Sold Prior to Marketing

cheeky-peach

We had registered with about 5 EAs and had zero e-mails / calls for properties launching sadly. 

Nature_Lover74

Hi @cheeky-peach; thanks for getting in touch.  I'm sorry to hear that; that must be very frustrating.  May I ask if you ever contacted these EAs to ask why nobody had been in touch at all?  I understand if you'd rather not say.  I may pop a polite message to Agent A and ask why I hadn't been contacted, despite properties that have since come online (SPtM) meet our criteria.  I expect they're very busy of course and maybe it's a case of that they can't physically contact everyone but we're in a small-ish town, not a major city.  Or even a minor city!  .  I'd really appreciate some insight from them on it.    

Ashworks

None of the EAs near us are contacting people proactively at the moment. A couple have mailing lists but they still say check RM as they are not generally bothering to contact people directly. In this market they obviously don't feel they need to. I am ringing them every few days in the hope of catching something before it goes on RM. I feel your pain, as we are in the same position - SSTC 8 weeks ago and nothing to buy yet. Luckily our buyers have somewhere to live and are being very patient...

ss2020jd

Ashworks said:

None of the EAs near us are contacting people proactively at the moment. A couple have mailing lists but they still say check RM as they are not generally bothering to contact people directly. In this market they obviously don't feel they need to. I am ringing them every few days in the hope of catching something before it goes on RM. 

This is exactly the same for me. I may have had one or two emails saying ‘coming soon’ but I have seen a lot that come on to rightmove as sstc but also say ‘added today’. So they are going online as sold as more of a marketing boast to show how fast the agent is. 

Some agents contact investors or buyers on their books first and these may also include sellers who have sold, or are selling with them. They would probably be a priority to the agent to keep the sale on track etc. 

I know someone that just recently rang an estate agent they knew to tell them they were selling, the agent made a call and then it was sold without ever going online. 

So I feel your pain too but it’s unlikely to be a personal thing OP. There are just more buyers to properties at the moment. It also depends on their position. Cash buyers will usually be contacted first. 

I have noticed more coming on and now with the stamp duty holiday dwindling things could change a little. It’s hard to tell. But best of luck with finding somewhere soon.  

Nature_Lover74

Hi @Ashworks; thanks for your reply.  Congratulations on being SSTC!  Thank goodness your buyers are understanding and patient; that takes some weight off your shoulders....I wish you much luck in finding an onward purchase soon.  I don't know about your area but there's truly nothing here though!  By the time I do the usual price filtering on RM, there's nine properties left.  Three of those are upmarket apartments, the others are either semi-detached (we'd like a detached house) or in areas we're not so keen on, or a combination of all the aforementioned!   As I mentioned previously, there have been a couple of properties that have come online recently that *have* met our criteria but a) they're SPtM and b) I wasn't contacted about them anyway.  I'm sure the EA can't contact every single person registered about upcoming properties but of course, I have no insight into this.  We tried - and failed - to sell with this particular EA in 2019 and we've now SSTC with another EA, so I'm not expecting too much from Agent A!  But I've tried to have a bit of faith and registered with them anyway.  We shall see.  I sincerely wish you all the luck in the world finding your next home. 

Nature_Lover74

Hi @ss2020jd; thanks for your reply.  Ah, so SPtM is happening a little bit in your area too.  I can understand it; it's been a whirlwind of late regarding buying and selling hasn't it?  I can also understand the EAs keeping their contacts 'in the loop' but part of me does wonder - perhaps unfairly - that it's not giving *everyone* a fair crack of the whip.  If our face doesn't fit with Agent A - and we know first-hand from his father-in-law how he can operate, as I mentioned earlier in the thread - then I'm not sure what chance we've got.  But I do see it from the EAs point of view too; they have 'tried and trusted' contacts so they'll be priority.  I hope to goodness whenever we *do* find our next house that it'll be the last time we ever move; I don't wish to go through all this again in a hurry!   Thank you very much for your kind wishes about our (eventual!) onward purchase....and I very much wish you all the best in yours also.      P.S.  My husband is out at this very moment, leafletting some properties in our preferred areas; I wonder if it's worth your while doing the same round your way too? 

ss2020jd

Thanks very much @Nature_Lover74. 

It really has been hence my username ss2020 standing for stressed seller - it all started last year. 

