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

Property/DIY

Join our Property forum for renovation, DIY, and house selling advice.

Flip

Original poster

'Sold' property still for sale on Rightmove - is it worth trying to complain?

25 replies

Lightofthemoon · 02/12/2011 19:06

I'm really annoyed about this but pretty sure there isn't anything I can do.

A property near me has been on Rightmove and the EAs website for a while, I called about it today and they said 'oh that's been sold' but I explained it was still on Rightmove and their website being for sale. They said a bank is selling it and has told them NOT to mark is as under offer in case a higher bidder comes up.

They said they didn't agree with this but had no choice. I said well they did have a choice to tell the bank they didn't do business like that, but we all know EAs just want to get the sale whichever way possible. They said the buyer had done surveys, searches etc. and it was going through but I guess until the contacts are exchanged and they have completed it still is technically 'for sale'.

I'm not interested enough in the property to try and outbid I'm just annoyed they think this is ok. Is it worth complaining to rightmove that is should be marked under offer or will they not give a stuff?

OP posts:

nocake · 02/12/2011 19:14

Why would Rightmove care? It's uncommon that a house continues to be marketed after an offer has been accepted but it does happen.

goingtoofast · 02/12/2011 19:17

If the buyers didn't insist it had to be taken off market when they offered then I don't see the problem. It's their choice and risk.

lilystar · 02/12/2011 19:20

If it's a repo, the bank have an obligation to get the best price possible, so will almost always leave the property available to other buyers until contracts have been exchanged.

Original poster

Lightofthemoon · 02/12/2011 19:21

Urgh, you're right no-one will give a stuff. I just wondered if Rightmove would have objection to a property being marked as 'for sale' on their site when it should be 'under offer' but they won't care.

I need to toughen up, I get so annoyed with EAs playing tactics like this.

OP posts:

LondonMumsie · 02/12/2011 20:17

I looked at a couple of repossession properties and it was made very clear by the agent that even if our offer was accepted the bank would continue to market it. It is very possible the buyers know the situation and have decided it is worth the risk.

sixtiesqueen · 02/12/2011 20:21

We bought our house from a hideous woman who insisted it continued to be marketed until we exchanged contracts. She felt she was underselling it - it was her mother's house and she'd inherited it but it needed so much work it had been on the market for 6 months with no offers.

She was never happy with selling it for the price we offered - it was really stressful. She was awful.

If I ever bump into her, I'll tell her 'we'd have paid the asking price.'

RillaBlythe · 02/12/2011 20:21

If it's a repo (which I assume it is as it is being sold by the bank) part of the conditions of accepting the buyer's offer will be that they continue to market it for 28 days in case they can get a higher price. Happened with us.

MitziKinsky · 02/12/2011 21:08

Why are you so worked up?

The EA have told you they don't agree with their clients request, (they are still having to take calls from people like you) and yes, they want the sale to go through. They are in the business of selling houses for there clients, and as the client is a bank (and therefore most likely a repossession) they will need to ensure they market it for a certain time to ensure they achieve the highest price possible.

Sounds like the EA is stuck between a rock and hard place.

befuzzled · 02/12/2011 22:48

We just exchanged on a house which continued to be available on rightmove and the other sites the whole way through, probably still there. It has a sold sign up all the way through and was taken off the ea website. Seems pretty standard these days, tho wrong of course.

Tbh, I didn't bother getting worked up about it, our vendor also a complete biatch who feels she has undersold, but there really aren't that many buyers out there at the moment I don't think so I was reasonably confident no one would come in with a higher offer, which they didn't.

In a more buoyant Market I'd probably insist all marketing stop though. Choose your battles etc

FunnysInTheGarden · 02/12/2011 22:52

TBH as a commercial agent, the sooner the 'sold by' sign goes up the better. Until that happens the agent has to field calls like yours and explain that it is under offer. Which TBH is a pain. So YABU and anyway, why do you care?

wannaBe · 02/12/2011 22:55

actually round here that's really common. We moved here four months ago and when we were looking at houses we saw several that were showing as for sale but when I rang about them was told they were under offer. The agent explained to me that one of the reasons why they do this is so that if the sale falls through they immediately have a list of interested people to fall back on who have enquired about the property so helps to secure a potential new offer as soon as possible. As one in three house sales falls through I can see why they take this approach.

