Estate Agent Paper AD Error

IrishGypsy

Hi all, needing some advice if you please

The EA we're using sent me a copy of the newspaper advert they have been using in the local property guides for over the last month and upon inspection they've been using the wrong property description entirely! (Which they've admitted is the case once I brought it to their attention the other day). :mad:

Ignoring the fact that I - personally - had to re-write the home brochure due to their inability to produce enticing, gramatically correct copy (I write professionally as my second job), how much should we ask off their 1% fee (assuming the offer that we've currently got on our house actually goes to completion)?

Thanks in advance for all help and advice.

poppysarah

Did you read their previous listings?
Was this the first one with mistakes?

IrishGypsy

poppysarah wrote: »

Did you read their previous listings?
Was this the first one with mistakes?

The online adverts were fine, but becuase my wife and I work stupid hours (she's a Doctor on shifts and I generally work 16 hour days between two jobs), neither of us have been able to check the property papers before hand (hence the reason why we asked to see the newspaper advert out of curiosity). So from what I can tell it seems to be an issue with the print advert only/hopefully.

hazyjo

Wouldn't have thought you could knock anything off of their 1% fee. I had to virtually rewrite the particulars for the first agent used when selling. They made so many errors on just about everything they did.

I found the best thing was to ditch them! They had got us a buyer, but, mainly due to their lack of communication, she pulled out. As soon as our contract expired, we were off. Only had to change a handful of things on the next agents' details. Much better.

Jx

olias

Is the cost of marketing in with the 1% fee? Quite unusual these days I would have thought. All our local agents (mine included) charge a percentage fee, then marketing (and an admin fee!) on top.

TBH, if you are only paying 1% including all marketing, then you are getting a bargain. I would not realistically expect any cash off, however I would try and pursuade them to offer some other gesture to make up for their mistake - a rightmove premium listing and/or a larger feature advert in their window are two possibilities that spring to mind.

Olias

IrishGypsy

olias wrote: »

Is the cost of marketing in with the 1% fee? Quite unusual these days I would have thought. All our local agents (mine included) charge a percentage fee, then marketing (and an admin fee!) on top.

TBH, if you are only paying 1% including all marketing, then you are getting a bargain. I would not realistically expect any cash off, however I would try and pursuade them to offer some other gesture to make up for their mistake - a rightmove premium listing and/or a larger feature advert in their window are two possibilities that spring to mind.

Olias

Fair enough,

We're just miffed as we never had a viewing for over a month and who's to say how many potentialy interested buyers we missed out on due to a completely inaccurate listing?

GAH

It obviously doesn't look great if it was a write up for a totally different property, but to be honest, hardly anyone even looks at the paper anymore when looking to buy a house, and even if someone was flicking through it, then im sure they would do some further research by calling the agent or looking online.

A lot of people do not even bother to read the write up online either, people want to see a variety of photo's and a floorplan.

EA's won't admit it, but they only advertise in the paper these days to try and win new business and also a lot of the time they are just too afraid to leave as the competitior down the road will use it against them when competing for business.

nomoneytoday

Some agents don't use the local paper as their clients have computers and internets these days

MacMickster

nomoneytoday wrote: »

Some agents don't use the local paper as their clients have computers and internets these days

Surely that can be a bit shortsighted. Yes, everyone using this forum has access to and knows how to use the internet. That is not necessarily the case if you are targeting the sale of a bungalow at the elderly for example.