Getting out of a contract with estate agent?

SuprNoodles

My house has been on the market for just over four weeks with an estate agent. They've not really pulled their weight, and I'm not happy at all with their service.

Re-reading over the contract I noticed there was actually quite a big mistake on it. Something that you wouldn't expect them to get wrong, that I myself never noticed it when first reading it.

There are two boxes for address details on the contract. In the first box they have put the house I'm selling. The second box is labelled 'Address of property being sold (if different to above)'. In this box, they have put my cousins address (where I am currently staying), not the house that I'm actually selling. They've mixed the addresses up and should have filled them in the other way around.

So the contract is basically stating I'm selling my cousins house.

Does this make the contract void? It's the only contract I've signed, and it's incorrect. The agent filled out the address details.

G_M

Does this make the contract void?

I doubt it. The intention of the contract is clear. I assume they have not been actually marketing your cousins house (or is that why you've had so few viewings!!?)?

What are the terms of the contract ref termination? Are you in a sole agency agreement? How long? Notice period?

new_home_owner_3

SuprNoodles wrote: »

My house has been on the market for just over four weeks with an estate agent. They've not really pulled their weight, and I'm not happy at all with their service.

Re-reading over the contract I noticed there was actually quite a big mistake on it. Something that you wouldn't expect them to get wrong, that I myself never noticed it when first reading it.

There are two boxes for address details on the contract. In the first box they have put the house I'm selling. The second box is labelled 'Address of property being sold (if different to above)'. In this box, they have put my cousins address (where I am currently staying), not the house that I'm actually selling. They've mixed the addresses up and should have filled them in the other way around.

So the contract is basically stating I'm selling my cousins house.

Does this make the contract void? It's the only contract I've signed, and it's incorrect. The agent filled out the address details.

selling a house is like watching paint dry, have a bit of patience, 5 weeks is nothing, wait until you get to 6 months..

SuprNoodles

No they have been marketing the correct address.

Contract is sole agency, 8 weeks, 14 days written notice.

ILW

Would be interesting if they actually sold your cousins house by mistake.

mandi

Supernoodles ,

You started marketing your property in January , It's still very early. What aspects are you unhappy with ? Have you discussed them with the agent ?.

new_home_owner_3

Things have definately picked up since last year, but some people expect to put their houses on the market and then find a buyer in a couple of weeks in reality that just isnt going to happen in todays market.

Id leave it 8 weeks and then leave if your still not happy, personally i would use housesimple or housenentwork and not even bother with a estate agent, i think they are overpaid and to find a good one is like finding rocking horse !!!!!!.

we was on the market for 2 years we had people mess us around with viewings and a lot never even bothered turning up, and we dropped the price of the house 40,000 pounds, in the end we decided to rent it out, and touch wood everything is going very well.

we used 4 local estate agents and all of them were not very good infact i got more viewings when i went with housesimple than any other agent, and when i instructed them i had decided to rent it out and had got everything in place to become a landlord.

I wont be looking to sell for at least 4 years now until my current mortgage deal finishes, but when i do ill deifinately be going back to housesimple.

G_M

Put your notice in 14 days before the 8 weeks is up if it's not sold.

Meanwhile, check it's 'sole agency' and not 'sole selling' agreement and if so try advertising it yourself as newhomeowner suggests.