National / Chain Estate Agents

timmyt

BE CAREFUL all forum readers....I HEAR they do not advertise nationally or in any of their national offices. they contract you in to minimum period agreements meaning you are stuck with them, they can hold your passports under pre-text of doing id (but it means you wont back out with them) , they get you to pay a registration fee (never pay an agent upfront), they cover the HIP charge but if you back out, you pay an inflated charge to reimburse and you cannot take the HIP with you!

IF YOU FIND THIS....AVOID...spread the word......and always think local independent, they have local contacts and great waiting lists.

Hopejack

I've never heard of an EA holding on to a passport - most just want to see ID and leave it at that???

Also, I recently dealt with 4 EAs - two local independents and two nationals and I didn't find the experience you describe. In fact one of the nationals was by far the more professional in my opinion.

googler

So all this is hearsay, and you can't provide any firm evidence of it...?

timmyt

these are all experiences of clients. just watch out for the tactics, not all will happen at once, obviously.

Horse to water - now up to you to drink.

googler

timmyt wrote: »

these are all experiences of clients. just watch out for the tactics, not all will happen at once, obviously.

Horse to water - now up to you to drink.

How many clients?

When did these 'incidents' happen? Recently?

G_M

What clients? Your clients? Are you an agent? What is your beef here because these are bizaar claims.

As I said in response to your other identical post (Please stop spamming):

Passport - !! never heard such tosh! May happen once in a blue moon. Just as likely from a local as a national.

Minimum periods - ALL agents, national or local, use these on sole agency agreements. The period of course varies and is negotiable.

HIP - again, local agents do this too. So yes, important to read the T&Cs. Nothing to do with national chains.

OP isn't a (semi-literate) local agent by any chance....??!!

Or a "property expert". (UK one if you know what I mean)!

timmyt

Just be careful of the tactics, and more are:

1. referring you to more expensive solicitors , often up north, who pay them huge referral fees and the law firms are not good (I am being polite)
2. suggesting that your offer will not be accepted unless you use their 'expensive referral fee paying' solicitors

Local estate agents by definition have a crucial reputation to keep, they only have one office and that is it if they mess up.

Next time you need to sell your house, or when you recommend an agent, just check what they do.

I hear so many complaints about nationals, though there are some of course with independents true.

princessamy86

Timmy, I don't care what your beef is with national agents. However, please remember that "up north" is LOCAL for many users of this site. It is completely irrelevant for you to say that them being "up north" is a problem.

timmyt

herm...that is a tough one. No names and all that. Large outfits then....where you don't get a solicitor from start to finish.

I won't use a national without first checking the tactics, just annoyed when clients report back what has happened, as we must all agree such tactics are bad!

Anyway, I hope I do not read when posters get caught as I have warned.

Fire_Fox

Award for the most pointless thread of the day: not quite interesting enough for most pointless thread of the week.

G_M

Fire_Fox wrote: »

Award for the most pointless thread of the day: not quite interesting enough for most pointless thread of the week.

:rotfl::rotfl:

Now let's stop feeding the troll....