No wonder people can't sell !

CLAPTON

I would love to know exactly what you asked them.

Ivana_Tinkle

sussexchick wrote: »

calling in and asking local agents what the area is like etc, isn't that what they are there for ???

:eek: No! It absolutely isn't. I literally can't think of a single person LESS likely to give you an honest and objective view on a particular area than someone whose livelihood depends on persuading people to live there.

<sebb>

My husband and I spent an entire day going round every estate agent with a couple of miles of us to register our interest. In some cases we registered at two different branches of the same estate agent. Out of that we got one appointment to view something that afternoon but they called 30 minutes later to tell us they didn't have the keys and the owner had gone out.

Two weeks later and we heard nothing from 11 agents. No emails, phone calls, nothing.

We then emailed about 6 properties on rightmove - we got one response saying the property had been sold. Nothing from the other agents.

After 4 weeks we are starting to see one or two agents pay us a little attention but its really hard work. I'm constantly on the phone and emailing with little retun. Very frustrating!

mkgirl1981

I know what you mean - one estate agent kept trying to push me into shared ownership when I have clearly stated 3 times I don't want one.

I worked for a very well known brand of estate agent & there's no way I would've been allowed to sit around waiting for people to contact me - I had spend any time in the office on the phone trying to get people to view.

jackomdj

If you tell people on here where you are looking you will probably get a good response re areas. I know I have taken the time to post on threads asking about areas local to me.

lessonlearned

Sussexchick - good idea to rent before you buy when moving to a new area, however even a rental will entail a 6 month lease which can be a long time to be committed if you find yourself in a dire gang infested high crime area.

Would it be worth asking the HR dept of your new company to point you in the right direction.

At one point my OH and I used to have to relocate quite often and we always found HR to be very helpful.

BTW Kirstie & Phil are not the only relocation specialists. There are plenty of companies who will help you, do all the research, prepare a short list, do a quick pre-view, accompany you on viewings, do the negotiating etc.

They generally charge about 1% of the purchase price. If you are really stretched for time and moving to somewhere some distance away to a completely unknown area, this fee could be the best investment you ever make.

Some employers will often pay the fee for you as part of their relocation package if they are offering one. Alternatively they may have their own in house relocation team, or HR may contract this out. It's always worth asking.

I know that it might sound a bit extravagant and self indulgent to employ someone to do this for you but it's better than making a mistake which could end up costing you thousands, as well as your sanity, because you've been misled and bought your dream home only to end up in some ghastly hell hole.

The purchaser is the client and they will working to get the best deals for the purchaser and not the vendor. You could easily recoup that 1% fee by allowing them to negotiate for you and getting you a cracking deal.

Obviously you would still need to do some due diligence yourself.

sussexchick

Thank you for your comments and wonderful advice.:T

Today I shall be contacting the HR department and getting some feedback from them too.

Having never had dealings with EA (apart from when I sold last year) and currently use a LA for this rental, its the only time I've had to deal with that particular group of trade.

OK, so I shall freely admit, I am a silly woman and need to change my approach to how these professionals conduct their line of business.

Or am I as green as I am cabbage looking ! ........... :eek:

chewmylegoff

Viewing houses 101

1) work out where you want to live
2) look on rightmove for potentially suitable properties
3) telephone the agent(s) and ask to view the relevant properties

It's not that difficult. Bunging them a couple of emails and expecting them to operate as your search agent isn't going to get you far. They don't go out and proactively source buyers and try to match them to properties - they set up a beauty parade on rightmove and wait for the phone to ring.

lessonlearned

sussexchick - don't underestimate yourself. If you are smart enough to get yourself a job in these troubled times then you can manage the relocation to another area.

It just takes a bit of getting organised.

As for floundering - well we all have to learn and start somewhere. I worked in housing for over 30 years - I had to start at the bottom, learn the business and work my way up.

I also married a man who had to relocate a number of times, that is until we reached a stage when we refused to move the children from their schools. Then we took the option of OH working away Monday to Friday and coming home at weekends.

Anyway - a quick crash course for you.

Estate Agents act for the Vendor, Relocation Agents act for Purchaser. Think of both of them as "go-betweens". LA's work for the Landlord.

Basically if you think of it as - They work for whoever is paying the commission. The person who is paying is the client, therefore the agent should be working in their client's best interests.

Of course an ethical agent would try to balance everything and keep things fair and behave in a moral fashion. Some do. some don't. Some are only interested in lining their own pockets and are happy to screw people over.

Guess what - they don't last long in the business. Their clients and colleagues soon suss them out. These types go into the business thinking it's easy money. They soon learn otherwise. And of course once they've gained a bad name and reputation they are scuppered, because no one wants to do business with them.

This is also the reason why you would never allow the same solicitor to do the conveyancing for both the vendor and the purchaser - a potential conflict of interests.

Re - your new company and their relocation policy.

Are they helping your financially. Without being rude here this may depend on what "level" you are in the "food chain". Fortunately for my OH his moves were at least part funded by his employers.

However, even if you do not qualify for any financial help, if the company is large enough to have an HR department they should be able to advise you.

Even in a small company you can always have an informal chat and ask them which areas to avoid.

I definitely think it's a good idea to rent for at least 6 months. You might not like your new job so you don't want to commit yourself to a house purchase too soon.

However, rather than plunge headlong into a 6 month lease, it might be an idea to stay in a hotel or BB for a couple of weeks, to check out areas and to make sure that you are happy in your new job.

Will you be subject to a probationary period. If so this is something else you need to factor in.

At any rate it would be better not to make any firm and fast committments until you've had time to find your feet.

If it were me my plan of attack it would be

1. Hotel for a couple of weeks
2. Search the area and find a decent rental
3. Rent for a few months whilst you settle in to your new job.

Only then - after say 4 months or so in rental start your house search proper.

Good luck with it all.

Don't panic, just take it one step at a time.

mrsbmartin

Developing a good relationship with EA's can be done...we have been to see houses just before they 'come to market', we get a call when houses are reduced into our price bracket etc...there are some decent EA's out there (along with the rubbish ones that let you into a property and say...'have a look around' and leave you to it - they annoyingly tend to be the ones with the flash cars).