housenetwork - a review

chickmug

becs wrote: »

Once you accept an offer on a property it's in the hands of solicitors so all mortgage chasing etc would be done through your solcitor to your buyers solicitors.

Sorry to contradict you but this not how the average solicitor would see their role. They see it as the agents role. Some solicitor may take it on but where this happens they often give the quote for the extra costs to their client. This has the effect of putting it back in the EA's hands.

Assuming this is in England?

not_loaded

A couple of answers:

The HIP is exactly as normal, you can supply your own or they’ll organise it for you. I had a pdf file of mine from budget-hips.com and they accepted that via email attachment with no problems.

They are a normal EA (if there is such a thing! ) and have NAEA registration, so they’ll deal with all the usual things.

chickmug

not_loaded wrote: »

A couple of answers:

The HIP is exactly as normal, you can supply your own or they’ll organise it for you. I had a pdf file of mine from budget-hips.com and they accepted that via email attachment with no problems.

They are a normal EA (if there is such a thing! ) and have NAEA registration, so they’ll deal with all the usual things.

My hand goes up very quickly to say I am normal!!!!!!

Seriously I just wonder with the amount they (HN) earn if they will have the time and expertise to get sales through and resolve all the problems that can and do arise?

becs

I can only answer from my own experience selling with house network and buying with a high street agent. Absoloutely no problems with Housenetwork, sale went through like a dream, communication was excellent throughout the entire process and no delays. Purchase however was a nightmare from the minute we made an offer to the estate agent right through to completion - would absoloutely never ever ever deal with this agent again even of the house of my dreams was only for slae through them! It completely put me off dealing with any high street agents and would always choose the internet based agents over them anyday. In my experience high street equals devious, underhand, lying, cheating lowest form of pond life whereas with housenetwork what I saw was what I got, no hidden agenda!

cashndash

I have got my first viewing on Sunday without spending a penny!! saw a house on RM, that I recognised and am acquainted with the lady who owns it, so I popped a postcard through her door, telling her our house was on the market if she was planning to move to something bigger. Got a call today to say they had both driven by, loved the look of it and would like to see more.

not holding my breath, but it will be good to get feedback from a buyer if nothing else!

not_loaded

chickmug wrote: »

My hand goes up very quickly to say I am normal!!!!!!
Seriously I just wonder with the amount they (HN) earn if they will have the time and expertise to get sales through and resolve all the problems that can and do arise?

Having a business analysis background I wondered too, but in all my research I failed to find a single complaint against them.

googler

becs wrote: »

Yes you do the viewings yourself but in my experience of estate agents most are very reluctant to do viewings these days and also nobody can actually sell a property like you can yourself. You know the good points of the area, you know the positives of your own house and you'll be much more likely to be ina position to answer questions that viewers have.

Most agents are reluctant to do viewings... where? Not in my neighbourhood, they're not. Why would they pass up the chance to speak to the people who could possibly be their next customers? Most buyers have to sell to be able to buy, don't they?

Nobody can sell a property like the owner? So an owner who last moved, say, 12 years ago and last showed their house with the intention of selling it 12 years ago will do a better job than an agent who shows houses every day of the week, and last showed one the day before? Hmm...

If you pick a local agent, won't they know the good points of the area too? Might they not be aware of some good points that the owner doesn't because they've been in a wider range of houses and neighbourhoods than the owner?

Be honest, for most 2 or 3 bed houses, how many positives can there be that the owner will know about, but the agent won't have spotted?

19vivat

I just looked on Rightmove for housenetwork and couldn't find any properties listed by them...i tried croydon and london??? first i tried looking at listings and then typing in the agents name?? any advice? am i doing something wrong?

Doozergirl

19vivat wrote: »

I just looked on Rightmove for housenetwork and couldn't find any properties listed by them...i tried croydon and london??? first i tried looking at listings and then typing in the agents name?? any advice? am i doing something wrong?

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/find.html?locationIdentifier=BRANCH^15062

1000+ properties?!

becs

Googler
In my experience none of my local agents do the viewings as most buyers request viewings evenings and weekends when agents would rather be in the office. When we were looking for houses the only one showed to us by an agent was the one we bought but they only showed us around because the owners had already moved out and away. They did an appalling job showing us around. They knew little about the village and as the house was not to their taste kept very quiet rather than trying to say how lovely it was! Fortunately we thought it was hideous taste too but we could see beyond that!
My parents house was up with a top end agent and as I said they were very reluctant to do any viewings and in fact the house sold to a couple that had viewed it when I had shown them around. An agent has too many conflicts of interest in my opinion! If the house next door is up for £5k more and is with them then they gain more commission on that one so which is he going to push? A house further down the road may be with them for the same price but may have had more done to it therefore being an easier sell, so which is he going to push?
Just because they're alocal agent and sell houses in the area doesn't mean they know the area, you can't really know an area unless you live there and most the agents nearest to us are appx 10 miles away and don't live in this village so would thereforee not have a clue about what the pub does, what groups there are, what the school is like, what it's like a s a community etc.