Different EA trying to arrange viewings

Chilli6

I'm new to selling but was surprised when I had a call from a different EA to the one my house is up for sale with. They had one of their vendors wanting to view my house. I've told them they need to direct them to my EA as I have a sole agency contract with them
Is this common and are they allowed to do it? I was very confused by it

Thrugelmir

Vendors can view through whatever EA's they wish. Never a guarantee of a sale either. Sounds as if someone is fishing.

Chilli6

Thanks for the reply.
I don't want to turn down viewings but I also don't want to risk breaking the contract

Owain_Moneysaver

The real risk is that you would have been deemed to have appointed the second agent and be due to pay them commission as well.

You did right to refer them to your current agent.

googler

Thrugelmir wrote: »

Vendors can view through whatever EA's they wish.

No, they can't.

How can an EA offer a viewing on a house for which they have no valid agency agreement? They have no right to do so. They are not the agents of the seller.

eddddy

Chilli6 wrote: »

I'm new to selling but was surprised when I had a call from a different EA to the one my house is up for sale with. They had one of their vendors wanting to view my house. I've told them they need to direct them to my EA as I have a sole agency contract with them
Is this common and are they allowed to do it? I was very confused by it

So what exactly was this EA proposing?

Could they have been saying something like...

"We have somebody (or lots of people) on our books who would want to view your property - so terminate your contract with your current EA, and then sign up with us."

Because that's a tactic that many EAs use. (And you should take comments like that with a pinch of salt.)

Chilli6

They said 'we have someone who would like to view your property, they are one of our vendors, when could they view?' That's when I told them I'm confused as I'm with another EA. They then said 'Ah yes well have you been with them over 14 days?' Which they knew I had as they'd also valued my house and I'd told them over 14 days ago that I'd gone with another EA. I told them to go through my EA and they said 'yes we will have to do that then if you have a contract with them.'

wesleyad

Sounds more like they didn't know you had instructed another EA (or do know but thought you may have been in a 14 day cooling off period) and were following up on their valuation with a sales pitch.

saajan_12

Chilli6 wrote: »

They said 'we have someone who would like to view your property, they are one of our vendors, when could they view?' - indeed, they're just interested in a potential commission. That's when I told them I'm confused as I'm with another EA. - good They then said 'Ah yes well have you been with them over 14 days?' Which they knew I had as they'd also valued my house and I'd told them over 14 days ago that I'd gone with another EA. - agents can be fickle, they may well not remember. I told them to go through my EA and they said 'yes we will have to do that then if you have a contract with them.'

Your response was exactly right: if you ahve a sole agency or sole selling rights, then you'll definitely have to pay current EA commission. So while you're in contract with them, refer anyone that comes asking back to current EAs. Maybe they'll agree to split the commission, so current EA gets half their commission for no work and can get started on another property. New EA gets half a commission instead of nothing, for a sale that helps a chain they're involved in complete faster and minimal work as the photos / advertising / finding a buyer is done, just sale progression left.

IF the agents don't want to do that and the new offer is high enough more than you're getting with current EAs, do think about whether its worth your while paying both commissions.

eddddy

Don't take these types of calls too seriously.

Either, as weslyad says, they were touting for your business, because they didn't realise you had signed up with an other EA.

Or maybe they'll just find excuses to call you every few weeks 'to remind you how wonderful they are', so that you think of them if you decide to change EAs.

It's all just 'salesmanship'.

Owain_Moneysaver

I would be slightly surprised if said "vendor" actually turns out to exist.