No Estate Agents are open!

mb73

carolinosourus wrote: »

Foxtons in Chiswick are open today! Though I think it depends very much on where you are in the country, big chains will most likely be open (in London anyway) but smaller, local business will probably be shut, remember that when you're on a break from work ie national holiday, most other people will be too.

mb73: I'm only 23 but grew up in a small village where everything would close early on a Wednesday afternoon

Lol - how on earth did you cope

I used to work in a local small stressco and we opened 9 til 8 on Boxing Day - still people used to complain because we were closing early, despite having had 11 hours to shop on a day where most people are not working.

I also used to work at an out of hours surgery and once we had a lady demanding a home visist because she wanted to go on a family walk on Christmas Day, and didn't want to waste her time coming to the surgery. I don't think she could have been that ill really..........:rolleyes:

Running_Horse

Hey, I'm working today! Which is why I have time for the Internet.

James_N

To all those who don't like the idea that it's perfectly reasonable to want to actually SEE a house as a family (this means weekends, or an evening) and that it is a GOOD IDEA for a business serving such a market to be available when your customers are around ...

And to those who feel that it's not reasonable for vendors to maybe be willing to put themselves out a bit when someone is offering to buy your home ...

Move on. We left the 9-5 Monday to Friday, half day Wednesday and Saturday culture some years ago. And yes, I do serve my "customers" at anti-social times when necessary.

Phew!

tek-monkey

I'm sorry, are you honestly telling me that no EA in your area allows evening viewings? Where are you? Even if the EA can't be present I've had viewings with vendors themselves, its not that hard. I've also viewed on a Sunday afternoon, but TBH you have to allow the vendors to have a life as well.

As for them being open more hours, that means more money to pay staff so more in fees. If it was worth their while I'm sure they'd do it, as EAs generally are a pretty greedy bunch.


EDIT: Forgot to say, I am also working today but from home. I shall get paid no more for it, its just that I have a deadline to meet. This is entirely at my own discretion though, if my employer told me I had to work bank holidays I'd insist on a decent pay increase to cover it - probably triple time minimum.

carolinosourus

We've had viewings on Saturdays, Sundays, at 8pm in the evening, I'm sure most EAs actually sleep at their offices!

mb73: It's not a bad thing, it reminds me of a simpler, nicer time when people would stop and talk to one another in the street and there would be a bakery, butchers, hardware store (who would actually be able to fix your 15 year-old telly and hoover) and a post office where people would smile at you... Ah, it makes me quite sad to see what we're becoming!

princessamy86

I'm an EA and we're open! None of the others round here are though. Would have been nice to have the day off but I got a sale this morning so happy days for me!

mb73

carolinosourus wrote: »

mb73: It's not a bad thing, it reminds me of a simpler, nicer time when people would stop and talk to one another in the street and there would be a bakery, butchers, hardware store (who would actually be able to fix your 15 year-old telly and hoover) and a post office where people would smile at you... Ah, it makes me quite sad to see what we're becoming!

Indeed - scary isn't it? :eek:

OP - It should be quite clear to you that I have worked plenty of unsocial hours myself, but remember those people whose houses you want to view may be away for the BH themselves, or perhaps they want some time with their families.

I still think it would be a much nicer country if people weren't so impatient and selfish, and didn't expect everyone else to be available at their convenience 24 hours a day including *public* holidays.

iscrimger

islandman wrote: »

Bank closed = bank holiday.

Ref estate agents being closed. Use this to your advantage. No doubt you will have seen so many estate agents with 0845 type numbers. So make a list of all those you intend using and use the saynoto0845 website to find their regional numbers so that tomorrow, even if you have to hold on, you are using your free minutes or whatever you do.

If you can't find their names via saynoto0845, then google estate agents in.......whatever town and scroll through their adverts, that way you can often find their regional numbers.

While you may be able to bank online you won't actually be carrying out any banking until tomorrow - which is when the actual work behind what you do is done. Kind of like banking at the weekend!

Oh yes I am also annoyed estate agents aren't open today!

mb73

Is it not possible to arrange viewings in advance by appointment? Then you could see a house whenever it's convenient to you and the vendor. Don't need the actual estate agent for that surely?

carolinosourus

mb73 wrote: »

OP - It should be quite clear to you that I have worked plenty of unsocial hours myself, but remember those people whose houses you want to view may be away for the BH themselves, or perhaps they want some time with their families.

I agree with this, we're in a rented flat at the moment and our tenancy is coming to an end. We've had people round on Saturday and Sunday (excuse me for wanting to sit around in my underwear ) and we once came back from Sainsbo during the week having lugged 5 heavy heavy-duty bags home after having been at work all day to be met outside our flat by some guy from the agents who wanted to come and show our flat to some people who had been to see one nearby but wanted to compare. I refused to let them in! Though he was looking through our windows when we walked up and I have a feeling that if we hadn't come up at that moment we could very well have walked in to find them in the flat :eek: (it's in our contract that we get at least 24 hours notice if they want access) I'd had a long day at work and had shopping that I wanted to put away! So I've started putting the chain on if I'm in so they can't just barge straight in...