Estate Agents - advice please

Milliewilly

The Agent is only available to sell the house half the time the OP agreed the fee for him to do.

The biggest irony is the boom in income EA's have had over the last few years based on percentage of house sale value as a comission (rocketed)coupled with the increased transactions (rocketed) over the same period.

Now transactions are lean the EA in this example is reducing their hours. No sympathy - they should have planned for the lean times with some of the huge profits that they made over the last few years.

All the arguements about the internet etc - why havent the EA's reduced their fees in line then with the fact the internet does their selling with very little input from them other than uploading the details initially - the cost of printing / rent / electricity / advertising / staff wages / associated business running costs have not increased in line with house prices so the EA's margins have never been greater.

Grovester_2

I disagree, the interent doesn't do most of the work at all.

Also costs have gone up, especially when you consider the service EA's now offer. When I first sold the hours were 9-5 Mon Fri. 10-4 Sat and some also had 11-2 Sun. But in reality, whilst the office was open it was more for passing trade then doing viewings. Now though, well our agent is open 9-6 Mon - Fri, plus to 8pm a couple of evenings 9-6 Sat and 10-4 Sunday. This includes the office being open as well as them doing viewings. So extra hours, extra staff, with offices open longer that means more energy consumption etc.

Given the original point on this thread is the OP wanted an agent with a high street presence and decent opening hours suggest people want an agent to have a presence locally which is expensive.

Also you could argue, computers have made life easier for EA's so they should charge a smaller %age as before computers everyting took longer. Simple fact is the internet is a tool EA's can use.

I'd love it if my EA lowered their fee, but, somehow I think me stating the tools they use to sell my house as an arguement to lower the price somewhat contradictory.

jassco

squaredoggy1 wrote: »

Thanks to those who are being helpful. As a new member, I asked for advice, not criticism, I could have bored you with the whole sorry saga, but I chose not to.

People gave you advice, and because it's not what you exactly wanted to hear you call it 'criticism'? I think you need to be a bit more polite to people that are trying to advise you on the situation if you actually expect any help.

clockworks_2

I couldn't spot any criticism, simply questioning what the fee was?
You seem to have your back up for no reason.

squaredoggy1

Clockworks - I wasn't referring to you.

I suggest, however, that before some of you say that I've got my 'back up' etc, that you read the posts from Googler and Grovester regarding my 'criticism' comment. I am a newbie and was asking for help, some of the way they phrased their answers weren't exactly helpful. I'm a member of other forums and we try to be 'friendly' and 'gentle' with new users, as until they are regular members of the forum and get used to our little ways, it can cause misunderstandings, not sure if that's the case here but ....

Anyway, I've managed to get my agent to agree to cut his fee to 50% which is better than I had hoped for.

Thanks to those who were helpful!

Regards

googler

'fraid I think you're being overly sensitive....

mazinmouse

I don't agree the OP was being overly sensitive and if the opening hours are important to the OP then who are we to take him to task for caring about that aspect? Each to their own and, as they said, they were looking for advice not a critical tone!

Milliewilly

Grovester wrote: »

I disagree, the interent doesn't do most of the work at all.

Also costs have gone up, especially when you consider the service EA's now offer. When I first sold the hours were 9-5 Mon Fri. 10-4 Sat and some also had 11-2 Sun. But in reality, whilst the office was open it was more for passing trade then doing viewings. Now though, well our agent is open 9-6 Mon - Fri, plus to 8pm a couple of evenings 9-6 Sat and 10-4 Sunday. This includes the office being open as well as them doing viewings. So extra hours, extra staff, with offices open longer that means more energy consumption etc.

Given the original point on this thread is the OP wanted an agent with a high street presence and decent opening hours suggest people want an agent to have a presence locally which is expensive.

Well thats what the OP signed up for so why not expect it?

Also you could argue, computers have made life easier for EA's so they should charge a smaller %age as before computers everyting took longer. Simple fact is the internet is a tool EA's can use.

I'd love it if my EA lowered their fee, but, somehow I think me stating the tools they use to sell my house as an arguement to lower the price somewhat contradictory.

Who is this 'Super Agent of which you speak - 2 late evenings a week and Sundays nearly all day!!! Even in the 2004 / 2007 peak the only agents open in Sheffield on a saturday and sunday (not exactly a small place) were the city centre branches and then only till 12pm. All the accompanied viewings I have ever done have been by retired people and have had to be during office hours to suit the EA!!

Energy costs may have increased but nothing like in line with the house price increases of which they take a percentage cut plus the bonus of increased transactions on top at the peak. Printing costs however have plunged with the advent of in house photo printers and the internet.