HELP PLEASE!! - Estate agent problems ! (First time buyers)

matmatmat

Hi, wandering if anybody can give us some advice.

About 2 months ago we looked at a flat (converted house) which has had nobody living in it for 6 months, and put an offer of £170000 in which was accepted. As soon as the sale was agreed the estate agent was constantly ringing trying to push things along, each time if this and that isn't done today they are just going to rent it out and you'll lose it(this has been an ongoing threat throughout) we explained we were waiting for out mortgage which we recieved a couple of weeks later, we then had a survery carried out on the building (structual).

We hired a solicitor and waited for him to carry out his enquiries, whilst we were waiting, a few weeks later we rang the estate agent for access to the property so that an electrical check could be carried out, he said no, the vendors will not allow you access to the property again. We asked and asked and was repeatedly told no, and was even laughed at as if we were asking for something completely unreasonable. We were told that once contracts had been exchanged we can do all the checks we like but until then your not looking at it again (which is the most ridiculous thing Ive ever heard) The loft was also full which we asked to be cleared, I rang to see if this had been done and he said yes, I asked to look for myself to check it had been cleared and he said no. I asked if he had seen it and he said no but the vendors word is good enough, I asked him to put it in writing which he relunctantly had someone do via email.

This week I have been constantly on the phone to the solicitor as I have had the same old phone calls from the agent saying if contracts arent signed by fri/mon they are just going to rent it out as they have been waiting so long, I asked that if that happens would it not keep the vendors waiting even longer? he said no it wouldnt, and I said well surely checks would need to be done on the electrics and gas as well as waiting to find tenants, no real reply. I got on the phone to my solicitor and he said number 1, the estate agents should not even be involved now, it should be dealt with between solicitors, number 2 the estate agents also been ringing him giving deadlines, he explained to them it doesnt work like that and was hung up on. The problem the solicitor is having is that the answers to his enquiries from the vendors solicitors are so vague that he is not happy to accept them and has resubmitted the questions explaining this. Of course the agent is telling me that it is my solicitor that is slowing things down, which I could not see as being true as he is informing me everytime he speaks or sends anything to the agent/vendors solicitors.
Yesterday he rang the vendors solicitor to see who is really denying any access to the property, the agent or the vendors (he is advising to look at the property once more before contracts are singed/exchanged, and has never come across someone being denied access to do this). There solicitors explained that the person dealing with this for them is on holiday but the woman he spoke to said she could only guess that as its been so long the vendors do not want anything that could possibly delay this any further. Our solicitor said 'dont guess, get on the phone and find out'. All we wanted to do was to stick her heads in for 2 mins to checkthat the property was in the same state in which we had seen it in almost 2 months ago, we had accepted that we were not being allowed to carry out an electric check and were going to take the risk.

So the estate agent is not allowing us any access to the property to check its state and it constantly trying to push us through basically skipping the solicitors enquiries, his general attitude has been all checks can be done after youve bought it, he has been telling me what I can and cant do and basically has the attitude that he knows more about the solicitors role than the solicitors, I have spoken to my solictor about this and he agrees and we have both noticed the agent has contradicted himself on a few occasions. Both I, the solicitor and no less than 20 peple Ive spoken to about this says something stinks, very bad.

Bottom line is I have had enough, he is trying to bully us into spending £170000 without really knowing what we are buying. Ive said to my solicitor now that on Monday we either have access to the property, and WE DO have an electrical test or we are pulling out. The property was sold before but was told by the agent that he pulled out as the lease was not extended in time, although its been extended for us no problem in a couple of weeks, so we are starting to think that maybe that wasnt the reason he pulled out.

Nobody I have talked to has had any of these types of problems before, and the fact that the agent is spending so much of his time pushing us and trying to get us to skip corners, big corners sounds like he has some sort of personal interest in selling this particular property or something big is being hidden. I cannot go to anyone above the agent as he 'owns' the company.

