Do viewers not read the brochure?

Orpheo

sinbad182 wrote: »

Im sorry sweetheart, could you clarify the following points:

a) Where I got shirty? I merely pointed you out as the kind of internet !!!!!!!!ter that are all too commonplace on forums like this.

b) Where have I indicated I'd like a fight? I made the (reasonable) assumption that you are a fanny, but im afraid that doesnt constitute 'wanting a fight'. I merely wanted to make it clear that in real life, you are most likely a fanny. Fairly simple. You flatter yourself too much.

c) Please suggest anything you've posted that would make anyone assume you have superior intellect over anything other than a drunken, dockside prostitute.

Oh. amd stop referring to yourself in the third person, you joke of a man.

Then I deduce, by a canny process of elimination, that you are a drunken, dockside prostitute.

Get a grip. I referred to myself in the third person at the beginning of one post. Did that make you angry too?

I'm worried about you, Sinbad. Have you heard about hypertension? You might want to speak to your GP.

harrup

Orpheo wrote: »

Orpheo would quite like it if more people had pride in their home. Pride in your "property" not so much.

Nevertheless, your pride is irrelevant when it comes to the financial wellbeing of my family. If your pride is so frail that you can't handle honest feedback on something that you are selling then best put on a baby helmet before you embark on life.

There is merit to what you are saying, Orpheo.

But whilst properties don't have feelings...people certainly do.

Yes, vendors and EA's need HONEST feedback.

But there is no reason why honesty is mutually exclusive from polite and respectful. It being someone's home and all.

Example: Say a friend invited you for a meal at his house. Would you equally be truly "honest" to tell him that you thought the food he served was utterly awful? Or would you respect his feelings, say thank you and tell them, if asked, that it wasn't really quite your cup of tea?So...where is the difference? Because one is a chum and the other a stranger common courtesy in interaction no longer applies? Come on!

Sure it's YOUR time. But quite often it's the vendors time, too. Having strangers traipsing through ones home making derisory comments about it likely isn't the height of anyone's thrilling life experience.

Plus, you may want or need to buy a house as much as someone wants or needs to sell it. It's a mutual benefit thing. Thus....it should be a mutual respect thing.

Orpheo

harrup wrote: »

There is merit to what you are saying, Orpheo.

But whilst properties don't have feelings...people certainly do.

I agree with you entirely. Where did I suggest that one should be rude about it?

harrup wrote: »

Yes, vendors and EA's need HONEST feedback.

But there is no reason why honesty is mutually exclusive from polite and respectful. It being someone's home and all.

Example: Say a friend invited you for a meal at his house. Would you equally be truly "honest" to tell him that you thought the food he served was utterly awful? Or would you respect his feelings, say thank you and tell them, if asked, that it wasn't really quite your cup of tea?So...where is the difference? Because one is a chum and the other a stranger common courtesy in interaction no longer applies? Come on!

Sure it's YOUR time. But quite often it's the vendors time, too. Having strangers traipsing through ones home making derisory comments about it likely isn't the height of anyone's thrilling life experience.

Plus, you may want or need to buy a house as much as someone wants or needs to sell it. It's a mutual benefit thing. Thus....it should be a mutual respect thing.

Your meal analogy is not really the same thing now is it? If I like the meal am I paying my friend for it? A house is up for sale.

I would never make derisory comments about someone's home while viewing it, or indeed make derisory comments at all. I may feedback through their EA with factual observations and some personally justified opinion.

I recently viewed a house that was literally filthy in the kitchen and bathroom. The kitchen surfaces, including the vertical ones were covered in grease. This neglect had caused a lot of damage to the kitchen in a house that was less than 5 years old. Did I tell the vendor what I was thinking? "Your kitchen is a filthy disgrace, you should have more pride in yourself you slovenly ape." No. I told the EA that the kitchen was filthy with grease, the bathroom was similarly dirty and this neglect was damaging the fixtures and fittings. I added that I felt that the vendor would better present the house if they were to have the kitchen and bathroom professionally cleaned.

