Time to change agent?

Sarah1Mitty2

Dogen said:

CSI_Yorkshire said:

That's how I bought my last two - one viewing, make offer, didn't see house or speak to the EA again until I collected the keys.

Having an EA bugging me for an offer because they were "chasing sales" or "pushing the house" would have put me off.

I do get this, it would probably put me off too. But I don't really get where the agent's skills are. If they are all just putting stuff online and waiting for a contact, it's not in bringing people in. So the skill must be in selling it positively when they have a viewing. I realise nobody can sell a spacehopper to someone who is desperate for an orange, but surely there is something an agent an do to make a home seem desirable?!

Many agents working today have never experienced higher borrowing rates, they are going to get a shock, houses used to sell themselves there was very little skill involved IMO.

Dogen

Sarah1Mitty2 said:

Many agents working today have never experienced higher borrowing rates, they are going to get a shock, houses used to sell themselves there was very little skill involved IMO.

That's certainly a factor here, I think. I felt the agents were working their properties much more when I bought this one just before the internet house marketing boom began. There seem to be loads of agents chasing increasingly few properties and even fewer buyers. They've mostly seen boom times -- even the stamp duty holiday helped after covid. Nobody should expect houses to just sell themselves at the moment.  The interest rate news today is a sure sign that this is only going to get trickier

Sarah1Mitty2

Dogen said:

Sarah1Mitty2 said:

Many agents working today have never experienced higher borrowing rates, they are going to get a shock, houses used to sell themselves there was very little skill involved IMO.

That's certainly a factor here, I think. I felt the agents were working their properties much more when I bought this one just before the internet house marketing boom began. There seem to be loads of agents chasing increasingly few properties and even fewer buyers. They've mostly seen boom times -- even the stamp duty holiday helped after covid. Nobody should expect houses to just sell themselves at the moment.  The interest rate news today is a sure sign that this is only going to get trickier

Yes, also many financial professionals are too young to have experienced an actual cost being attached to money, you can see the deer in the headlights look on some of them as this unravels. With hindsight the SDH was a massive mistake, although some of us did point that out at the time.

Dogen

Emily_Joy said:

Have you ever asked your agent for more informative feedback than "they loved the house"? 

(Not that I think it will help, but in our little town there is a house for sale with asking price offers over £490K. It is a 2 bed semi from 1930 on a very busy road - the noise from cars would personally kill me. It has quite a large garden with a summer house that is currently used as a workshop and is located next to a popular school - even more morning traffic! It is hard to see what the owners and the agent are thinking - there are 4 beds semi available for less than that in a better location, admittedly without summer house). 

I have. I am not sure I got an adequate response. I've had that husbands don't like it, it's too feminine, and also that women don't think it is feminine enough... garden too gardeny, etc. In the end, who knows why someone really doesn't fancy a house, but I would have thought the agent could have sold the good points strongly but I don't know if they have. 

I've seen similar weird listings. A house backing onto a supermarket car park where kids hang out at night and use it for hot rodding (or whatever revving up overpowered cars for no apparent reason might be called) and there's a permanent traffic jam in the day outside plus a high flood risk at a ludicrous asking price that far dwarves nearby properties up for sale. I wonder if agents accept properties at prices that are far too high simply to get them on their books, knowing they'll only be reduced to something more realistic later? Better they get them than a rival? I think my place was overpriced at first but that was only at the advice of an agent. I am sure it's not now; I am well below the lower price my agent reckoned would be the correct price, but she still hasn't sold it (as you know!).

Dogen

Sarah1Mitty2 said:

With hindsight the SDH was a massive mistake, although some of us did point that out at the time.

Any kind of holiday would do for me at the moment! Too much house selling stress!

Sarah1Mitty2

Dogen said:

Emily_Joy said:

Have you ever asked your agent for more informative feedback than "they loved the house"? 

(Not that I think it will help, but in our little town there is a house for sale with asking price offers over £490K. It is a 2 bed semi from 1930 on a very busy road - the noise from cars would personally kill me. It has quite a large garden with a summer house that is currently used as a workshop and is located next to a popular school - even more morning traffic! It is hard to see what the owners and the agent are thinking - there are 4 beds semi available for less than that in a better location, admittedly without summer house). 

I have. I am not sure I got an adequate response. I've had that husbands don't like it, it's too feminine, and also that women don't think it is feminine enough... garden too gardeny, etc. In the end, who knows why someone really doesn't fancy a house, but I would have thought the agent could have sold the good points strongly but I don't know if they have. 

I've seen similar weird listings. A house backing onto a supermarket car park where kids hang out at night and use it for hot rodding (or whatever revving up overpowered cars for no apparent reason might be called) and there's a permanent traffic jam in the day outside plus a high flood risk at a ludicrous asking price that far dwarves nearby properties up for sale. I wonder if agents accept properties at prices that are far too high simply to get them on their books, knowing they'll only be reduced to something more realistic later? Better they get them than a rival? I think my place was overpriced at first but that was only at the advice of an agent. I am sure it's not now; I am well below the lower price my agent reckoned would be the correct price, but she still hasn't sold it (as you know!).

They definitely overprice to get business I think, many are probably just ticking over on fees from managing rentals though?

Sarah1Mitty2

Dogen said:

Sarah1Mitty2 said:

With hindsight the SDH was a massive mistake, although some of us did point that out at the time.

Any kind of holiday would do for me at the moment! Too much house selling stress!

Exactly  

YoungBlueEyes

I'm not sure you can still do this these days with all the checks they do now, but would it be possible for a friend to view the house so you can get some info on what the EA is actually like on the job?

Dogen

YoungBlueEyes said:

I'm not sure you can still do this these days with all the checks they do now, but would it be possible for a friend to view the house so you can get some info on what the EA is actually like on the job?

Thought of this but not sure if I know anyone who could pull it off. So to speak. I will think about it, it's a possibility. Thank you

jonnydeppiwish!

Dogen said:

I am trying to sell my house. It's been six months. It went on the market halfway between the highest and lowest of the prices three agents gave me. I then reduced it to the lowest of the three prices and my EA told me it was now at the correct price. It didn't sell. So I knocked another 30,000 off the price. It still hasn't sold. I am getting viewings, people like it and are coming back for second viewings. But my agent is taking on properties left right and centre, mostly a bit dearer than mine, and I feel I am having to compete with the other properties on my agents books when she ought to be focused on selling mine. She makes all the right noises but no sale and i think she might be spreading her work too thin. Should I change agent?

Many thanks for reading.

Just to point out the elephant in the room - you’ve been on the market for 6 months and not sold then it’s either overpriced, there is a major issue with it or a mixture of both.

if you’re having second viewings, I’d go with the mixture.

Theres a problem with house buyers at the moment, especially those who need large mortgages - interest rates are now predicted to go up to 5.5% so people just can’t afford the higher prices. 

The EA has to sell properties to be paid therefore of course she’ll take on other properties to sell, and yes they’ll be in competition with yours. If you think you should be the only type of property on an EAs books then , unfortunately, you need to understand the reality of the business.

I doubt your EA is not trying to sell your property as they need to be paid. A house for sale for that prior of time is negative publicity for them. As for feedback, that’s probably all she gets, the majority are just excuses and off the cuff comments to get the EA off the phone when she calls for feedback. 

Pull your property off the market with them, market with a new EA (don’t forget to take a list of those who have already viewed it from the old EA just in case). Accept that the house is no longer ‘worth’ what it once was, and start afresh.