Impossible estate agents

nicos42

Had the most stressful experience buying first house from having to change solicitors to bad survey. I feel like i m worst buyer around because the estate agent implies that the surveyor is over the top and what he pointed out is extreme and i shoild take it with a pinch of salt and implies that my new solicitor is slow and i m being dificult.
I negotiated the price down but as agreed in writing the seller had to fix two things whilst i m left with damp treatment and roof works.
Now i m near the exchsnge the estate agent was trying to get me to exchange without the two repairs the seller agreed to do.
He told me that my solicitor questions are over the top but the seller has no warranties for some insurance claims work they have done or any paper work for Windows and doors.
When i insisted that i want to view before exchange to check taps and gas the ea almost told me that i m stupid and no one these days do viewings before exchange and he constantly plays on my soft spot that thr seller has very young todlerd qnd is dificult to arrange.
Rant over but am I really being that unreasonable?

ACG

Sod the agent. 9 times out of 10 they are just commission grabbing salesmen.

Take the advice of your solicitor on whether or not to exchange. That is the only voice you should be listening to.

m0bov

EA will be pushy and just want the sale wrapped up. If it helps, communicate via your solicitor only, or talk to the vendor directly but you are the one paying so hang out until your 100% happy. You can always dig your heels in and hold out, or just exchange. Viewing before exchange is quite common. Are they hiding something?

Comms69

Not your agent, not your problem.

JoJo1978

We viewed the place we've just bought three times, once just before exchange. I think if you appreciate the vendor may need a little bit of notice and try to be flexible with when you go it shouldn't be a problem if they are serious about selling and have nothing to hide.

As a seller we only turned down one request to view that our buyer had and that was only because it was after exchange, one day before completion when we had the removals guys packing!

As others have said,don't get pushed around by anyone, just listen to your solicitor.

aneary

No, for all you know an internal wall could have been taken down I would absolutely insist on seeing the property before exchange and the EA being awkward would make me more insistent.

A solicitor has spent many years studying and training so I would go with the Solicitor not an EA.

Smodlet

I would think long and hard about whether to exchange at all or whether to walk away with those problems but of course that is your call. Certainly do not listen to a word an EA says especially so close to exchange. December and January are traditionally quiet months for the property market and they are probably desperate to hit targets/claw in some commission, neither of which is your problem.

How about responding in kind to their character assassination of you? A few choice sentences about their unreasonable and obstructive attitude and woeful lack of professionalism, perhaps?

All EAs are bullies to some extent; it is probably a job requirement. This one sounds as if they are abusing the privilege. You know the only way to deal with bullies, don't you?

Good luck.

agrinnall

nicos42 wrote: »

I negotiated the price down but as agreed in writing the seller had to fix two things whilst i m left with damp treatment and roof works.
Now i m near the exchsnge the estate agent was trying to get me to exchange without the two repairs the seller agreed to do.

I would say that you should exchange without the work being done, but after a further reduction in the purchase price. Do you really want the seller to get the work done by the lowest bidder using the shoddiest materials and unskilled workers, or would you rather have the money to pay for it to be done yourself to an acceptable standard?

nicos42

Thanks everyone. I thought I m being a nightmare buyer.
Great advice always and they agreed on viewing before the exchange. Thats the problem i cant be a bully myself and i m very soft abd guess they worked that out. Vendor is not been honest either about damp and problems. The house is great even with the prolems and i m buying it but I ll get the solicitor to put the EA in his place. So rude and it does make me laugh how they tell me to trust them as they the professionals and this is my first house buy and i know nothing :mad:
Thanks again for taking the time to help :T

Smodlet

1) The EA is the one who is being a nightmare.

2) You are the buyer so no-one can move without your say so. This puts you in charge. The vendor could, of course, put the house back on the market but few want to start the whole process again especially in January, right after the rush to "be in by Christmas" is a lost dream. You could, if you wished, try looking into a mirror and repeating a condensed version of the above if you think it would help you to feel more assertive; I wouldn't mind. :rotfl:;):cool:

3) The EA is a bully. Bullies are beneath contempt. All bullies are cowards. This EA sounds really desperate so is probably bricking themselves (pun intended)

4) Stop worrying about being "nice" and man up! Or take the risk of being walked all over; your choice.

HTH.

bouicca21

The EA handling my last purchase said similar stuff. My solicitor was !!!!, he knew the law better than she did, etc etc. I'm not sure whether it was my age or my gender that led him to believe I was gullible. i've believed every nasty stereotypical comment about EAs ever since.