Estate Agent Agreement

bracke

I had several cards put through by door by an agent stating
they had prospective buyers for my flat, I had them round
to value the flat & their representative said he knew of at least
2 people looking for a flat on a corner plot like mine.
I agreed to let them market the flat but have had no viewers
at all in 5 weeks, and no feedback from the agent at all.
As they obviously lied to me to get me to sign with them
and have been no help can I legally cancel my sole agency
agreement with them and place my flat with another agent?

Thanks

Mr_Moo_2

But can you prove that they have lied to you? Probably not. So you need to read the terms of your contract - this will give you the details of what you have signed up for, any term agreed, and the notice period required to terminate the contract. Once you've got this, write to the Agent.

When chooing your next Agent, ask some clear questions about how they will market it, the support you will get, why the valuation is the right one, and negotiate on the terms if you want to - e.g. a shorter sole agency period

googler

At the time the EA first contacted you, they may well have had someone looking for a flat in your street, of your type/size/location etc., but once you were on the market, these potential buyers could;

Have bought somewhere else
Have lost interest in your street/type/location
Have lost their mortgage offer
Etc

Or, if the EA has contacted them;

Have looked at the pictures/description of your property and decided that they don't like it
Decided they like your property but can't afford it.


So ... there's plenty of reasons that you might not have had viewers, none of which is 'the EA lied to you' ...

G_M

The lesson:

ignore sales patter, whether from a double glazing salesman, or an estate agent, or....

Read, negotiate and consider, before signing any contract (whether for double glazing........ blah blah)

princeofpounds

This is one of the oldest tricks in the book for agents to get you onto their lists.

It's always difficult because sometimes they do actually have buyers waiting.

But often they are stretching the truth on the matter.

Regardless, you are stuck with the contract you signed, so read it and see what it says about exiting it, then come back for more advice.

eddddy

bracke wrote: »

...their representative said he knew of at least
2 people looking for a flat on a corner plot like mine.
....

Hi bracke

EA says: "We've got lots of people looking for a property like yours"

Vendor's response: "Excellent - so a 4 week sole agency period should be long enough for them all to view the property and get their offers in."

It's worked for me - and if the agent seems to be doing a good job, let them carry on beyond the 4 weeks.

DRP

bracke wrote: »

I had several cards put through by door by an agent stating
they had prospective buyers for my flat, I had them round
to value the flat & their representative said he knew of at least
2 people looking for a flat on a corner plot like mine.
I agreed to let them market the flat but have had no viewers
at all in 5 weeks, and no feedback from the agent at all.
As they obviously lied to me to get me to sign with them
and have been no help can I legally cancel my sole agency
agreement with them and place my flat with another agent?

Thanks

How long is the contract?