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Anyone care to offer me an opinion on our apathetic estate agents?

6 replies

bowbluebell · 11/07/2010 12:26

Hi,

Our flat has been on the market for eight weeks now. We have had several viewings and last week had an offer, but it was ten thousand under which we could take (and still afford to buy another house) so we did not accept. So far, so promising.

BUT- I am just really disappointed with the service we have received from the estate agents. The only real contact/feedback we have had has been to suggest (after 4 weeks) that we dropped the price by fifteen thousand as they 'just weren't getting enough people through the door'. We refused (knowing lots of property would come off the market the next week when the CGT changes kicked in, which they did). They have now sulked for a week since we did not take the last offer and haven't returned our calls. The particulars have not even been completed on the company's website and there is still at falt in the same mansion block which sold at Christmas on their website for (obviously) much lower than ours in on for as it was at the bottom of the market.The flat is for sale with no chain etc. but that's not been mentioned in the particulars either- and yes, we have reminded them of these things, many times!

Am I being unreasonable to think that this is not really a good service for the eight thousand pounds they can expect to make out of us? (In estate agents currency, I've worked that out as four hundred polyester ties and two hundred Dan Brown novels!).

We are seriously considering letting them go and trying to sell privately but are worries about burining our bridges. Is it worth trying other agencies and negotiating a fixed time on the market with them? Has anyone got experience of selling without an agent?

Any advice about making estate agents actually do some work for their fee gratefully received!

OP posts:
bowbluebell · 11/07/2010 12:27

Sorry...a flat ,not 'at falt'!

I am illiterate with ire!

OP posts:
hippipotamiHasLost92lbs · 11/07/2010 12:32

Did you sign a 'sole agency' agreement? If so, those are usually limited to say 8 weeks, after which you are free to move agencies I believe.
So change agents - these ones are crap! Sulking because you did not accept a low offer? Should they not be trying to get you good offers?

Change them!

Eurostar · 11/07/2010 13:31

Did you get a few estate agent quotes in the first place? How did their quote compare to the others? Is it possible they overvalued to get the business and know really that price needs to be dropped to sell?

Agree thought that they do sound pretty rubbish with the marketing.

I'm not sure why you think that Christmas was the bottom of the market? Halifax house price index has shown 3 months of price falls in the past 3 months post Christmas.

bowbluebell · 11/07/2010 14:33

Thanks for the replies

Christmas was the bottom of the market where we are as we as house prices have started to go up quite considerably since then (we are near the new olymic development and the City which seems to have led to this becoming a popular area to buy in).

The quote that they gave us was actually the lowest of the three, but we felt the most realistic as we thought that the other agents were overvaluing. There is a similar flat in our mansion block on for ten thousand more than oursso I don't think it is overpriced.

Glad that others also think they sound crap- I was worried that this was the best I could expect from estate agents!

OP posts:
Eurostar · 11/07/2010 16:21

Are you sure that sale prices have gone up and not just asking prices? There are a lot of people who are trying out the market now that they don't have to pay for a HIP, so testing the waters to see if they can get the asking price they want but don't particularly need to sell. I've noticed a rise in asking prices in London zones 2/3 but this is not reflected at all in the sold prices I've seen so far on the websites that show sold prices, they are of course a bit behind as only showing April now.

Certainly no harm in trying a different agent, be absolutely clear with them that you can't drop any lower than x and, if they still take it on, then hopefully they think they can sell it at that.

Not sure about selling privately, a couple of my friends didn't have too much luck with that but maybe someone else has a different experience.

SpringHeeledJack · 11/07/2010 17:54

[lurking in case someone has a story about selling their own property]

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