Agent won't take our house off website

rachll

I am buying a flat and due to complete on Tuesday. The flat is still listed on the estate agent's website as "Sold STC".
When I contacted the Vendor's estate agent to ask that it be removed from their website, he told me that on Tuesday, it will show as exchanged, and then will still be listed for 1 week or so afterwards "for marketing and recognition to other sites".

There are no other properties on their website listed like this.

Is this normal? Am I within my rights to insist it is removed - the flat will belong to me and no longer to the vendors, so why should I have no say in my property being on their website?

I almost feel like asking the estate agents to pay me for letting them advertise my property on their website!!!

Please can someone advise?
Thank you.

ognum

Sadly for you the people paying the estate agents are the vendors It is quite usual for properties to remain on websites long after they are sold I am not all together sure why you are concerned about it?

moneypuddle

I wouldn't like it either - someone could come along and put another offer in higher then yours. Are they still accepting viewings? You are completing on Tuesday though, so its only two working days more until its yours. I would just not do anything.

googler

They have a contract with the seller, not with you. It's not 'your' house yet, so the title should be "Agent won't take seller's house off website", surely?

If the property remains on their website, marked as Sold, for a short while after you take possession, they're not 'advertising' your property for sale, as they're no longer in a position to sell it to anyone else.

I think it's much ado about nothing. Move in, live your life, let the agents brag about the fact they sold it to you, and it'll disappear off their site(s) after a short while.

What's the worst that could happen if it stays on their site for a while? What could you be concerned about?

Werdnal

By listing as "sold STC" the agent are not telling any lies, as until YOU complete, it is not YOUR flat.

As others have said, they are selling on behalf of the vendor, and the vendor probably signed a contract with small print saying they are able to do this. Its a bit of boast value for the agents - "look at us we have sold this property" and quite usual. They may not have any others listed like this because the market is so slow they haven't actually sold anything recently.

Why is it a problem for you? You may even find the agent's For Sale/Sold board is still on the outside of the property when you get the keys next week!

DVardysShadow

Too late to do much now, but if it bothered you, you could have insisted that vendors undertake that the property was taken off at completion - or even exchange, as part of the contract.

tyler80

I'm not sure why it bothers you. Our house has been on rightmove as under offer for months, we completed well over a month ago.

mumto2loves

i might be reading it wrong but are you saying it will be still on the website for a week after you have completed? If so then I see that it would then be your house and agree you should be able to tell them to take it off.
I don't expect you'd get anywhere but maybe after you have exchanged (and highly unlikely that it would go pear shaped) just tell them that if it isn't removed once you have completed you will be invoiing them for their advertising.:D

The day I moved in the 1st thing i did after i'd opened the front door was pulled the for sale sign down, no one ever said anything to me.:o

cajef

rachll wrote: »

The flat is still listed on the estate agent's website as "Sold STC".

he told me that on Tuesday, it will show as exchanged,

STC sounds like contracts are due for exchange on Tuesday, is this the exchange or completion day?

gazebo

well, if it's anything to be bothered about, I'd like to know. I've completed on my place, having gone from offer accepted to completion and moved in in three weeks - and it's showing sold STC on the website...

PasturesNew

When the seller signed up, they probably overlooked some small print saying the agent could use photos of their house for marketing purposes.... if you p155 off the wrong type of agent they might even use the photo (legally) as the front cover of their next brochure