House unsold, will retry with alternate estate agent

Fromply

My house has been on the market since early last summer. It is unsold.


Have not been particularly impressed with the estate agent and this spring I intend to ditch him and try with an alternate. I've only really left it with them through this winter as wanting to relaunch with someone else with renewed vigour this spring.


I'm after opinions as to whether I'm better off having an immediate transition from one estate agent to another (i.e. leaving the house on the market continuously) or having a month or so gap between agents, where the house is not on the market at all (to try and lose the history of it being unsold for so long).

jbainbridge

Unless the photos are awful it's probably the price.

What has your current agent got wrong?

Tigsteroonie

Could you post the current Rightmove link so that we can offer advice?

flora48

I went for dual agency when instructing a second agent, the first agent was then mobilised into action and ultimately achieved the sale. I did feel sorry for the second agent but they accepted the situation, in fact I wished they could have been the successful agent..

oldbaldman

You may find that the 1st agent will get a benefit from the sale if the 2nd agent re-introduces a buyer that was initially introduced by your inept 1st agent. Seems so wrong, but such is life.

I have come across this with an incompetent EA in Beaconsfield, Bucks. The 1st agent, nice but dim, got the deal and blanketed their database of prospective buyers with the details, and due to cocking up confirming the chain of the buyers and sellers in the chain the sale was lost, and a £300 arrangement fee for a new mortgage and valuation.

Some months later the 2nd agent, an independent with ONLY ONE branch, in Beaconsfield, Bucks achieved a successful sale and and were "invited" by the failed agent to "recognise their part in proceedings" as they had first "introduced" the eventual buyer.

EA's do very little in the real world. As one said to me recently "we sell nothing"," we do nothing, just chase others",

obm

Hoploz

I would take it off next week (take advantage of anyone who might have been browsing over the holidays) then get a fresh valuation/market appraisal and go back on in March or so.

As a viewer I would think it mighty odd if a house had been on the market for a whole year without selling. Even if I wasn't put off by that fact alone, I would think the seller must be desperate and offer low to get a bargain.

Loopy28

I think the EA can make a massive difference to a house selling.

One particularly agent in my area-part of the sequence group are terrible and it got to the point, where me as a potential buyer refused to view any properties with them and I know others who feel the same. It was such a hassle getting a viewing with them and they were more interested in selling me a mortgage than a house, when I did try and offer on a house they refused to pass to the vendor unless we took a mortgage with them so we walked away and didn't bother with any houses they listed.

My sister had her house for sale with an EA for 6 months, changed agents and it sold within a fortnight. I have also seen this happen on Rightmove, a property on the market for ages, then moves agents and sells quickly.

I know when viewing houses, some agents never even phoned for feedback, others were on it straight away, phoning me for feedback and asking me to book a second viewing. The house we are buying, we weren't sure about originally and the EA encouraged us to do a second viewing and then we found we actually really liked it. Might sound weird but the first time, all the windows had been left open in winter, the house was freezing and that is all I could think of when looking around. The second time, the heating was on...strange how these things can affect your brain but had the EA not called and almost pushed us to look again, we would not have gone back.

Anyway, I think it is a good idea to go with another agent and I would do it now. It will go back up to the top of the newest listings on rightmove/zoopla so people only searching now in the new year will not even know it was previously being marketed and it will be a fresh new house to the market.

jakethepeguk

I would definately second the posting of the rightmove link, I did this in the Look at this thread.
I now have a sold sign on my house, (and we are in a ridiculously slow market where we are).

Jue*k

You dont say what's wrong with your current estage agent. Have you had any viewers? Are they providing feedback on why your house isn't suitable. If you are not getting viewings it is more than likely the price/photo's putting people off.
Do what other post said and post a link to your property on rightmove.

oldbaldman

Loopy, all that you describe is the very least service that any agent should be providing as a matter of course.

Otherwise what are they doing? If not the basics?

One agent I dealt with was comical. My position was house under offer, sale proceeding and had been for 3 months, completion due within 6 weeks. Looking to buy, OIP in hand, reduced mortgage, as buying for less than I was selling.

Agent arranged to meet me at the viewing in Northants. I arrived on time. No sign of agent. Phone call to office, agent was on way back to office, apparently, having forgotten house key. Anyway, an hour later agent turned up . Got out of his car and approached me within 20 yards and then turned away with a comment of "hang on a minute". No apology for keeping me waiting all that time. Then he came back with a key, which he could not open the front door with. After half an hour trying, he admitted that he had got the wrong key. Said he had to go. That was the last I heard from them. I was in a good position, and they had no interest.

What EAs do is simple common sense. Apart from the initial introduction, buyer meet seller, they only chase up regulated professionals.

But if you or anyone else feels that they need to spend unnecessary money on them, go ahead.

obm

Thrugelmir

Fromply wrote: »

My house has been on the market since early last summer. It is unsold.

What was the feedback from those that have viewed it?