I have been considering leafletting but wouldn’t know where to start. I hope it has some positive results for you. Keep us posted! 

trakky14

ss2020jd said:

Ashworks said:

None of the EAs near us are contacting people proactively at the moment. A couple have mailing lists but they still say check RM as they are not generally bothering to contact people directly. In this market they obviously don't feel they need to. I am ringing them every few days in the hope of catching something before it goes on RM. 

This is exactly the same for me. I may have had one or two emails saying ‘coming soon’ but I have seen a lot that come on to rightmove as sstc but also say ‘added today’. So they are going online as sold as more of a marketing boast to show how fast the agent is. 

Some agents contact investors or buyers on their books first and these may also include sellers who have sold, or are selling with them. They would probably be a priority to the agent to keep the sale on track etc. 

I know someone that just recently rang an estate agent they knew to tell them they were selling, the agent made a call and then it was sold without ever going online. 

So I feel your pain too but it’s unlikely to be a personal thing OP. There are just more buyers to properties at the moment. It also depends on their position. Cash buyers will usually be contacted first. 

I have noticed more coming on and now with the stamp duty holiday dwindling things could change a little. It’s hard to tell. But best of luck with finding somewhere soon.  

We have the same same issues here, lots seem to be sales which have fallen through, however the agents are actually contacting alll the people that bid first time around (everything is going to best and final offers here due to multiple over asking price bids) so the rest of us don't get a look in. On the rare occasion something makes it to rightmove its a stampede for viewings and the agents don't seem to have enough time to show the houses...its so difficult. The agent that has sold our house has leaflet dropped on our behalf with no luck, maybe we should try it! Our search radius is massive though so wouldn't know where to start 🤪 I was emailing agents for anything new but they ignore me now, might have to try the phones again 😀

Scotbot

gingercordial said:

BikingBud said:

Nature_Lover74 said:

I've just remembered (how did I forget?) that our buyer sold her previous house earlier this year through Agent A and that was SPtM as well.  (I saw her a couple of days ago; she's actually a friend and she also said she'd never go with Agent A again and that they've "been awful").  Anyway, there seems to be a slight trend for SPtM in our area at the moment (with this agent at least).    

Do you get a rebate agains the cost as if no marketing has occurred ?

No marketing won't mean no effort.  Presumably it means they already had a list of people looking with details of what each was after, and so spent time cross-checking that list to decide which of them might like it, then called them, set up viewings and so on.  Might have needed to take photos and prepare a floorplan to show them.  It just didn't involve putting it on Rightmove.  Marketing to a private shortlist rather than marketing to the general public.

Edit: the house next door to ours just sold in this way - I saw the EA come round and then I saw a photographer come round (my home office window faces them!) but it never actually made it onto Rightmove.

So no RM fees, and if a photographer is not used no fees for AdrianC said:

BikingBud said:

Nature_Lover74 said:

I've just remembered (how did I forget?) that our buyer sold her previous house earlier this year through Agent A and that was SPtM as well.  (I saw her a couple of days ago; she's actually a friend and she also said she'd never go with Agent A again and that they've "been awful").  Anyway, there seems to be a slight trend for SPtM in our area at the moment (with this agent at least).    

Do you get a rebate agains the cost as if no marketing has occurred ?

Why? They did the job that they were hired for...

No photography fees, no RM or Zoopla fees, no glossy leaflets. These are often included in EA costs rather than broken out separately. Depends what tne contract says but I would want a few hundred quid off.

Scotbot

Nature_Lover74 said:

Thanks @moneysavinghero; that's what I thought really.  But I just wonder that Agent A may prefer to let people who *are* selling/have sold their house through them let them know before they'd alert the 'likes of me', who's dared to sell through someone else?  I'm afraid I wouldn't put it past Agent A, unfortunately; they really weren't great with us (too lengthy and boring to go into!).  Oh, I don't know; perhaps I'm getting too cynical about all this?!  Anyway, thank you for your reply.  

When I was buying a couple of years back hardly any of the agents bothered to contact me about properties . Given I was a cash buyer I expected a little more interest but they didn't seem that motivated. In todays market they don't have to make any effort.
 I suspect some buyers however are very motivated and make the effort to ring up daily. Perhaps change tactics and ring the agents more often,  a 5 minute 'hi how are you anything new come in today call. ' Persistence often pays off