Experience with estate agent today

[Holly02]

Had a bit of an uncomfortable experience with a female estate agent this morning... she looked to be about late 40's to early 50's I guess.

I took ds with me to look at a house this morning (he's 2.8), which is something I would normally try to do on my own but I figured if we just had a quick look, it would be no problem. Anyway I met the woman at the house and I held ds' hand as we walked through it. It was a lovely home and as we got to the downstairs area, there was a pool outside and a dog, so we stopped there to have a chat about the home. DS was getting a little bored by this stage so he sat down on the floor and was gently pushing the sliding door backwards and forwards. The woman stopped talking to me, grabbed ds by the arm and told him to stand up and stop playing with the door. (He'd only just started doing it). I was very taken aback that she'd taken it upon herself to grab his arm rather than ask me to stop him from doing it. And would you believe it!!!, a second later he went inside again and accidently locked the sliding door, leaving me standing outside with the woman. Anyway (luckily) we managed to get inside again after a few minutes, but on the way out to the car she said a bit sternly, "Do you think this house is really in your price range?" I was feeling rather peeved by this point and I told her that yes, it was in my price range, that's why I was looking at it. She told me she would get in touch with me but after I left, I couldn't stop thinking about how she had treated ds and how intolerant she had been. I watched him like a hawk inside the house, it's not like I had allowed him to touch anything.

Guess I'm feeling a little bit down -- it was one of those tedious 'toddler moments' that was made worse by a very impatient person.

Don't worry - I think it's just certain estate agents. I have to say I'm beginning to really dislike them (sorry to any estate agents who read mumsnet!!).

Had one estate agent who came around to value the house and she started lecturing me on my ds (23 months) looking tired and how he needed a nap! (He'd been up less than an hour, and he wasn't rubbing his eyes he was trying to play peekaboo with the miserable woman). Then started telling me that it was time for his milk (no it wasn't). We didn't put the house on the market with her

Mind you, we had one nice one who didn't flinch when ds pointed at her and loudly said "WEE WEE!" when she was looking in the downstairs cloakroom and was very gracious when he started pulling everything off the shelves to try and get attention while we were talking.

Sorry Holly02, had to laugh at your DS locking you both out. She sounds downright rude - I think it is perfectly reasonable to take your son around with you while looking at houses.

The way this woman grabbed your sons arm was outrageous, but I wouldn't take they way she treated you personally. Basically they are only interested in one thing $$$$ and one day when the market comes tumbling down some of them might return to being normal people like the rest of us.

Glad you got a laugh out of it bells2

Jzee, I thought so too. The more I thought about it afterwards, the more I realised I probably should've said something. I wouldn't dare touch someone else's child (especially these days!!!), so I don't know why she felt she had permission to do so. Annoys me the more I think about it.

Holly02, I'm in a vicious mood today and would be very tempted to call and speak to her manager. I would use my snottiest voice to say that I was insulted by her implication that we couldn't afford the house and that I wanted to complain about her inappropriate behaviour toward my son. For good measure I'd throw in the news that we will probably not buy a house from their agency since she was so unprofessional. Oooh, I feel better for even writing about complaining, so thanks

Message withdrawn

I hate snotty agents.

When we moved up from London to Nottingham we had to deal with a few. We drove around in a battered old Ford Fiesta and I could see their estimation of us going down every time I pulled up, especially since we were about 20 years younger than the people they expected to be viewing those houses (in fact we are still 15-20yrs younger than our neighbours). Added to that, we weren't planning to sell our flat in London since the mortgage was only 200 quid a month and the potential rental income about 1200pcm.

I did most of the viewing with DD who was 18mo at the time and fortunately she would never be put down so wouldn't mess around.

One agent took it upon himself to 'interview' us as to our suitability for buying in a certain area, pointing out this was a 'premier location'! I guess we really didn't fit the mould!

Looking back we would have ben better to buy in an area where there were more medical people as the agents round there realise you don't have to be old to have attained a certain level of income!

Holly02 I would have told her in fact this was a second house you were thinking of buying and well within your price range HOWEVER due to her poor unprofessional manner you were taking your business elsewhere. I would have also told her you were reporting her assault of your son to her manager.

I had one male agent tell me that he would not take me to view a house unless I could guarantee that I could afford to buy it. I told him that in fact I had come into some money and that this would have been a 'cash' sale so to speak BUT due to his unprofessional manner I was taking my business elsewhere and would make sure other friends who were looking in the same area were told of his unprofessional attitude. ( this was particularly shocking as it really was a buyer's market.)

I think with agents you get really good or really bad - a shame you don't just lots of okay agents.

I would complain as www suggests - and make sure that they know that you are taking your business elsewhere and that you will tell all your friends - tell 'em you are the President of the residents association where you live and your dh is on the Rotary Club board - that'll get her what for from her manager and she deserves it !

Grrrrr, report her!!! How does she think people with children are going to view houses!!! I took my DS1 and 2 to every viewing (except the second viewing of the house we purchased, only took DS2 to that one ) and even b/fed whilst wandering round houses!

Eidsvold

She has rung me twice today but I haven't taken her calls, don't really know what I'm going to do yet. She also asked me yesterday how much my current house is worth, and when I told her she said "Well I'd better come and have a look at it myself, because whoever valued it probably gave you a higher price than what it's really worth."

Some of them are just amazing aren't they??? I might just string her out for a while longer...

Holly02, if you really want to upset the estate agents, you could drop a line through the letterbox to the owners to let them know what happened. They may then reconsider whether they want to try and sell their house through an agency which is actively putting people off from buying the house!