for refferals, how much more do they get if the referrals lead to succesful mortgage applications via their advisor. probably a lot more i guess.

I worked for an independent, and as an individual you only ever saw the £10 - anything subsequently received for a successful application went to the business (owner). I know it was a not insignificant sum although I'm sure any mortgage advisors here would have a better idea of how much.

In my last couple of months of working there, the in-house advisor left, and we started to refer people across the road to a stand-alone firm of advisors instead. We only got paid for successful applicants (a bigger amount), which seemed a better system tbh although it didn't suit the business owner of course.

ETA: I will just say, in the in-house advisor's defence, that he was whole-of-market and I do believe that he tried his best for his clients.

Strapped

RHemmings wrote: »

If that's the case , then if I get pressure, I'll ask the EA to give me £5 to go speak to their Mortgage advisor.

Is an hour of your time only worth £5?

(If so, I would've quite happily done business with you )

jaype

This reminds me of a cartoon I saw in Private eye years ago called "life before estate agents".

Man: "Can I buy your house?"

House owner: "Yes"

If only it was that simple... much less stress!