Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

Original poster

That estate agents are rude?

19 replies

Popcicle123 · 18/04/2019 14:29

So we have just moved to a new area & are renting, planning to buy in 6months or so. Saw a house we liked the look of to buy on Rightmove so sent a message to estate agent politely asking if we could make an appointment to view property & suggested 3 dates we would be available. Got back a very abrupt - we would need more info before we can book a viewing, are you a cash buyer or would you require finance? Is your house on the market? I'm afraid X X & X dates are no good for us we can do 12.30pm on Thursday.

Am I being overly sensitive? No please or thank you in the email, no offers or suggestion of other dates available. I just think that's really rude & if It was my property I'd be fuming if I knew potential buyers were being put off

AIBU & can any of yous witty MN's think of a good reply?

OP posts:

YouJustDoYou · 18/04/2019 14:30

In our experience they've always been rude. The one trying to sell us our old place was very rude, until dh pulled him up on it.

GidgetGirl · 18/04/2019 14:32

They may be bad, but not a patch on letting agents. My god, I’ve never dealt with one that isn’t some kind of monster. I can’t imagine wanting to do that for a living..

User987654433 · 18/04/2019 14:36

I can understand why they would like more information about you before they book a viewing.
I would only want people who were in a position to move otherwise its a waste of my time, Its not unusual.
If you arent buying for 6 months or so its pointless looking now.

Bubblysqueak · 18/04/2019 14:37

That's very rude.

When we were looking to move our house was on the market with agent A. I walked past the window and spotted a house I liked in the window. I went in and asked for the details.

The agent looked me up and down (I was early 20s) and said "are you sure that property is for sale at £xxxx. Can you afford that."

I was so cross. I pointed to the picture of my property that was for sale with them and said "that is the property I'm currently selling, but with your attitude not with you anymore" . I then asked to see the manager and took my property off the market with them and changed estate agents.

The manager didn't really apologize just explained they were used to seeing DH and hadn't realised who I was and that I could afford the house , which made it even worse!

araiwa · 18/04/2019 14:38

Its to avoid dreamers and timewasters

bibbitybobbityyhat · 18/04/2019 14:42

It is not "rude" of an estate agent to ask for more details about your buying position. They are working on behalf of the people who have to go to all the effort of getting their property ready for a viewing and maybe going out. It's a waste of their time if you are not in a position to make an offer as the result of that viewing.

Bluntness100 · 18/04/2019 14:46

It's normal and right for estate agents to ask about your position to buy before permitting viewings, it weeds out time wasters and those who would spend their time wandering around other peoples houses for the fun of it. How they phrased it is a different matter,

They did though suggest an alternate date?

Original poster

Popcicle123 · 18/04/2019 14:49

I have absolutely no problem with them asking for more info & completely agree with that part of it but my AIBU is the way it was asked. No, please can we have more info & only 1 date offered for viewing as in take it or leave it kind of attitude. We were planning on waiting to get to know the area before buying but we both really like this house & it's within our price range so think I'll need to suck it up & reply

OP posts:

Bluntness100 · 18/04/2019 14:50

I then asked to see the manager and took my property off the market with them and changed estate agents

Sure you did, and paid the associated fees. 🤣

CripsSandwiches · 18/04/2019 14:54

They're right to ask for your financial situation but they do sound a little abrupt.

19lottie82 · 18/04/2019 14:55

Apart from the abruptness that sounds pretty standard I’m afraid.

19lottie82 · 18/04/2019 14:56

In fairness, they were correct as you aren’t in position to buy at the moment. You would be waisting their time.

blackteasplease · 18/04/2019 14:57

Why would there be fees bluntness?
They only charge when they sell.

Piffle11 · 18/04/2019 15:00

@blackteasplease I presume bluntness means that you sign up to an exclusive deal for X amount of time, and they will try and charge you if you go with another agent during that time. However ime the deal time tends to only last about 6 weeks and after that you can go where you want. When I worked for an EA twenty odd years ago it was never enforced, anyway, as all a vendor had to do was refuse entry for the rest of the period.

GPatz · 18/04/2019 15:01

We changed Estate Agents, no fees were paid.

blackteasplease · 18/04/2019 15:08

Oh Ok!

DGRossetti · 18/04/2019 15:46

try working with them ...

Foxmuffin · 18/04/2019 15:48

There are of course exceptions but in my experience (and I have both professionally and personally) they’re mostly jumped up and overly concerned with their own ego.

Bubblysqueak · 18/04/2019 20:41

bluntness no fees were paid, they didn't sell our house, I took it off the market with them and so I didn't need to pay anything to them.

In the end we part exchanged our house so didn't pay estate agents fees at all.

I agree they need this information but there are nicer ways of asking.

Flip

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

Join Mumsnet Log In

This thread is closed and is no longer accepting replies. Click here to start a new thread.