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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU to think there must be a special place in hell reserved for estate agents?

42 replies

LollieB · 01/11/2016 13:11

This might be stating the obvious, but are all estate agents completely hideous? It happens that I am currently renting out two flats on behalf of friends who are travelling, selling two places which belonged to family members who have just passed away, selling my own place and buying another. So, dealing with estate agents is pretty much my full time job at the moment. Now, I like to think of myself as a pretty calm and reasonable person, but these estate agents are pushing me to the limit. There isn't one of them who isn't a duplicitous, mendacious bottom-feeder. I'm going crazy dealing with them on a daily basis.

OP posts:
Legogo · 01/11/2016 14:36

I'm envious of all you lot who have met an EA who isn't a complete cunt. I'm yet to experience that. It must be extremely deflating to basically make a career out of bullshitting.

LollieB · 01/11/2016 14:38

The other issue is the fees which they charge. From what I can see, they earn a percentage fee (why?) for essentially making a few phone calls, sending a few emails and standing passively in a corner while potential buyers/renters ask them questions which they more often than not don't know the answer to.

OP posts:
LollieB · 01/11/2016 14:42

Bananabread123 no one else was interested in the property at the time of our offer. They strung us along for about two weeks, saying that the offer was accepted, but there were problems getting in touch with the owner. They then lined up new viewings and got higher than asking price. The neighbours told us that the owner said that she was happy to accept our offer, so I've no idea why the EA did this.

OP posts:
Sparklingbrook · 01/11/2016 14:43

Not had much to do with them recently. but I remember when we bought this house a few years ago the EA selling it basically lied a lot. Sad

Bananabread123 · 01/11/2016 14:43

LollieB
Ok, I admit that is rather shitty.

EssentialHummus · 01/11/2016 14:45

Lollie - I've had this happen to me too. To avoid it, put your offer in writing (good idea anyway) and say "This offer is valid until [date a week from now] unless extended by the agreement of both parties."

HeartsTrumpDiamonds · 01/11/2016 14:48

Oh God we are in the middle of EA hell right now. I thought he was a semi-decent guy but the longer things drag on the more I realise he is only looking out for himself. The buyers he "found" for us, who were supposedly chain-free cash buyers, who could exchange "really quickly" are turning out to be nothing of the sort. And now we are facing losing a significant 6-figure deposit and the house we are meant to be buying. It is all so very stressful and he is doing nothing.

ItGoesWithoutSaying · 01/11/2016 15:01

A friend of mine was selling her house, hoping to move into a slightly larger house down the road. Offer on her house accepted, her offer on next house accepted. All going through but there was query over my friend's house from the survey. A structural engineer needed to take a close look. He did and there was no problem.

In the week's delay the EA managed to persuade the buyer of my friends house to make an offer on the house my friend had agreed to buy. It was accepted and my friend didn't move at that time.

Scumbag.

gingercat02 · 01/11/2016 15:08

We are moving tomorrow and our EA and the ones we ate buying through are both lovely (conveyancing solicitors not so much)

WankingMonkey · 01/11/2016 15:26

About 6 years ago, before we had the kids me and my partner moved closer to my parents. The house was a bit rundown but liveable. You could tell noone had been there for a long time. We rented via an agent, never spoke to the landlord as they left everything down to the agent. A month or so after we moved in, the boiler broke. This was a week before xmas. The agent point blank refused to do anything about it, expected us to pay for a new boiler or a fix ourselves and was just generally a dick about it. Long story short, agent kept being a dick and we moved out 2 months after we moved in.

This when we got first contact from the landlord. the landlord claimed we had never paid any rent and had failed to give a security deposit for the property. Luckily, we had proof and receipts which the landlord accepted. he then asked why we moved out so we told them. Turns out the estate agent had said the boiler was brand new (it wasn't...at least 10 years old), had been replaced just before we moved in which was a complete lie. LL had paid for this 'new boiler'. My god he was so pissed off. Turns out the place had been empty for 2 YEARS before we moved in and he had been thrilled at finally having tenants, only for them to be scared away by a wanker agent who was actually scamming him too. From what he said, he had paid for a lot of improvements that hadn't actually been done..including new carpets throughout the house and such.

Ineedmorelemonpledge · 01/11/2016 15:44

Yes the devil really runs Foxtons, but they hide under a thinly veiled facade of British racing green and triple barreled named staff. When I lived in London I had many fantasies of ramming my car into one of the Foxton minis....

I used a company well known in South London to rent my property.The name was one to describe little dangly things on Oak trees. I was on mat leave, living in Wiltshire so really needed a reliable service to trust with my property.

I was asking a very competitive rent for the area as I needed tenants quickly. I heard nothing for three months. I called and they gave me a load of spiel about market conditions not being good.

I called back as an interested tenant and they told me that the owner hadn't left a key so they could not arrange any viewings!!! Shock

When I revealed who I was, and that I bloody well had left a key they told me they had mislaid it. It then turned up in someones draw. So another month went by with no tenants.

I had renovated the kitchen at some expense when I lived there and it was in great condition. When I made an impromptu visit I found two of the kitchen cupboard doors lying on the floor. As part of the refit the kitchen planner had covered a large water pipe in the corner with a fake wall cupboard which was screwed shut. So out of curiosity (rather than asking me why it wouldn't open) someone had just yanked it off. I can't imagine the visits were unaccompanied so it must have been the agent.

They absolutely denied doing it, and blamed me!!! They refused to pay for the repair of it. I was furious.

They found a tenant shortly afterwards, and I made an agreement after a year (they paid their entire rent for the year in one lump sum as they were from SA with no credit history) I offered to reduce their rent if they dealt with me directly. They stayed a further 5 years with no issue.

EssentialHummus · 01/11/2016 15:49

ineed I've seen a few properties marketed by said oak-tree-dangling agency (I'm in Brockley) and can confirm that the selling side is equally dire.

NuclearSwan · 01/11/2016 16:02

I'm sure there are good ones but I haven't encountered any

dingdongdigeridoo · 01/11/2016 17:36

I've never met a good one. They're usually slimy fuckers in cheap suits. At our last rental agency there was one competent member of staff who got everything done. Then she left, and it all fell apart. Unfortunately, we live in a really gentrified town, and more of the cunts keep opening branches. Lots of posh, minimalistic agents here with lower case names. Cringe.

In America, estate agents have to be licenced. Is that not a requirement over here? At least they'd have a clue about basic legal stuff.

ChocolateForAll · 01/11/2016 17:43

Actually I've just remembered you can rate estate agents, bit like trip advisor. Useful for choosing one. The website is www.allagents.co.uk

(Not affiliated with it in any way).

LollieB · 01/11/2016 18:32

ChocolateForAll thanks for the link. Once I've dealt with what I'm doing with sales and rentals, I'm going to go to town on this website!

OP posts:
expatinscotland · 01/11/2016 18:33

They are punk asses.

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