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Offer on house from walk-in off street
jvpari
Posts: 118 Forumite
A couple has just knocked on the door having seen our property for sale online. They're hoping to get a deal by saving us estate agent fees. Would the estate agent still have a claim to the fees as they put the property on Zoopla and rightmove? Would our contract prohibit us arranging a private sale?
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If the only reason the couple knew the property was for sale is because they saw it on an advert placed by the agent then I can't understand how you could think the agent had nothing to do with it!
Read your contract. I'm almost certain it says that your agent is entitled to their fee because they marketed the house hence the people knocking on your door.0 -
Their marketing prompted the enquiry, so they will be fighting tooth-and-nail for their commission. They will be fighting tooth-and-nail for it even if your best friend's Auntie told the couple about your property over a g&t in the pub.0
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You'll need to check your contract but it seems a bit underhand to me since they only knew it was for sale due to the estate agent having marketed it.
The other thing to consider is goodwill. If you are able to go with these buyers without paying the agent and it falls through then you may find the agent aren't as keen to deal with you again, and presumably they were the best agent for you. Even where the buyers have been vetted, it's not that uncommon for a sale to fall through.0 -
I don't like the sound of this couple: encouraging you to think about doing something underhand so they can get a financial advantage out of it. They'll muck you about for yonks and then drop their offer like a stone the day before exchange.0
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Ok, thanks for the answers. I figured as much but wanted to check before going back to them. We had left it by saying that we would check the situation with the solicitors. I'll just tell them if they are ready to move, we will accept their offer through our estate agent and still with the fees we always expected to have to pay.0
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BitterAndTwisted wrote: »I don't like the sound of this couple: encouraging you to think about doing something underhand so they can get a financial advantage out of it. They'll muck you about for yonks and then drop their offer like a stone the day before exchange.
I disagree. Yes they could be dodgy but they - like us - might just be tired of being priced out of a fast moving market.0 -
I would worry about a couple like this making that sort of proposal. I've bought a house myself before now without involving an EA (but that was purely because I spotted it in between it being put with an EA and the EA actually starting to market it). There was absolutely no clue whatsoever the house was about to be sold and I found out about it through sheer happenstance.
That was one thing and meant nothing about me. It did mean something about the vendor concerned, as they tried to find an excuse to charge me exactly the same as the asking price (though they had saved the EA fees, because I honestly hadn't had a clue the house was about to be for sale).
So...yep...I would be concerned in your circumstances (unless they proposed splitting the difference between you and themselves). I would still be concerned, even then, as the EA will still be due for their commission regardless.0 -
We told them we couldn't because of the wording in the contract but happy to accept an offer through the agent. No response yet!0
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Pause one sec. Think about that...but they - like us - might just be tired of being priced out of a fast moving market.
If they're "tired of being priced out", then that means they want to pay below market value. And who is receiving less money as a result? Yep, you. Sooo... If they're paying any more of a difference than the agent's fees, you WILL receive less than if it went through the agent.
How much are the fees? 1%? 1.5% at most? How much less than you might get through the agent would they be offering, if they're "tired of being priced out"...?0 -
I would tend to agree that if the only way they knew about it was via EA marketing then really they should go through the EA. Bit sharky."enough is a feast"...old Buddist proverb0
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