to think estate agents can't read?

[dilemma456]

Message withdrawn

.....if they cannot read, they had best learn soon.

Else they will be unable to fill out the forms to claim job seekers allowance...

We were selling our town house.... they sent a lady round who had severe arthritis...

I once asked an estate agent who'd sent us a similar clutch of unsuitable properties, why they'd sent them & she said 'You'd be amazed how often people actually buy something completely different to their original ideas'

I wasn't convinced then & I'm still not, but I assume they must get some kind of result from it, or they wouldn't do it.

We stipulated a house which "must have garage and off street parking" as we had 5 cars at that time (DH used to race)...and we were offered second floor flats with no garage or parking!!!!
I think they just send round the leaflets of the houses they can't shift.

Estate agents are idiots, and usually illiterate.

When we sold our last house the blurb they produced for it was so appalling that I had to rewrite it and insist they used my version instead.

They also kept sending us 3-bed houses in postcode X when we had asked for 4-bed houses in postcode Y, on the grounds that we "could extend" and "it's not that far away". (Yes, love, but in a totally different school catchment which might as well be on another planet.)

A sign of desperation I feel.

We've recently had several letters, with brochures enclosed, stating "further to your enquiry, please find enclosed details for xxxxx house."

We've never expressed any interest! I assume they're now trawling their old records, and writing to people who were looking several years ago, on the offchance.

...a few months ago I looked around a new build house, and was unwise enough to leave correct contact details with them.

...I now receive weekly letters, and even more frequent texts, advising me of price reductions and special offers (I had of course been told they were selling like 'hot cakes'. I fear that said cakes are now freezing cold and rock hard stale...)

The price reduction stands at 25% so far, plus a whole range of inducements.

...still no-one buys.

I think it is because the notice at the entrance to the development reads 'LEGAL FEE'S PAID'

...so house builders have comparable literacy standards to estate agents it would seem.

Perhaps they can get tuition together down at the Job Centre Plus....

Why not phone them and ask them to explain themselves? It's not as if the lines are likely to be busy.

Looking at rental properties - they kept sending us to properties that had huge ponds in the garden (that couldn't easily be blocked off - if at all) and we had a 20 month old child.

Totally crazy! It would have been different if we had been buying as we could have put something structural in, but renting? We couldn't change a thing!!!!

We used to get this - but for the price of a 2nd class stamp they probably assume it's worth it. It was quite amusing sometimes to see how far removed from our requirements they were

they can never read or follow simple instructions

we said we wanted 2/3 beds ,upstairs bathroom and parking - either a drive or garage

we got many houses with down stairs bathrooms and no parking

Would that be parking at the 'frontage'?
(I tend to find they can't write either)

I've just had exactly the same thing, and emailed them back - a bit of a snotty response. All the properties were either out of our price range, too small or didn't accept pets (we're lookng at lettings). We've just seen 3 houses and it's all a bit depressing actually. Good luck tough.

I meant 'good luck though'

I can spell really - I'm not an estate agent in disguise

Stickybeaker, I got annoyed with agents sending us details that stipulated no pets. But found most of them don't mean it. They just put that so they can legitimately refuse a prospective tenant with three snarling, foaming monsters (dogs, I mean, not children obviously)

They can't punctuate, either. When I read their ads in the paper offering:

"a three bedroomed double fronted double garaged semi detached 1930s period property offering superb aspect with magnificent offshot kitchen and spacious garden having great potential for the growing family in a sought after district within easy reach of good transport links reputable schools and shops"

...I want to say "BREATHE! BREATHE!"

Roaring, UnquietDad!
The details our EA made for us were so wrong it was nearly maginificent.

they always write 'comprises of...' which just makes me hate them and want to sit them down and teach them how to bloody well construct a sentence correctly.

UnquietDad and Donnie -

At least they didn't write 'sort after' (for sought after, I kid you not!)

I also want to know what they consider to be "disreputable schools."

You can always spot the houses in difficult areas as they describe them as "established residential areas."

"Offering great potential" = last decorated in 1977
"Offering easy access to transport links" = screaming motorway right behind back garden
"Low-maintenance garden" = back yard
"Established residential area" = sink estate

My mum's currently selling her house for 295k. She had an offer this week for 245k and was disgusted that it was such a low offer.

Then I noticed the next day that on the agent's website its advertised as 275k. The estatee agent was a bit suprised when my mum told him! Mum wasn't very happy.

'sort after'??????

OMG.

Yup a doodle-do. Bad isn't it.

Well- they do it the other way round too....
we get a 'personal' letter from the manager of a local branch of EA every month saying 'Mr 'Jones" is looking for 3 bedroom houses with a garage in your street. blah, blah, blah"

Well he will have a blardy long look, won't he- all the houses on my road are 2 bedroom terraces- not too many with garages or drives. (ie NONE)

The house next door has just been let (through a different agent)- the garden description was 'pleasant rear garden' erm right- that would be a postage stamped-sized lawn with a washing line across it, and a view of...... a fence! Well, I suppose it is south facing, and has a view of our garden!