Estate agents behaviour

Davesnave

I've always been treated civilly by agents, but my wife was once shouted at by an agent who was responding by 'phone to a letter I'd written to him.

My letter simply pointed out that it had been a mistake to let the vendor, a complete madman, do the viewing, and that by agreeing to this, his agency's reputation was decidedly questionable. I didn't think other agencies in the town would have risked it.

His response was to shout, "You are blacklisted and banned from any further viewings!"

It was no big deal. We knew the property was 'odd' in some way, as it had been on the market so long. The viewing itself was even entertaining.

Indeed, my then 15 year old daughter had to excuse herself half way though and go for a walk, as the expressions my wife & I were exchanging and the outrageous statements of the vendor were all proving just too much!

lessonlearned

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

JoJo,

Errrmm..I've got news for you...I looked younger than my age for years (these days I look exactly my age:() but people doing things like "talking over you" can happen at any age.

I had dealings with a particular firm recently where the man concerned was trying the "talk over me" tactic at my age. I cant actually understand why people do that, as if someone does that to me and its still "my turn" to talk and I am still speaking, then I just stay as calm as possible and continue saying what I am saying. I certainly haven't the foggiest idea what the perpetrator of "talk over tactic" is saying, because I'm continuing what I was saying and I don't suppose the perpetrator has any idea what I am saying either (as they are focusing on trying to interrupt me). Genuine question here = is the person doing the talking-over/interrupting trying to make me shut up part way through what I am in the process of saying/forget what I want and just get told by them what I am having instead (even though I am the one who is the customer)? Or have they already decided not to do business with me and are the sort of person who likes to punch someone, but feel they cant get away with that, so the talking-over is the verbal equivalent of a punch?

Then there is the deliberately looking puzzled when you make a justified complaint about something and telling you that your standards are unreasonably high (when they aren't at all and you are only expecting normal decent quality product or service and not some absolutely perfect "breathed on by angels" high-end stuff). That still happens to people, even at my age.

I don't think I've encountered these two things until recently, hence not quite sure how to think of them/handle them, other than persist with being the customer trying to get the perfectly ordinary standard product/service I require. I'm experimenting with the "deliberately looking puzzled" and "of course.....that's how x/y/z is" back in return, in case that's the way to deal with this...

Had a rare old chuckle at this.

Sounds like you've gone from being patronised for being "too young" to now being patronised for being "old and decrepit"…….:rotfl::rotfl:

It happens…….

Re the "talking over" - you see this all the time - not really a very effective form of communication though is it.

Perhaps you need to watch Jeremy "The Rotweiller" Paxman and pick up a few tips. When politicians etc won't answer his questions, try to talk over him, stray from the point etc he just keeps bringing them back to the point.

Apparently he once repeated the same question 17 times until he got an answer.

However, there is an easier way ……

Just win 'em over with charm….

Re the looking puzzled.

When I meet someone who is being difficult or obtuse or who is trying to bamboozle me then I just "act daft" as we say oooop North. I play down my intelligence and pretend I don't understand. I ask them to help me or explain it to me again. It always works.

In most situations I generally find that using charm, flirting and using feminine wiles (I know I know:rotfl:) and appealing to someone's better nature is far more effective than trying to point score or argue.

I find that most people either genuinely want to be helpful or at least they want your business and so will try and give good service or value for money.

The trick is always keep calm and stay in control of your emotions. Always remember the old adage "lose your temper, lose the argument".

Oh and remember the customer is always right - even when they are have got it wrong and are talking a load of old tripe. If you don't like the service on offer then take your money elsewhere.

"He who pays the piper calls the tune".

DRP

lessonlearned wrote: »

When I meet someone who is being difficult or obtuse or who is trying to bamboozle me then I just "act daft" as we say oooop North. I play down my intelligence and pretend I don't understand. I ask them to help me or explain it to me again. It always works.

agree with this - i use it a lot with EAs & tradesmen who assume you have done absolutely no research beforehand. Forewarned is forearmed...

lessonlearned

Green - I can appreciate you are getting frustrated with house prices. London and the South East are not representative of the country as a whole. They are a distinct anomaly and have little bearing on the property market in general.

In the regions whilst the market is brisker than it has been for some time is by no means overheating. In some areas of the country houses are still selling at either around or slightly under the asking price. The best properties will of course always be snapped up first and they will often sell at a premium.

Asking prices are only a guide. The actual selling price is dependent on a range of factors.

