Estate Agent Wont Return My Calls! Help!

kerlysue2

Hi all,

I put my flat on the market 2 weeks ago. My husband met with the EA, said he really liked him and we were happy with valuation so I emailed to say we wanted to sign the contract but not at 2% rate written on the contract. I managed to negotiate down to 1% but EA said ' we dont normally ever agree to such a low rate, however we already have interest in your property and think it will be a quick sale'. I promptly sent off the contract. The next day (saturday) we got a call to say someone wanted to view, however flat was a mess and I was about to go out so didnt want anyone round and said could they come during the week instead, ie Tuesday or Weds or following saturday (monday was a bank hol). Since then I have heard NOTHING. I tried phoning last Thursday and EA said my person was in the office and asked who I was. When I told him he said 'hang on a minute' and then came back and said me my EA was on the other line and would call me back but he never called. I tried again 2 days later and was told he was out and would call me back when in the office, still nothing!

My question is have I annoyed them by going too low on the rate and also how do I go about contacting them? When I first emailed (before signing contract) I got responses within a few hours but I emailed last week and again, nothing! What should I do - i feel like they are punishing me by not contacting me and the people he said were interested have not materialised so we have not even had one viewing!

Am I just being completely paranoid and impatient and leave it be, or should I go to the EA office and try and speak to them in person?
Sorry for this post but I am going crazy cleaning my flat every day so its spotless and then not getting any viewings!

Many thanks for any advice offered!

azkaban420

They shouldn't be ignoring you or your calls, even if the negotiated rate was lower than they usually take - they accepted the deal, and therefore agreed to offer you the services at that rate.

Go pay them a visit - will be difficult to fob you off when you're sitting in front of them!

Az

princeofpounds

If you are phoning them every day it's probably too much.

If you are getting this treatment and phoning once a fortnight then it's not good service.

If you aren't happy, take a look at your contract and give notice to pull out if you want.

Frankly after 2 weeks you seem a little high strung. If you aren't in a rush, let it go for a fortnight, and if there has been no communication then you can see they aren't doing much of a job for you and consider leaving.

They are incentivised to sell your house, not to ignore you, so the likelihood is that if there is someone interested they will be in touch.

goldbyron

Go into the office with a big smile and ask them directly!

Gwhiz

I'd suggest they got annoyed with you not allowing a viewing rather than the rate.

kerlysue2

Thanks everyone for your responses. After reading your replies, I think I need to give EA a chance and wont call/email again for a few weeks and then if I still havent heard anything, I will pop in to their office for a friendly chat!

muskoka

Just make sure you got that rate of 1% confirmed in writing! I've never paid over 1% as a matter of interest.

And no doubt the agent will be in touch when he has someone to view. He wants his commission after all.

Evilm

Its possible that the agent isn't forceably ignoring you. Having worked in offices like this I can say the following:

-sometimes you can't see if a person is holding a phone already or a call can come through just as you were getting details to transfer a person.
- messages to call people back often get lost without any malice or lazyness involved
-emails can be forgotten about even if they intended to reply later but got an urgent call etc.

i would not worry too much but if you keep feeling like you get the cold shoulder then just "drop into" the office when you go shopping or whatever and see how you feel after that.

Fire_Fox

Perhaps they think you are going to be an awkward customer, they were willing to accept 1% on the understanding it would be a quick sale and you refused the first viewing! As soon as you instruct an estate agent you have to keep your property in a state that means you can tidy up in half an hour, it's a pain but otherwise buyers go elsewhere.

kerlysue2

update:

Hi all,

Thought you might be interested to know that I have now heard back from my EA - he said they have been snowed under with sales but then said we have had no interest as it is quiet due to people being busy watching the world cup (contradicting themselves slightly me thinks!!)

Also, I was informed that person who wanted to view my property and we didnt allow to view as werent at home has now bought somewhere for same price, a few streets away which was not as nice as ours apparently so is this a subtle way of getting at us for not permitting the viewing!! I am starting to remember why I dont like EA's!! Thanks to everyone for all your previous comments x

Paul_the_Painter

Translations -

Snowed under with sales =

Sorting out all the stuff we thought we had tied up last week/month

No interest due to World Cup =

Could be true(ish) = I work in a different sort of business - was absolutly dead this week, but had my best week for business done in months. Last week was manic and I wrote no new business.

---

They thought you were serious about selling your place, made a calls, got a viewing lined up, were trying to turn round their 1% in a short timescale. You then turn out to be a bit of a timewaster. I know it's harsh to say that, but what they want is "easy" business. They want to get a buyer ready to go, line up 3 viewings for them, and have the buyer pick one and make an offer. You have been transformed into someone they need to give plenty of notice to - good grief you wanted 3 or 4 days before someone could come round!

You are selling the most valuable thing you own, not inviting some friends round for tea.

Get it tidy and ready for viewings at any time, either give the agent a key, or be ready to go home at a moments notice, or even have a friend/neighbour/relative ready to go round.

You said you were going out - was it more important than selling your flat? Honestly?

I'd phone the agent, have a heart to heart, tell them that there were a few things you needed to sort out before viewings, but that they are now done, tell him that if they phone they can be there on 30 mins notice - 7 days a week.

Remember that a lot of viewings take place at the weekend.

You might find yourself magically transformed into the "commited seller" catagory.

You will/may get some timewaster viewings, that is the buyer wants a 2 bed house/flat, the agent has a house he wants to sell them that's perfect, but he needs a comparison to show them that the extra £20k is worth it - so they look at your flat, then the house, then a crap house for a bit less. They buy the house. It's the price you pay.

They MAY of course buy your flat anyway!

Don't make it difficult for the agent - at the end of the day - yes you are making them work for their money - on the other hand you are paying the same price anyway, and may lose a sale because the buyer never saw your flat.