What do you do when your estate agent is rubbish?

chickmug

poppysarah wrote: »

If you're really cheesed off with him, then look in the agreement and give him notice to quit. Get a new one. Vet them better

It seems to me that most of the folks that need to use an agent just do not realise that they have to take so much time and effort to vet them. They think all agents are similar to each other and usually settle on the cheapest fee, the most optimistic opinion of early sale and hope the agent with these two boxes ticked is pleasant.

They get the shock/s in due course when the agent proves slow, sloppy and ineffective by which time too late a long wait in a sole agency agreement.

poppysarah

Chickmug: do you have some vetting tips for people?

I think you should ring them - see how efficient they are at dealing with you as a buyer first - and ask for people's opinions on the ones they've used.

chickmug

poppysarah wrote: »

Chickmug: do you have some vetting tips for people?

I think you should ring them - see how efficient they are at dealing with you as a buyer first - and ask for people's opinions on the ones they've used.

Last year one of my friends said how would you vet an agent. He was too far away for me to help him sell. So I did compile a check list that was very comprehensive and he said he wasn't sure if any agent would answer the questions. I said I would happily do so as an agent given the chance to act for a new client and suggested he give it a try. At the point of doing this he was offered more salary and decided not to move so he didn't try it!!!

I will try to see if I can find the list but will need to really dig.

Interesting that one new client want me to sign THEIR agreement as well as being expected to sign the agency one. A first ever for me after a long career in the business. So perhaps their should be 'two way agreements' and that will catch the dodgy slimy EA's out:D

VfM4meplse

These days agents can sign up to be regulated by the financial ombudsmen - pick an agent that has.

MissMotivation

chickmug wrote: »

Last year one of my friends said how would you vet an agent. He was too far away for me to help him sell. So I did compile a check list that was very comprehensive and he said he wasn't sure if any agent would answer the questions. I said I would happily do so as an agent given the chance to act for a new client and suggested he give it a try. At the point of doing this he was offered more salary and decided not to move so he didn't try it!!!

I will try to see if I can find the list but will need to really dig.

Interesting that one new client want me to sign THEIR agreement as well as being expected to sign the agency one. A first ever for me after a long career in the business. So perhaps their should be 'two way agreements' and that will catch the dodgy slimy EA's out:D

How bizarre, I was only thinking the other day about preparing a checklist to post on here. I know, for me, that I welcome potential vendors that take the time to ask intelligent questions about our service etc.

The two-way agreement is an interesting prospect

chickmug

MissMotivation wrote: »

How bizarre, I was only thinking the other day about preparing a checklist to post on here. I know, for me, that I welcome potential vendors that take the time to ask intelligent questions about our service etc.

The two-way agreement is an interesting prospect

Carefull now -- an EA trying to help:D

MissMotivation

chickmug wrote: »

Carefull now -- an EA trying to help:D

Quite! What is the world coming to? I blame the credit crunch

DoWhatULove-LoveWhatUDo

What a complete and utter moron the Red Homes Estate Agent must be. In the Times today it said that the average agent is only selling 3 homes a month at the moment and yet this one isn't even doing the bare minimum to try to sell your parent's property.

I believe that correctly posting the photographs within minutes after your father instructed him to tear up the sole agency agreement is very telling. It tells me that he could have done the same thing at any time prior to this event, but simply couldn't be bothered to do so. What a rude and insulting attitude.

What would happen if your parents did sell the house via the sign in their window to someone driving past? Would they still have to pay this lazy and ignorant Estate Agent a commission?

angelavdavis

DoWhatULove-LoveWhatUDo wrote: »

What would happen if your parents did sell the house via the sign in their window to someone driving past? Would they still have to pay this lazy and ignorant Estate Agent a commission?

The EA would claim it was down to their marketing and tell OPs parents to cough up!

That is why you put everything in writing when you are unhappy with an EA's service - so you can produce this evidence in court when they try it on and you refuse to pay them!!!

chickmug

angelavdavis wrote: »

That is why you put everything in writing when you are unhappy with an EA's service - so you can produce this evidence in court when they try it on and you refuse to pay them!!!

Too true as the EA will also have every last detail in writing so they can use it in court if it gets that far.