In the case of London and the South East prices are a reflection of the current situation where there is under supply and high demand.
No amount of protesting or government intervention is going to reduce prices.

It may well be that once the current "pent up" demand has been met then prices will stabilise again.

However, you have to remember that London is one of the most expensive cities in the world. It is a world class city which attracts foreign investment and a constant influx of "new blood". Demand and prices will be high.

Jason74

Green3 wrote: »

There is a difference between the value of a house and what people are willing to pay. Those who are willing to pay above the over-valued asking prices are behaving as if there is no tomorrow, and are pushing up the house prices for everyone. The general rule of thumb is that a property may double in price in 10 years. But now they are being put up for sale at double or more their price in less than 5 years! This is called over valuation. And once a certain property on a certain road has been sold for a certain price, then another similar property which comes up for sale in the same road at the same time will definitely be priced higher or same as this. It will not be put up for sale at a lesser price because the seller and estate agents feel that since that house got sold for so much, I can also get the same. And thus the prices of houses start going up at a crazy pace. So the estate agent who put up the first house for an over valued price to get extra commission, and the first buyer who paid above the asking price because he was richer/stupider than the rest of the buyers, both contribute in pushing up house prices. This buyer (unless he is a cash buyer/foreign investor) will borrow money from the bank by over stretching his budget. And he has to ultimately repay this money to the bank or his house will get repossessed. And whenever people are living a life beyond their means and have a huge debt, they are taking a very big risk. And believe me money problems can break up families, relationships and the stress can cause serious health problems. So if all buyers unite and refuse to fall into this trap set by estate agents and banks, then there will be no choice but to put properties for sale at reasonable prices. But here the stupid rich are starting a property war. And when they want to sell, obviously they will not sell it for a lower price than they bought it for. So today's frenzy is pushing up property prices forever and beyond the reach of an average income person. And it is the selfishness of rich people and the greed and arrogance of estate agents which is contributing to this. Please open your eyes and stop this. And the only way to stop this is to stop paying above asking prices. Then the estate agents will think twice before putting up houses for sale at insane prices. Are we really going to allow this bunch of notorious estate agents to totally ruin the property market and cause the banks to collapse?

Green, it's certainly a frustrating experience trying to buy a home in London at the moment, and as an FTB it's particularly hair raising. But, there are certain realities that you have to realise

1) The value of a property at a given time is exactly what someone is prepared to pay for it. No more, no less. If someone will pay a given amount for a property, then that is what it is worth. Of course, that value can change over time, but at any given time, the value is nonetheless exactly what someone is willing to pay for it

2) Agents work for the vendor. Their job is to get the best price possible for the vendor. In an environment where there is under supply, this creates an unpleasant environment for buyers. Estate agents will feed on this for sure, but in doing so, they're just doing their job. It's nothing personal.

3) The conditions for the kind of situation you are describing naturally exist in the Lonon market right now. Estate agents simply respond to that. If there's rampant price increases, it's because too many people are chasing too few homes.

4) Yes, house prices in London are (imho) a significant and growingh social problem for the city as a whole. You'll get no argument from me on that one. But Estate agents aren't the right target here. They don't create the environment, they simply respond to it. If you want to look at why prices are so high, you need to look at a whole host of factors from lack of building, to speculative behaviour in Central London, to effective "hoarding" of property via BTL. Addressing those issues might put a brake on London prices, blaming estate agents and starting petitions wont.

None of the above is to say that I like the way Estate Agents carry on. I don't, and while there are some very professional guys out there, most of the negative stereotypes have at least some truth for the majority of agents. The OP provides a good (albeit extreme) example of the unpleasant behaviour that many (albeit not al) of them routinely indulge in.

But if you are struggling to get on (or move up) the housing ladder, they are not the reason why. You might need to look at your options again, and decide whether buying the size of home you want in the area you're currently looking is a reaistic option right now. That's not a nice process (most of us have had to do it at some point, as not many of us live in our ideal house in our ideal location), but in the long run, adjusting your expectations and coming to enjoy something that is attainable for you may be the best way forward.

lessonlearned

Re - tempremental EA's.

It always astonishes me how many of them behave like Prima Donnas.

As you some of you know I worked in and around the property industry for most of my life. It always amused me to see how many EA's were temperamentally wholly unsuited to the job.