I have also have had my manager at work talking to me about this as he said it is clearly affecting my work, and the amount of phonecalls I have been recieving from the agent (on my mobile, which is allowed as long as is reasonable use/emergencies) has been way to much, as well as many sleepless nights.

Any advice would be appreciated, especially from any estate agents.

The general advice of everyone I've talked to has been cut your losses (Mortgage and solicitors fee) and run a mile.

Thanks, I know its a lot to read and Ive given myself a headache having to write about it.

Salz

matmatmat wrote: »

The general advice of everyone I've talked to has been cut your losses (Mortgage and solicitors fee) and run a mile.

I can only agree with this - it seems there is something they don't want you to see - and when you do pull out, put it in a letter addressed to the vendors citing the reasons why - ie not answering questions, not allowing access and a bullying/threatening estate agent.

cabbage

Agree wholeheartedly. You need to find out everything about the property before exchanging contracts as at that point the deal is done and legally binding (can get out of it after exchange but extremely messy/expensive) and you've effectively accepted it as it is.

Sounds very fishy to me. Does sound like the agent has a personal interest - is it declared on the for sale details.

If they pull the plug now, they will have to wait another 6 - 8 weeks for a new sale to go through providing they sell immediately. It would be better and cheaper for them to co operate. Its sounds like they have something to hide.

The problem with ultimatums is that they can't be undone. I think its time to perhaps write to the vendors (copy agent) with a list of things/answers you need before you are willing to exchange and ask them to co operate by a said date upon which time you will look elsewhere. They need you more than you need them.

Personally, I would start looking around at other properties today.

matmatmat

Thanks for replying so quick, as far as I know and have been told he has no personal interests himself in it,although we are suspecting he probably does as otherwise everything he is doing is not making sense. I think that yes it is probably time to write to the vendors, especially as when the solicitor asked the agent to ask the vendors something on friday the agent cut the phone off and rangback in 30 seconds with an answer, so he is either amazingly quick at ringing somebody and having a conversation or decided he would not ring them and make up is own answer 'on their behalf'.

Henry_P_Chester

Give up on it now. Start looking for something else. Personally I'd give them a taste of their own medicine and drag it out as long ad possible (without incurring further costs) before eventually telling them you've changed your mind.

henpecked1

please pull out. something doesnt sit right. being denyed access tells you something is being hidden. the less times you are allowed in, the less you will spot wrong!

poppysarah

As others have said - pull out.

There's no reason to deny you access for a reasonable number of visits (If you wanted to go every day that'd be something else) but stuff 'em.

matmatmat

Thanks again for replies, looks like everyones thinking the same thing. It shouldnt matter if its taken longer than they want, sticking our heads in to see it would have taken two mins and not as many suspicions would have been aroused. Its our money that they are taking, it should be us calling the shots (its not as if they are unfair demands!) and not us being bullied into handing over our money. Has anybody every heard of anyone being denied access before? And it is unusual for the estate agent to be constantly hassling me to get the solicitors to hurry through the checks, even though my solicitor is not happy with there answers or prepared to procees until he has proper answers to his enquiries? thanks again, will keep you posted on progress.

<sebb>

Stop talking to the agent! Don't answer his calls. You need to find out if the vendors are in support of his actions. Even if the vendors were being entirely unreasonable, that doesn't excuse the EAs behaviour. Something seems a bit odd here and the vendors might not even have a clue what the agent is doing.

poppysarah

"the agent is spending so much of his time pushing us and trying to get us to skip corners, big corners sounds like he has some sort of personal interest in selling this particular property or something big is being hidden. I cannot go to anyone above the agent as he 'owns' the company."

Are you sure he doesn't?

Do you have a url for the property? Have you checked when it was sold last on houseprices.co.uk
?

milliebear00001

It is totally unreasonable to deny you access to the property to do your checks. Have you asked him what he's trying to hide?! I would suggest you leave your ultimatum in his hands, and if you are not given access to do all necessary checks, and your solicitor does not get full answers to the questions he has sent, buy the date you have given, that you pull out immediately. Do not use that agent again.