Estate agent here, please feel free to ask me anything. Im happy to help :)

pastmybest

princessamy86 wrote: »

Wow, away for a couple of days, check back to this thread, seriously degenerated! As usual, I'm still happy to help with serious questions, think people could have been nicer to leanne as it's clear she was only trying to help. I did wonder when I saw the thread title, how long it would be before the EA bashing reared it's ugly head, and here's the proof.

You should read previous posts by the OP to see she does not really have the experience she may like others to believe?

redrosegirlie

princessamy86 and leanneslow,

getting back to the original post,

why do some sold houses on rightmove have 'under offer' and some 'sold STC' ?

thanks

rocketchimp9

redrosegirlie wrote: »

princessamy86 and leanneslow,

getting back to the original post,

why do some sold houses on rightmove have 'under offer' and some 'sold STC' ?

thanks

I wondered about this aswell ours went to under offer but the offer was accepted? (I then asked them to take it down from rightmove and they did)

myothercarisaferrari

what happens if a potential tenant for a property has a diabolical credit check? (we're talking CCJS and defaults here) but has a guarantor?

princessamy86

Under Offer is added when an offer is accepted, we call this a B sale. Once the survey has been done and the mortgage offer has been issued, it becomes an A sale and SSTC.

With regards to credit checks, if you notify the agent that you will not pass the checks, but you have a guarantor, they will normally allow a guarantor. However, it does come down to the individual landlord and what they will accept, as (in our agency) the final decision is always down to the landlord.

[Deleted User]

I have a question for you leaneslow (if you're still willing after all the abuse)....

We're about to put our house on the market. We've already bought a new home and paid cash so we're very flexible about when we sell the old one.

My solicitor advised that I wait until February or mid January at the earliest. She said that the market is traditionally slow (in Scotland at least) at this time of the year and we're unlikely to get much interest until things pick up in spring. Someone offered similar advice on this forum saying that our property is likely to be seen as 'stale' by the time the market picks up.

We had an estate agent out yesterday and he disagreed with this. He suggested that we get our house on the market ASAP - even if that's December! His reasoning is that in the current climate people are selling first and then looking to buy. A lot of people have managed to sell recently and they need new homes fast. They don't have the luxury of waiting until spring.

What's your take on this?

princessamy86

I think the EA is probably desperate for business in the VERY QUIET run up to Christmas. Your solicitor is spot on (although I am in England), if you really don't need to sell then hang on as long as you can to get close to the "spring bounce" just after Easter.

Traditionally there's a surge in activity at that time of year, just as this time of year is one of the quietest. It does depend on individual areas though, is yours the type of property that rarely comes on the market? Is your area particularly desirable? If you can tick both of those boxes then it might be worth considering, have you noticed an increase in sold boards/are not many houses coming on the market in your area?

googler

Deleted_User wrote: »

My solicitor advised that I wait until February or mid January at the earliest. She said that the market is traditionally slow (in Scotland at least) at this time of the year and we're unlikely to get much interest until things pick up in spring. Someone offered similar advice on this forum saying that our property is likely to be seen as 'stale' by the time the market picks up.

Does your solicitor REALLY think that the current market situation truly reflects or equates with a 'traditional' market.....?

I'd suggest a lot of these 'rules' should go out of the window at the moment.....

[Deleted User]

Thanks Princessamy86.

It's an area that in normal times property sells within the week (that's how it seems - for sale boards don't linger)!

It's a desireable area with lots of little estates of new detached houses built over the past 12 years or so. All sell well, but my little estate has always been the most desireable and most expensive. I have a three bedroomed detached. Mostly it's huge 4 and 5 bedrooms in the small cul-de-sac. Very safe for kids and very nice neighbours.

A 4 bedroomed has just sold in my estate. Nothing else up for sale. There are only 5 houses of my type and only one has ever sold in the past 10 years.

A handful of other 3 bedroomed detached are up for sale in the area but the houses aren't quite as nice and although they're only two minutes walk from me the location isn't nearly as desireable. My house will probably be valued about 20k higher, but if they could, people would I think pay the extra 20k for the location.

So I think if there's someone that's just sold and is looking to buy a 3 bedroomed detached in the area then mine would be high on their list.

If I wait until spring when lots of people put there houses on the market I might have more competition but just as few potential buyers?

If you had just sold your house with a view to buying somewhere else as soon as the sale is finalised then would you stop looking just because it was Christmas? I wouldn't.

I am a little bit convinced by the EA's arguments.

Lets assume that I put it on the market at the beginning of December. If I get an offer at valuation price then that's great. If I don't then I don't need to sell until things pick up. Is it really such a big deal if your house sits on the market for a couple of months without much interest?

PasseySam

Hi Leanneslow

thanks so much for your offer of help to the forum, it's great to get advice from people in the know.

My query is that if we have negotiated the EA fees for the sale of our property (as recommended elsewhere on the MSE forum) will the EA put less effort into selling our property as they get less from the sale than other properties on their books where the vendor will be paying a higher % fee?

Thanks