So I agree with you. Maybe I misunderstand you, but you appear to have made assumptions about how I might give feedback that just aren't true.

googler

avenida wrote: »

Yes I would rather people vendors tell the truth, the agent said price is correct compared to other sold properties, you see I live in northern ireland so there is no internet site that will tell me sold prices which is wick should I ring other estate agents and ask them what other properties sold for maybe?

Is there an equivalent to the English Land Registry, or to Registers of Scotland, a central govt body that records ownership of land, and when it changes hands?

Orpheo

sinbad182 wrote: »

Where have I indicated I'd like a fight?

OK Sinbad, I'll retract the baseless assertion that you're spoiling for a fight and apologise for that alone.

giddypenguin

Just to add a few of my thoughts... without entering into personal arguments...

I think EA's are very guilty of encouraging you to see properties that you have said don't interest you, for example, when registering with one EA as a buyer, I said we were interested in modern build 4 bedroom detached houses up to 310k, and immediatly got e-mailed details on a victorian 3 bed semi asking for 350k.

But also I think some people on this forum see house buying as an unemotional business transaction, which is fair enough, but not all of us can look at properties like that. I my self look at a property and think of the future, what kind of people will the area attract, can my (future) kids play in the street, where will their bedrooms be, can I live here? Sometimes when it doesn't feel right, then you can't invest.

Catbells

Orpheo wrote: »

The OP should be grateful for the viewings. I've lost count of the number of houses I've viewed and left irked that my time has been wasted.

Don't agree with this line of thinking at all. IMO I think you should blame yourself for wasting your own time - not the EA. Its pretty hard for you as a viewer to get it right and when you do see somewhere you love it comes like a bolt out of the blue. Do you thank the EA then?

heretolearn_2

I'm puzzling over the details for one of my neighbours houses right now. It's in several estate agents windows with identical details, but I can't get my head round the layout described. It has to be a physical impossibility unless all the rooms on the 1st floor (we are 3 floor town houses) are about 5' square! In the space where we have a bathroom (normal family size, not massive), stairs landing, kitchen (not big) and a double bedroom with just about space for bed and small wardrobe, they claim to be fitting in a living room, a kitchen/diner, a bedroom and a bathroom! I think their stairs come straight up into the living room, no landing, but it still sounds impossible to me! Can't be right...

but either they've managed to get their details wrong at every single EA, or it sounds bigger than it is. I've looked at the details and it sounds pretty good from them, but I'm sure it'll be a 'smaller than we thought' reaction in the flesh!

avenida

googler wrote: »

Is there an equivalent to the English Land Registry, or to Registers of Scotland, a central govt body that records ownership of land, and when it changes hands?

I actually rang royal institution of chartered surveyors northern ireland and they wouldnt tell me any sold prices anybody any other ideas?

harrup

Orpheo wrote: »

So I agree with you. Maybe I misunderstand you, but you appear to have made assumptions about how I might give feedback that just aren't true.

In which case I unreservedly apologize.

Perhaps it was me who misunderstood your posts? I assumed your "honest feedback" was not merely honest but "brutally honest".

As to "Your meal analogy is not really the same thing now is it? If I like the meal am I paying my friend for it? A house is up for sale."

Of course, you are right. It wasn't the greatest analogy but all I could come up with in a pinch!

BUT....there are nonetheless parallels. This is how I see it: if I have a pal over for dinner they are a guest in my house. Agreed?

If I have a potential buyer viewing my house...they are ALSO a guest in my house. Because all they do at that stage is to view and explore. And just as my friend, they aren't paying me either. They may eventually buy the house.... or they may be merely window shopping... or they may decide that they'd rather live elesewhere.

Whilst there are obvious qualitative differences between a friend and a potential buyer....whilst they are still in MY home...they are both guests. And I'd expect either party to respect that in how they behave towards me or my home.

That's what I meant.