Dealing with the "General Public" can be a thankless task and my advice to all my trainees was this -

"To be in this game you need to have a genuine liking for the human race. The Public At Large can be horrible, you will need every ounce of patience and understanding. If you don't genuinely like people then you won't hack it. You will just become angry, bitter and disillusioned. If you are the sort of person who can't let go of an argument and want the last word you won't survive. If you lack charm and diplomacy you are dead in the water. If you want an easy ride then go and find a nice quiet little job tucked away in an office where you never have to speak to anyone".

The same applies with any person to person job. If you don't like people then don't do it. You can't fit a square peg into a round hole.

Having said that the best EA's are often the "quirky" ones and yes sometimes "quirky" also means being slightly "cranky". The best EA's tend to be original one offs who are creative and imaginative who can think outside the box and who can problem solve.

These are the ones who are usually quick witted and can think on their feet. These are the ones who can seem impatient and "testy" Don't automatically rule them out because they don't ooze charm - they might just be person you need to act in your best interest.

I have always been thoughtful and charming - to both vendors and purchasers. However, I was never a push-over and I have been known to give people a piece of my mind when I thought they had overstepped the line - always politely of course.

I have refused to take on properties I thought were overpriced flea pits and whose owners lived in cloud cuckoo land. I have also removed rude purchasers out of my office and refused point blank to deal with them.

This was when I worked for developers and not a private vendor. My superiors were more than happy to back me up because they trusted my judgement. They knew that if I refused to deal with someone then they were being saved a whole load of hassle and probably money further down the line.

I was definitely one of the "quirky" ones…..

lincroft1710

Green3 wrote: »

Someone should start an online petition at change.org to stop this over valuation of properties by estate agents and to request people to stop paying more than asking price and driving up property prices. This should be sent to the Prime Minister. This is destroying families and society.

You've obviously never heard of "free market economy".

londonmaiden

Green3 wrote: »

There is a difference between the value of a house and what people are willing to pay. Those who are willing to pay above the over-valued asking prices are behaving as if there is no tomorrow, and are pushing up the house prices for everyone. The general rule of thumb is that a property may double in price in 10 years. But now they are being put up for sale at double or more their price in less than 5 years! This is called over valuation. And once a certain property on a certain road has been sold for a certain price, then another similar property which comes up for sale in the same road at the same time will definitely be priced higher or same as this. It will not be put up for sale at a lesser price because the seller and estate agents feel that since that house got sold for so much, I can also get the same. And thus the prices of houses start going up at a crazy pace. So the estate agent who put up the first house for an over valued price to get extra commission, and the first buyer who paid above the asking price because he was richer/stupider than the rest of the buyers, both contribute in pushing up house prices. This buyer (unless he is a cash buyer/foreign investor) will borrow money from the bank by over stretching his budget. And he has to ultimately repay this money to the bank or his house will get repossessed. And whenever people are living a life beyond their means and have a huge debt, they are taking a very big risk. And believe me money problems can break up families, relationships and the stress can cause serious health problems. So if all buyers unite and refuse to fall into this trap set by estate agents and banks, then there will be no choice but to put properties for sale at reasonable prices. But here the stupid rich are starting a property war. And when they want to sell, obviously they will not sell it for a lower price than they bought it for. So today's frenzy is pushing up property prices forever and beyond the reach of an average income person. And it is the selfishness of rich people and the greed and arrogance of estate agents which is contributing to this. Please open your eyes and stop this. And the only way to stop this is to stop paying above asking prices. Then the estate agents will think twice before putting up houses for sale at insane prices. Are we really going to allow this bunch of notorious estate agents to totally ruin the property market and cause the banks to collapse?

I agree with everything you have just said. The only people I can think of who can afford to pay these stupid prices are cash buyers. An example of a private advert where I live is a cash buyer and property investor asking for a 2-3 bed house between £300-500k, how is it fair that he will get the opportunity to outbid all of the families who are trying to buy the house with a mortgage. It is not fair I don't care how you try to justify it, it is only a small proportion of people who have the money to throw at it to whom it doesn't matter. To everyone else who has saved half of their life time to get a deposit, it matters a hell of a lot. You should not have to be in a position where you view a house within your price bracket and then know you are not going to be able to buy it because it will go for 15k over the asking price, it is ludicrous.

Green3

I have edited the post and put paragraphs for easier reading.

lincroft1710

If you think today's house price rises are exorbitant, may I remind people that in the early 1970s prices literally doubled over a period of 2 years.

Also remember that the 1930s 3 bed semis in London suburbs that now sell for £350K and more cost their first owners around £700 (yes, seven HUNDRED).

And prices do fall, compare the high of 1988/9 with 1994/5.

You cannot legislate against house price rises.