Just been told off by Estate Agent

Running_Horse

billricardi wrote: »

In a nutshell, your estate agent needs to know details about what you like and don't like, so that they know what to show you next time.

{Snip}

Bill Ricardi - Author of Living Cheaply in the U.K.

Estate agents don't decide what properties I view. I decide.

And please don't spam your book.

Honest_EA

Thanks for highlighting my obvious disdain for the general public Running Horse. EAs are obviously such horrible, nasty people that the public should treat us with a lack of respect that would usually be afforded to beggars and criminals. (Well I'm sure that's how you see it anyway)

I can use paragraphs but I was in a hurry and wanted to get my point across. My whole reason for being on these boards is to give helpful advice that may stop someone making a bad decision that could affect their future plans and finances. I don't know what your reason for being here is but it looks like it's to put other people down, nice.

System

botchjob wrote: »

Common courtesy innit. Sounds like a good agent to me.

Buying a property involves a close and regular working relationship with an estate agent (whether you like it or not) that may go on for 6 months or more and which may get very stressful at times. So it makes sense to be professional about it from the get go. In my business a person who doesn't return calls isn't someone I want to do business with.

And if that's not self-interested enough for you, think of it like this: when you finally see the property of your dreams that you want to make an offer on (and which others will no doubt be offering on too), who do you think the agent will recommend to their client as good prospects, all things being equal? The ones who return their calls, or the ones who don't?

How was that a good agent? A good agent would just say thanks but no thanks and not tell the person off and be rude.

As for the last bit. It is a bit contradictory don't you think? Buyers are being hounded down because sellers can't sell and EA's can't see the bleeding obvious and then in your scenario the EA ends up with not one but two buyers at the same time. Be realistic. If between viewing and intended call to buyer the EA has an offer accepted by the seller from another buyer do you most of them will give the buyer a 'courtesy' call to say the property is off the market? I doubt it.

Errata

Honest_EA wrote: »

I have never heard such a pile of rubbish from some people on these boards.

How to win friends and influence people ?

Running_Horse

Honest_EA wrote: »

Thanks for highlighting my obvious disdain for the general public Running Horse. EAs are obviously such horrible, nasty people that the public should treat us with a lack of respect that would usually be afforded to beggars and criminals. (Well I'm sure that's how you see it anyway)

I can use paragraphs but I was in a hurry and wanted to get my point across. My whole reason for being on these boards is to give helpful advice that may stop someone making a bad decision that could affect their future plans and finances. I don't know what your reason for being here is but it looks like it's to put other people down, nice.

Having dealt with the great unwashed British public in a previous job, I have a lot of time for most agents, and have defended them here. But the tone of your first paragraph just confirms you don't have the right attitude for dealing with people.

As for your second paragraph, your whole reason for being on these boards seems to be to lecture people who are perfectly capable of making decisions that affect their future plans and finances. And I don't have to give you any reason for my being here.

Bit bored are we? Nothing better to do at the moment than surf the Internet? Perhaps you need to spend more time working in this slump.

Honest_EA

I am very happy dealing with the general public and consider it the more interesting side of my job. You seem to have taken a dislike to me due to my supposed tone in a previous post but I assure you I am not here to lecture people. It does no harm having someone with some experience from within the estate agency business giving a bit of advice, and no one has to accept that advice, just like they don't have to agree with your opinions if they don't want to.

As for your attack on why I am here instead of spending more time working in this slump, I am actually working late tonight and have been here since 8am so surely I am allowed 10 minutes now and again to chill out, and if I choose to do that here then thats my perogative.

jess1974

When i was selling my last house i used to cringe when the agent rang up with 'feedback', listening to him trying to put a gloss on why the viewers did not want to buy my property was awful. I think i'm one of the minority who is'nt bothered about feedback, i also hated giving it as a viewer, like another poster said sometimes the house just is'nt right, and theres no obvious reason.

After i'd viewed one property the agent rang to find out what i thought, i said the 3rd bedroom was not really a bedroom as a single bed would'nt fit in there, he got really shirty insisting that it was a bedroom and was a perfectly adequate size....

googler

Honest_EA wrote: »

I have never heard such a pile of rubbish from some people on these boards.

...but then again, you've not even been here a month, and still 'only' have 14 posts to your name....... (but you might be a long-term lurker, that's true)

poppysarah

stokesley wrote: »

Unless I've been misled, all property transactions now trigger the water board (or whatever they're called this week) arriving to dig a hole and fit a meter.

Don't think so.

All new builds get a water meter.

googler

Walcott wrote: »

I would have thought if they hear nothing back within 48 hours then it is reasonable to assume the buyer is not interested.

Which still doesn't bring closure to the interaction, does it? Why are you so keen to string sellers and their EAs along without speaking to them and responding to their calls?

Walcott wrote: »

Quite simple really. New EA's are trained by a responsible member of staff within their firm. Buyers shouldn't have to educate EA's.

How do you think the responsible members of staff acquired this knowledge in the first place, other than by feedback and interaction with buyers and viewers? If the general attitudes of buyers and viewers change, wouldn't it be better if the junior EAs got wind of this from current viewers and buyers rather than from seniors within their own firm?