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

C_Mababejive

Not meant personally toward the OP but i think many people,including myself,have a very low opinion of estate agents.

They share responsibility for the state of the UK housing market.

My personal feeling is that i'd rather not deal with them. I dont trust them. Their prime responsibility is toward themselves and cutting themselves the best deal. I'd rather have a UK housing market which was centred around self trade in which owners advertised and marketed their own properties and used a solicitor as an intermediary to deal with the legalities.

Any dealings i have had with EAs have always left me with a bad feeling. They tend to be prim,pretending to be professional but instead are knifing you in the back.

Also ,as someone else said,they take rubbish pictures..!

I once supplied my own very nice pics to an EA and they refused to publish them on the website ,preferring their own rubbish ones which looked like they had been taken with a disposable camera.

Yes..self trade is the future for UK house sales..

princessamy86

david29dpo wrote: »

What qualifications do agents have?

I'm in my final year of property management and investment, which is RICS accredited and I am going to work towards getting my MRICS when I finish next year.

leanneslow

C_Mababejive wrote: »

Not meant personally toward the OP but i think many people,including myself,have a very low opinion of estate agents.

They share responsibility for the state of the UK housing market.

My personal feeling is that i'd rather not deal with them. I dont trust them. Their prime responsibility is toward themselves and cutting themselves the best deal. I'd rather have a UK housing market which was centred around self trade in which owners advertised and marketed their own properties and used a solicitor as an intermediary to deal with the legalities.

Any dealings i have had with EAs have always left me with a bad feeling. They tend to be prim,pretending to be professional but instead are knifing you in the back.

Also ,as someone else said,they take rubbish pictures..!

I once supplied my own very nice pics to an EA and they refused to publish them on the website ,preferring their own rubbish ones which looked like they had been taken with a disposable camera.

Yes..self trade is the future for UK house sales..

Thank you for the stereotype. As I have said before, we advise and dont say 'you must and will sell your house for more than it is worth'. You are one of many people that believe this stereotype and yes, some do fit, but many dont- i for one dont!

Just an example to you;we had a 3 bedroom house around the time for the crash, the other ones in the street had always sold for around 170k. This particular vendor was adament it was worth more. We declined and didnt take the house on- another agent did though and to my knowledge it still hasnt sold- just too much! People always want a bargain and whether an agent is involved or not, you will struggle to get top price as everyone likes a 'bargain'!!!

I like to think of myself as a bit of a mediator as alsorts of problems can arise through dealing direct with someone.

It is entirely up to you, but then I think i may be fair to say you are one of the dreaded vendors or purchasers we all love to hate.

adg1

leanneslow wrote: »

They should really. If a formal offer has bene made then yes they should.

It is a legal requirement to provide written proof of an offer within 24 hours of the offer being placed.

theartfullodger

Re..

What qualifications do agents have?

- 1. Specifically, what qualifications do letting agents have to have?
- - - is it true they need none??
- 2. Specifically, what professional bodies does a letting agent have to belong to??
- - - is it true they need join none??
- 3. Specifically, does a CRB check have to be run before a letting agent starts working/continues to operate?
- - - is it true they need no CRB check??
- 4. What is to stop an undischarged bankrupt working as a letting agent?
- - - Is it true nothing, as long as someone else runs the accounts??
- 5. Does being a letting agents require any form of regulation, either by local authority, government or professional body??
- - - is it true no regulation or code-of-conduct is required??

Kindly advise which answer applies in each of Engerland, Wales, NI & Scotland.

Cheers!

Lodger

googler

Not meant personally toward the OP but i think many people,including myself,have a very low opinion of estate agents.

You 'think' this, but do you have any facts to support it?

They share responsibility for the state of the UK housing market.

I think the state of the housing market is a result of the state of the financial markets, more than any influence by EAs ....

Their prime responsibility is toward themselves and cutting themselves the best deal.

What's your line of work, and what's your prime responsibility? Paying your rent/mortgage? Putting food on the table? Buying clothes for the children?

Would you give your services to your employer for no reward, or do you expect to be paid for everything you do?

I'm sure you'll want to maximise your income, same as anyone else in the country. Why should EAs be any different from you? Do you think their income should be restricted? If so, why?

princessamy86

Lodger, I think you know the answers to those questions already

chewmylegoff

princessamy86 wrote: »

Lodger, I think you know the answers to those questions already

do you think that estate agents should be required to have a professional qualification / registration with a regulating body?

princessamy86

I think they should need to be registered with some form of body, whether it be the NAEA, the ombudsman, whoever. Sorry, not sure if they count as professional bodies? I think if all agents were required to have, say, RICS qualifications then it would change the type of service immensely. It would no longer be an agent, with all the selling/customer service experience, but a surveyor who was selling your house. Not sure if that would be a good or bad thing really, would people not still be inclined to disbelieve valuations? I definitely think letting agents should be registered, the potential for disaster is so big if they don't have certain procedures in place. I think there should be some form of regulatory body (which isn't ARLA, who I don't think have the tenants interests in mind), whereby all landlords and agents would need to be registered.

Enemies.Closer

leanneslow or princessamy86

Where are you based? Would you know much about the Northern ireland Market?