Disgruntled estate agents who we chose not to sell with is now jeopardising buying

wateva

Hi All,

When we were planning to sell our house, we called around two estate agents; one being high street retailer the other is an independent estate agent. The high street estate agents selling costs (£3500) were too much for us to consider so we opted for the independent firm which worked out to be cheaper (£1700) offering the same level of service as its high street giant rivals. However, bear in mind the same day we also booked to see the high street agent’s financial adviser after our market appraisal appointment so we could get an insight into what the process involved. An affordability check on how much we can borrow was conducted on the basis of figures we provided verbally. To proceed we were told to return with payslips and bank statements but again we were put off after reading the paperwork they had avoid to mention the hidden costs for their mortgaging service.

Anyway we sold our house and went to look at a property which the high street estate agent is marketing. We met a member of staff who was unaware of us approaching them for selling. Whilst having a tour of the property I also spoke to the house owner, an elderly lady whose household circumstances seemed to run parallel with my own life. Anyway the rapport building helped, I will explain why later. We made the member of staff aware that we are interested in the property and would like to put in an offer but I asked what the buyer is hoping to achieve. He informed us that other prospective buyers have made offers in the region of 225k which will not be considered and putting in an offer of 226k will put us in a better position. We were happy to put across the offer but we got told they cannot accept the offer until we show them a mortgage in principle certificate, copy of bank statement to show deposit funds and i.d. He also made us aware that other offers submitted were by taxi drivers and those that had difficulty in proving their income hence having a hard time getting a mortgage. Off we went home, I contacted London and Country for the mortgage in principle and they got us a MIP within 15 minutes. They emailed us the certificate and we went to the high street estate agent to submit our paperwork.

This is where the problem started. Firstly the chap who showed us around the house was on another house viewing appointment. Secondly we came across the branch manager who carried out the market appraisal when we were selling our house. The conversation became awkward as he had asked why we did not sell with him, to which I explained it was the cost factor which we couldn’t afford. He happened to know how quickly our house sold and then went on to ask after I provided all the paperwork as to why we weren’t as quick to provide paperwork to their financial adviser to carry out the mortgage offer. Again I explained why, along came a comment which totally threw me – “you do know we will have to check everything is above board with this mortgage?” Shocked isn’t even the word to describe how I felt. I replied saying payslips were scanned to a reputable company and there is nothing dodgy about it.

Then to add insult to injury, he said “well I am advising you to increase your offer. We have had several offers since the house has been on the market only a week ago so most likely your offer will not stand a chance. Offering the asking price would be better.”

We left in dismay after again he interrogated us on how we obtained the mortgage and at what stage we are with our sale. I felt we were being penalised for not using their services for selling our house and none oft he information he provided correlated with the member of staff who gave us the tour of the house

Anyway on our way home, I knocked on the seller’s door and spoke to her directly. She was very approachable and felt the company charged her a high amount(5k) to sell her house. I outright asked what she is hoping to achieve and she told me 228k is what she would accept. Coincidentally the branch manager rang her whilst I was there to make her aware that I had made an offer. The seller told him I was present to which the estate agent said there is also another offer and not to worry they will ensure she gets the best price for the house. The seller said he did not disclose the other offer. She took my details and I made her aware I will resubmit my offer of 228k.


Estate agent then rang my husband and said he does not want an elderly lady taken advantage of and the offer of 226k is declined. I rang back upping the offer to 228k and they said the financial adviser will be in touch to run through my paperwork and they will look into the offer and get in touch about acceptance/decline by tomorrow.

Why does the financial adviser need to scrutinise my paperwork? This high street agent markets almost all the houses in the area we wish to move to, no doubt this will cause us problems if we are not able to secure a sale on the house we have chosen. How would you deal with a situation like this?

Running_Horse

Welcome to house buying.

TBeckett100

Sounds like Connells. They let my mentally incapacitated grandfather put his home in the market without his wife being aware

Theia

Is it Bridgfords? They've been a nightmare for us!

WeAreGhosts

sounds like these guys https://www.sequencehome.co.uk/
awful! the one i encountered was like an old fashioned double glazing salesman!

wateva

No it is Dixons Estate Agents

csgohan4

The problem with them having your financial details, they know how much you can afford and they can push you higher.


It is not their job to see if 'everything is above board for the mortgage' Your not applying for a mortgage through them, they are not your mortgage advisor. So what if they say you can afford the mortgage or not, it's not their call but the lender lolz. Their playing hard ball and scare tactics.


Get a copy of The Property Ombudsman and the rules and give it a read for your rights.


When connells asked me for that stuff and see their mortgage advisor, I said no, contact my mortgage advisor for proof of affordability.


In fact I didn't even give them an AIP until after the offer was accepted. AIP are useless tbh before offer. You might not get that particular product or with that bank.


Sounds like this house may be too much trouble for you. If you do want to persist, I would contact the sellers directly since you have a better rapport with them.


I would never use estate agents services, usually overpriced and standard is poor. For example, they wanted me to use their surveyors, so I kindly asked for a quote for a building survey and they gave me one for £999, the one I have is for £595 lolz, what a joke.


They seem bitter for no reason. They offered a more expensive service, your price is not competitive, so customer went somewhere else, simple economics.

burnsguitarman

This is very typical of all the large chains.. Avoid if possible, or be firm and stick to your guns. They are only in it for themselves.

kingstreet

wateva wrote: »

No it is Dixons Estate Agents

Don't be taken in by the different trading names.

This is Countrywide Group.

When they finally give up on getting your mortgage business, expect pressure to use their "in-house conveyancing service as it will make sure the transaction runs smoothly and the vendor insists on it" or some other drivel designed to ease more money from your pocket.

stator

Yes welcome to the age of the modern estate agent. They aren't in the business of selling houses anymore. They are in the business of selling overpriced mortgage brokering and overpriced conveyancing. Their staff are probably paid based on performance in selling these services and not selling houses. In my opinion the Connells Group are the worst offenders but Countrywide Group companies can be quite bad too.

Landofwood

Bite your tongue, apologise for the circumstances around your sale and be overly friendly. This is the way to have a chance of this purchase going smoothly.

You've done nothing wrong and estate agents like this disgust me, but if you moan or complain they will ensure you don't get this property.

You'll forget about all of this when you're in your new home.