Estate agents- any sympathy?

Davesnave

I think most of you are daft. To put any group of people into a box, be they EAs, teachers, DWP employees or dustmen is simplistic. I've said it before; if there are crappy, lying estate agents out there, and I know there are because I've met a few, it is because people employ crappy, lying estate agents

Scout

Well I will stick up for (some) estate agents.

I was selling my house last year. I chose a new estate agent who had only been set up a couple of months. Consequently he worked his socks off. He and his staff were courteous and professional at all times and his sales pitch, brochures, advertising etc etc were second to none.

Even though the market has hit a particularly bad patch where I am, he is still selling houses. And I know for a fact that the established agents in the area thought he would be a "here today, gone tomorrow" chap. They have had to change how they work because he is taking so much business off them.

However, I also had agents round (established firms) who promised me X,Y and Z but never delivered.

So, to get to the point, I don't wish any firm to fail, or certainly for employees to lose their jobs. Ok, I don't like the stereotypical estage agent that always seems to be portrayed, but I wish no-one any harm. I just wouldn't put any business their way (unless I had to buy via them ) I'd to to the agent who works and works well, and wish them all the best.

Nenen

simonjstone wrote: »

6 we sell houses better than joe public. we know what to say how to present and how to deal with issues that joe public cannot

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

You must be talking about the [strike]little boy[/strike] EA who showed us round the last property we looked at.... when I asked him where the 'potential to make a third bedroom' mentioned in the details was, he shrugged and said he had no idea... then inspiration struck him :rolleyes: and he said 'maybe an extension onto the patio' (which would have effectively blocked out the only window of the 2nd bedroom)! :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes: He really couldn't have cared less and yet the possibility of a third bedroom was the 'make-or-break' part of the deal for us! I eventually realised they must mean blocking off the entrance to the utility room from the kitchen and making an entrance to it via a cupboard in the hall! He also had no idea who owned the strip of land (about 4 metres wide) running between the bottom of the garden of the house we were viewing and the bottom of the garden of the house backing onto it. Surely any EA worth his salt would have covered that?

Or maybe you are talking about the EA who was showing someone round our last house for us. I arrived home to hear him telling the viewers that the 'field' backing onto our rear garden probably belonged to a local farmer and he didn't know if anyone had ever applied for planning permission to build more homes on it. :eek: This 'field' is actually an ancient common that is an area of archeological importance as well as being protected from ever being built on. We had expressly informed the EA of that when we first marketed it with them and yet this [strike]twerp[/strike] EA obviously hadn't even bothered to read up on our house before he came round.

I've lost count of the number of EAs who've shown us round houses and can't even answer basic questions like, 'Is the central heating gas or oil?'. I've been told at least three times by an EA when showing us round an empty property that this is the first time they've seen the house themselves... usually indicating that this is very funny and interesting for them! So they obviously can't even be bothered to visit the empty houses on their books prior to viewings!

Having said all that, I do feel sorry for individuals who are losing their jobs but really feel most of them have only themselves to blame. They've been only too willing to push prices ever upwards, encourage people to take on debts they cannot afford and generally do anything and everything they can to ensure the 'party' goes on for as long as possible whatever the consequences for the people they deal with. Well, the party is over and they are now suffering the consequences of a massive hangover!

chickmug

wymondham wrote: »

Only when Estate Agents drop charging a percentage of the sale will they truly work for the client, until then it's not in their interest. They need to work to a fixed fee basis, and any commission based pay distorts credibility and integrity. Since they do neither then people are natuarally suspicious as their charging mechanism will go for the max every time regardless of any other factors.

Interesting point but I really am not sure how an EA would arrive at a fixed cost because the work involved for an EA (time spent & costs incurred) varies enormously. Perhaps on the basis of time spent plus the fixed costs as agreed between seller and EA. However the problem is that the public want an idea of exactly what it will cost. A quote rather than an estimate.

chickmug

Nenen wrote: »

talking about the EA who was showing someone round our last house for us.

Years ago EA's never did accompanied viewings and I really totally fail to understand why accompanied viewings are such a big issue.

No EA will ever know the house and area like the seller.

As a buyer would expect to be shown around ONLY by the seller. I would go as far as to say no seller present then I would not view. Of course there will be some exceptions. If the agent wants to be there, in the background or waiting in his car to answer others questions, fair enough.

wymondham

chickmug wrote: »

Interesting point but I really am not sure how an EA would arrive at a fixed cost because the work involved for an EA (time spent & costs incurred) varies enormously. Perhaps on the basis of time spent plus the fixed costs as agreed between seller and EA. However the problem is that the public want an idea of exactly what it will cost. A quote rather than an estimate.

The sale price of the house does not have any bearing on the work involved in selling it does it? all other industries manage fixed fee, some you win, some you lose, estate agents are not a special case. Solicitors manage a fixed fee, when the work can vary enormously (more so in their case I would imagine)....

tbs624

Davesnave wrote: »

I think most of you are daft. To put any group of people into a box, be they EAs, teachers, DWP employees or dustmen is simplistic.

And haven't you just put those whose viewpoints you don't agree with into a box labelled "daft"? :rotfl:

Nenen

chickmug wrote: »

Years ago EA's never did accompanied viewings and I really totally fail to understand why accompanied viewings are such a big issue.

No EA will ever know the house and area like the seller.

As a buyer would expect to be shown around ONLY by the seller. I would go as far as to say no seller present then I would not view. Of course there will be some exceptions. If the agent wants to be there, in the background or waiting in his car to answer others questions, fair enough.

I totally agree with you about the seller knowing much more than the EA chickmug.... My comments about how useless EAs were at doing viewings were in response to Simon's assertion that "we sell houses better than joe public. we know what to say how to present and how to deal with issues that joe public cannot"

However, in the recent situation when the EA showing us round didn't know where the 'potential third bedroom' would be (despite it being in the EA's details) it would have been a bit difficult for the owner to show us round.... she's just gone into a care home! If we insisted we only viewed houses with the owner present we'd cut our potential viewings by about 25%..... possibly cutting off our noses to site our faces in the process!

As far back as I can remember (bought first house in 1983) EAs have always shown people round some of the time. They certainly showed us round several times in 1983, again in 1987 and in 1990 too. In my experience, it has depended upon the vendor's situation and the EA's policy as to who does viewings. For the vast majority of the empty properties I've viewed, EAs have shown us round (usually the vendor lives too far away). However, I've been to look round a couple of properties with EAs while the owners have sat in their living room! The EA explained to me that the vendors are 'shy' and/or don't know what to say! In one case the vendor thought he wasn't 'getting his moneys worth' unless the EA did all the viewings!

Personally, I'd far rather conduct viewings of my own houses myself, firstly because I don't like the thought of strangers going round my house while I'm not there and not least because after the experience in my pp on this thread I believe I can do a better job! In the aforementioned case, the only reason why the EA was doing the viewing for us was because the prospective buyer could only make a time when we were involved in something we couldn't get out of. I dashed back as soon as I could... hence watching what happened!

Snooze

I vote Simon's post for the "funniest post of the year" award.

Rob

Nenen

Snooze wrote: »

I vote Simon's post for the "funniest post of the year" award. Rob

:T:T:T:T:T:T:T