Estate Agents

courtjester

Agents don't do security checks on buyers or credit checks, although they like to make a lot of the fact that they supposedly offer security for their clients by 'vetting' buyers....

Identity checks (for money laundering) are the province of solicitors who need to check identities by law before permitting any financial transaction involving the property to go forward.

However, this is a bit ahead of the situation.

You don't have to give any detailed financial information to an estate agent - if they ask, you can politely refuse to offer any information other than generalisations - "I have a mortgage in place, or I will be increasing my mortgage with an existing lender plus the sale of my property which is under offer to purchase the home in question..." - for the sake of future negotiations, the background to your moving position is important for them to understand and for you to get across,

Agents will always try to get you to speak to their mortgage team /advisors in order to 'qualify' you for the property so (they will tell you) that they can advise their client on the viability of any offer you might make. HOWEVER, this is (as has already been said in an earlier post), so that they can try and sell you THEIR financial services, not fo rthe benefit of you or their client..

They are not obliged to 'qualify' you before arranging viewings and it is illegal for them to insist on qualifying you for mortgage purposes BEFORE passing on any offer you may make on the property (many agents seem to think they can refuse to pass on offers and force buyers to give them or their mortgage team confidential information before going back to their client with the offer, but the law is clear that they are not permitted to do this).

Typically, agents either don't know the law or simply try to brow beat unwitting buyers into believing their fraudulent patter - the temptation of the commissions involved is simply too great for them to operate with any great professionalism, which in a nutshell is what's wrong with the estate agents industry. Agents only ever work for one person.

charlie555

MissMotivation: Good on you and I'd add your and you're and its and it's to your list. This post is not about estate agents - their spelling and grammar is of course always beyond reproach.

MissMotivation

charlie555 wrote: »

MissMotivation: Good on you and I'd add your and you're and its and it's to your list. This post is not about estate agents - their spelling and grammar is of course always beyond reproach.

Your point is?

And why are you posting a reply on a thread that is nearly 4 months old?

IamNotOneOfTHEM

MissMotivation wrote: »

nearly 4 months old

I would add an year to that...

Running_Horse

Our first agent were just interested in arranging as many viewings as possible (regardless of the fact half never showed up), and two sales fell through.

Our next agent claimed to check the electoral register and financial position of all viewers, and we got serious buyers who didn't mess us around.

As a vendor I want serious buyers in a position to proceed, not tourists looking at other people's houses for a hobby.

chocolatechipcookies

pawpurrs wrote: »

If you are interested in finding a house pressumably you tell them what you are looking for.
If they are a good agent and you are booking a viewing then they would need your address and your telephone number (landline NOT mobile) and they should call you back on a landline. This is a safety procedure for their vendors/staff member doing the viewing.

Of course they'll need a mobile number. It's so they can get in touch with the person if they have to cancel the appointment for whatever reason. Not everyone is home all the time.

chickmug

cade12 wrote: »

I used www.thediscdirectory.co.uk to find a decent estate agent as they have reviews on them which made the choosing a lot easier, I went with chinneck shaw their details are http://www.thediscdirectory.co.uk/portsmouth/cat-estateagents-in-portsmouthsouthsea.php&cid=5823&city=1&cat=3551

good company

What does this tell you about whether the EA is good?

clutton_2

i notice on this forum that quite often folks use "Estate Agent" when they mean "Letting Agent".

An EA does not need to do credit checks on you - as already rightly pointed out the Lender will do that if you are buying a house.

A Letting AGent does need to do credit checks to find out if you are a suitable tenant.

chickmug

nelly wrote: »

Why do you care about being rude to someone who is a liar and uneducated and an untrained moron and has no interest in you other than to squeeze every last penny out of you that they can???


And will pull every scam, trick and deceitfull lie they can on you!


With estate agents - you still wouldnt be being rude if you punched them first then said 'Hi I want to buy a house'

Peopdaphiles and terrorists regularly say 'well at least I'm not an estate agent!'

Why not tell us what job you do? Then there may be some that choose to be equally obnoxious about you and that job!

eco-friendly_2

chickmug wrote: »

Why not tell us what job you do? Then there may be some that choose to be equally obnoxious about you and that job!

Well? nelly is a plasterer, with a Post Count: of 16,896


Who's been Thanked 24,357 they can't be all his friends and family surely? :rolleyes: