Mary Portas takes on the Estate agents

MiserlyMartin

gadjah543 wrote: »

Think you'll find it is Sarah Beeny who presents property ladder:)

Location location.... Property Ladder same old thing. Apart from Sarah Beeny is nice to look at.

harrup

Cleaver wrote: »

I don't really agree with you here.

When my Mum was in hospital she was cared for by a Health Care Assistant who was probably on the lowest wage in the hospital (and probably one of the lowest wages full stop) and the care, humour and downright lovliness she showed my Mum was amazing. Another example would be the local caff and sandwich shop around the corner from my work. I'm sure that the girls who work in there are on minimum wage and they are all lovely. They know my name, remember what I like and are always happy to have a chat. I know lots of bars and restaurants where people will be on low wages and they also provide excellent customer service. So if they can all do it, why can't everyone?

There is one rather crucial difference between your mum's dedicated carer, the lovely girls in your local shop...and the wholy disinterested sales force at Primark et all.

And it isn't money.

It's personal engagement. And passion. It's the knowing, the belief that what you do or what you sell, has some intrinsic "value".

Making a difference to someone in their last days MEANS something. It feeds the carer's soul, their self esteem even if the monetary compensation is frugal...or even absent. Just look at the staff in most charity shops - they work for free yet what they do has meaning to them.

The girls in your local shop? Well, they are part of your community ( and for all we know you might look more handsome than Robert Pattison so there is the ogle and flirt factor to consider!) and you are their "neighbour" even just in a broader sense.

The abyssmal chicks at Primark? Selling badly made cheap crap doesn't feed anyone's soul now, does it? And perhaps therein lies the moral of that story...:)

Guitar

Started watching the first few minutes and enjoyed it enough to do a write up.

Starts off with a bit of background on Mary Portas' mission to transform Britain's terrible customer service.

I've not seen these programs before but after a few scenes of her kicking up a stink in shops she looks like a natural Mother-in-Law. The kind who constantly looks for fault and criticises knowing you can't fight back because it'll cost you your marriage, or in these cases, your job.

Few quick interviews with members of the public explaining what they think of estate agents.

"Slimey", "Manipulative", "Grasping"

We get a quick look at an estate agent who I think is going to be the star of this particular show. I'm going to call him "Mr. Hair-splosion". If you imagine there was such a thing as a hair-gel bomb that explodes hair gel on contact. Then imagine a guy getting hit with the hair gel bomb on the back of the head. This is what Mr. Hair-splosion's hairstyle looks like.

"West facing has actually become the new south facing." He says with complete seriousness.

Shots of Mary looking through estate agent windows.

"We pay estate agents on average £3000 to sell our houses. For this we should be getting amazing service but complaints from buyers and sellers have nearly doubled."

"Shockingly you don't need any special qualifications to be an estate agent."

More comments from members of the public:

"Don't think they're honest." "All of their jargon is nonsense" "you're completely manipulated" "I would never trust an estate agent"

Mary wants to see herself how estate agents are treating their customers, so she's going under cover. This involves a putting on a blond wig and taking off a rings/knuckledusters.

And a bobble-hat.

"Second to politicians, estate agents are the people you trust the least."

Now some secret filming of estate agents. She's viewing a house that was advertised with a beautiful view of a garden. No mention of the massive A12 flyover right next to it.

"Agents think that by dressing it up as something else people aren't going to notice these things. This is wasting people's time, it's frustrating and that's what gives them a bad name. You just can't trust them."

Driving with an estate agent now towards a viewing, his face is blurred.

"You guys are the first to see, as far as I'm aware." he says. "But there are back to back viewings booked next week, pretty much."

His choice of words are interesting in both these statements, they're specific claims yet he's left himself room to slither out if he gets caught out. They're the first to view (that he's aware) and back to back viewings (pretty much, ie not actually back to back)

"What happens when a property comes on the market?" Mary asks.

"It normally goes in the first week, week and a half, if it's decent one." He replies.

Clearly there's a lot of !!!! round my way.

He continues, "Like this one here, come on Monday..." shows a photo of a house "and that sold for over the asking price."

A different agent now, looking around a house.

"What facing is it?" Mary asks.

the agent laughs at her. "Don't often get asked that in London, gardens are so small."

Back to shots of lots of For Sale signs.

"Sellers are getting the worse deal as they pay the fees but buyers also deserve good customer service as well, they're paying for the houses."

Mary says she want to create a new kind of estate agents. She's picked a long establish family chain.

Mr Hair-Explosion works here, he's on the phone. "If you can view today then you should view today..."

Quick interview with the founder of the estate agents explaining the company was his forth child.

Introduced to the founders' son who's taking over the business. He's wearing the biggest bluetooth headset I've ever seen. The mic looks like it goes up his nose.

He explains because it's a family business they care more about the customer. Anyone who buys and sells through them gets an umbrella with their logo on.

He explains that an umbrella is used to keep the rain off them.

He explains he thinks his company goes the extra mile and the staff are very knowledgeable.
He says this without knowing Mary has already been secretly videoing his staff at work.

"Looking at the picture we though the kitchen would be bigger" a customer says.


Agent: "they never tell the full story I'm afraid"

Customer: "This is..Crouch End is it?"

Agent: "It's funny, there's no real defined boundaries of Crouch End anymore."

Now were sitting with an agent in the shop.

Customer reading from an advert: "Accommodation features 'Characterful sunny reception'. In what sense is it 'Characterful?'"

Agent: "In the...perception of the person that wrote that."

This is one of the greatest responses I've ever heard. He says it completely deadpan.

It's Mr Hair-sploition! I've got big hopes for him and he soon doesn't disappoint.

"Yeah, I got 47 appointments today. And people say it's December and the market's quiet but the market is anything but quiet."

Back to the estate agent manager. He thinks he's great already but you can never stop learning so he's interested in what Mary has to say about his company.

He explains what he thinks about his business. "Any customer who walks in, they're treated like it was your mother or grandmother who'd walked in."

She shows him secret filming entering his ship. "No smile!" she points out the poor bloke closest to the door. Already as a customer she feels they do not give a hoot.

Filming of an agent showing someone around a flat. The customer points out the massive cracks in the wall and asks why they weren't shown in the photos. The agent blames the manager, says the manager is also the photographer and manages to perform 'miracles'. The manager doesn't look too happy.

"He's taken a picture of the room!" The manager blurts out, he's squirming in his seat. "We are doing what the vendor wants us to do, which is: try to sell his property. It's not as if it's [the cracks] have been papered over."

"It's smoke and mirrors!" taunts Mary.

"It's not!.....this is not misleading!"

Showing him another video, another customer asking questions about an advert in this shop.

Customer: "It's says it's located on a 'popular turning'"

Back to manager: "There is nothing, there is nothing misleading about that."

Mary: "What does it mean?" is it a popular place to turn your car around?

Customer with another advert: "This one has a 'prestigious' turning"

Mary: "We've got a 'prestigious' turning now! What's a prestigious turning?!"

Manager: "It's similar to a popular turning." Mary looks lost for words.

Mary: "It's 'speak' which I think it total baloney."

Manager: "I'm not looking to defend a situation that is the norm within the industry."

Mary: "It's an industry that has a reputation that's as good as a bit of poo in the street."

I'm starting to like Mary.

Manager "I hear what you're saying" (He's pulling on his jacket sleeve nervously) I think it's a little derogatory what you're saying."

Mary "It's true! Everybody hates estate agents."

Manager explains they get feedback from buyers and vendors and the majority of the don't think they're poo on the street.

Mary: Explains it's an easy job, anyone can do it. "I've got the internet, it's got all the information I want, why would I bother with an estate agent?"

Manager (sarcastically): "Because, how are you going to get your property infront of all those people?"

Mary "Stick it on the internet."

Manager: "If it was as simple as that...."

Mary: "It is!"

Mary leaves. Quick final word from a more composed manager.

"I think, it generally went...not too bad."

End of first part. I'll maybe pick it up later.

Davesnave

I that think in highlighting the lack of training Mary was on to something, but much of her scorn was poured on easy targets, like daft particulars.

People don't get as upset as they do because agents describe property stupidly, using phrases like 'popular turning,' they get wild when underhand things are done behind the scenes, or when they are lied to. Unfortunately, the really important stuff is harder to film or prove. Mary used innuendo to hint that truth was a casualty of sales speak, but she didn't prove it. Why weren't some of the assertions about quick sales followed up?

Yes, it's bad that people can't rely on agents presenting their property well, but the public have some part in this too. As with the teaching of their children, many just hand the whole thing over to someone else and then complain loudly when something goes wrong. Buying, selling and renting are all activities which place responsibilities on people, but unless laws are tightened up, there will be wriggle room for bad behaviour on all sides. Guess what? Some folk are bad, and others can be encouraged to be less good if there's a financial incentive.

The majority of us are only in the property game for a fraction of our lives, but agents are there every day. I would suggest that all do what gets results for them, and if the law allows a good number to do well by lying and manipulation, then it's the law and monitoring by their professional bodies that needs changing.

Not all agents are crooks, but those who aren't are currently relying on the public to work that out, and frankly, many can't, or they simply don't care.

£3k to sell the average property? Pffft! that's chicken feed. It cost me 1/4 of that to get my van serviced yesterday and it's only worth £3k! But would Joe Public pay more for better, well regulated service on selling their house? I'm not sure myself.

(Not expecting this to be a popular post!)

lostinrates

Davesnave wrote: »

I that think in highlighting the lack of training Mary was on to something, but much of her scorn was poured on easy targets, like daft particulars.

People don't get as upset as they do because agents describe property stupidly, using phrases like 'popular turning,' they get wild when underhand things are done behind the scenes, or when they are lied to. Unfortunately, the really important stuff is harder to film or prove. Mary used innuendo to hint that truth was a casualty of sales speak, but she didn't prove it. Why weren't some of the assertions about quick sales followed up?

You know, I did get annoyed about the property phrases. Partly because of their banality but also because I felt from the very start on reading them''these people are trying to con me''. They start a relationship on behalf of their clients that is duplicitous and slimy: its evidence on particulars.


Now, where I'd agree is I've been far more sad about the things that have cost purchases and would be livid if I were a vendor...but I doubt vendors know the half of the messing about. The missed appointments, the ''sales'' tactics that turned us of and had us walking away laughing (that one we put an offer on in the New Forest...18 months ago...the derogatory offer (what they paid for it at peak, having done no actual property improvements but made changes which suited their particular requirments) that we'd feel dreadful about next week when ''the other people'' bought it? Its still for sale.....) You're right that these insufficiences are far, far worse. But its like the thing were we make a judgement in the first 30 secs of meeting someone about whether we like/fancy/trust them.....those particulars set the tone of putting buyers OFF.

.

The majority of us are only in the property game for a fraction of our lives, but agents are there every day. I would suggest that all do what gets results for them, and if the law allows a good number to do well by lying and manipulation, then it's the law and monitoring by their professional bodies that needs changing.

I agree with this. The problem is the trangressions, the failures are many unprovable. But, to a degree I think...tough.

£3k to sell the average property? Pffft! that's chicken feed. It cost me 1/4 of that to get my van serviced yesterday and it's only worth £3k! But would Joe Public pay more for better, well regulated service on selling their house? I'm not sure myself.

(Not expecting this to be a popular post!)

I think that's a fair point. And I think you are probably right. with some reservations. I think its where HIPs failed. An unbiased valuation by a qualified person with limited pressure from a vendor....that would be interesting, and the deal at the other end completed by an unbiased intermediary (paid by both parties) now that could be interesting...but still hard to police with a lot of scope for dishonesty.

Personally...I don't know what we'd do. I think we'd have a bash at selling ourselves, via internet and advertising in relevant press, and approaching search agents who might have clients interested. I think we could handle the rejection.

Incidentally I had a call from the agent for this place (who was a posh wide boy but in the end it worked well for me) telling me that we had, as he thought, already increased the value of this place...would we like to sell:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:.

googler

"What facing is it?" Mary asks. My response would have been - "Pardon?"



Now, if she'd asked it sensibly, like -

"Which way is North"
"Which side of the property faces South" .....

Davesnave

googler wrote: »

"What facing is it?" Mary asks. My response would have been - "Pardon?"
Now, if she'd asked it sensibly, like -

"Which way is North"
"Which side of the property faces South" .....

And west really is the new south, if you are a typical working person and want sun in your garden to enjoy a glass or two at the end of a busy day.

Jowo_2

JanCee wrote: »

I'm hoping she books him an appointment with a decent hairdresser before she finishes.

I'm hoping she'll give him one of her wigs. Perhaps the ridiculous orange bob she sports between undercover work?

drc

The agency featured in the programme is very near to where I live. They are all up their own !!!!!! imo. The very minimum a seller should expect to get from paying an EA is a detailed floor plan (with measurements) and lots of clear, detailed photos. The last thing you want is some knut with stupid hair acting nonchalantly and thinking he can sell your property with his eyes closed.

For anyone that is interested, here is the flat that was featured in the programme;

http://www.findaproperty.com/displayprop.aspx?edid=00&salerent=0&pid=8001674

Asking price of £495k, it's a 2 bed and they can't even be bothered to provide a floor plan. You'd think they would be doing everything they possibly could to sell a property for that price, especially during these lean times.

Jowo_2

drc wrote: »

Th..
For anyone that is interested, here is the flat that was featured in the programme;

http://www.findaproperty.com/displayprop.aspx?edid=00&salerent=0&pid=8001674

Asking price of £495k, it's a 2 bed and they can't even be bothered to provide a floor plan. You'd think they would be doing everything they possibly could to sell a property for that price, especially during these lean times.

There's another 2 bed up for sale in that street for a lot less so I'm not surprised it's not shifting. Neither is this one, it seems to be up for rent, too...

http://www.foxtons.co.uk/property-for-sale-in-muswell-hill/chpk0232581

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-31515065.html

What is the extra 50k for - the glass bricks?!! So its probably not just the poor basic marketing (missing floor plan and shifty hairstyles) but the fact that its probably grossly mispriced.