Masserrato · 03/12/2011 01:13

Ha, you think that's bad? In our area I see properties which I know sold a long time ago (our next door neighbour for example) coming back on to the Rightmove website for a couple of days and then going SSTC or SOLD.

I pointed this out to my neighbour who went absolutely berserk with the agent but this appears to one of the latest "games" the spivy EAs are playing; trying to make the public believe property is moving fast. They must think we are completely stupid.

ohdoone · 03/12/2011 14:58

The EA isn't up to anything, they are actually playing by the rules regarding repos.

There will also be a public notice in the local press stating that they are in receipt of an offer of XXX and any higher offers must be submitted in writing before exchange of contracts takes place.

You might not like what they are doing but there is absolutley nothing wrong with it.

Masserrato- the EA's do this so that thier stats go up and they can advertise that they have sold the most properties accroding to rightmove, findaproperty etc.

befuzzled · 03/12/2011 15:35

i have just checked and the house we exchanged on last week is still on rightmove listed as under offer. Private sale, no repossessions etc.

QuintessentialyFestive · 03/12/2011 15:39

I bet the ea is Winkwo......th. They seem to do this a lot. Mostly because they think it is a good way of pushing their brand across. If they take down all the sold properties, they get less visibility in the market place. It makes them look as a vibrant and "happening" ea that gets sales through. They dont realize that it just make people stop looking when the catch on to the tactics, which most househunters do after a while! It is annoying.

Masserrato · 04/12/2011 13:38

Well the one I've noticed with their dishonest practices is Gascoigne Piss. They are even starting to make the ones with the little mini cars look good. I certainly would never use them after the practices I've seen going on in Rightmove.

befuzzled · 04/12/2011 16:20

Ours is not thru gasgoine piss as I will now refer to them. But after 18m of looking for a house they definitely win the most dodgy award in our area. Not least for the time when we were highest bidders on a house which we lost out on due to a "much, much higher" last minute bid which turned out to be £1500 more than our final "sealed" bid and was put in by the gasgoine pees managers mate who did it up and has it for sale now for 100k profit.

Original poster

Lightofthemoon · 04/12/2011 19:37

For all of those who have said why do I care, well call me old fashioned, but it's dishonest and wasting people's time.

When searching on rightmove I deliberately don't tick the 'include under offer and sold STC' or look at under offer properties on EA's websites as I have no interest in trying to outbid someone who has had a price agreed, invested in searches, surveys etc and crush their dreams.

Therefore, when I phone up and they say 'oh it's under offer' I have wasted my time looking at the property online weighing up if I like it and looking into the detail and wasted the EAs time calling them and inquiring about it.

If banks think this tactic will 'trick' people into offering on a house under offer then they are sorely mistaken.

OP posts:

lollyp2003 · 08/12/2011 14:33

It is sold "subject to contract" which means it may yet fall through - and yes, the Estate Agents are emploted as an Agent for the seller - in this case it sounds as though it is a reposession and the bank will be calling all the shots....

I was and have been an Estate Agent for years - and I tell you what its bloody hard work. There are no underhand tactics just 6 days a week work, later hours than most and pay that is less than most normal office workers earn.......MOST estate agents are hard working people who enjoy working with the public and helping them through stressful times like moving home...

Perhaps you should consider who you are attacking before making such generalisations....

Lilymaid · 08/12/2011 14:38

I'm selling my parents' house and a neighbouring house has remained on RightMove all year, despite having been sold ... and occupied by the new purchasers ... since the early spring. We think it is because the EA that sold the house has very little on the market and this particular house had been modernised amazingly so enhances the EA's portfolio.
It hasn't helped us sell our family house which is in need of modernisation, but has a better plot.

Original poster

Lightofthemoon · 08/12/2011 14:54

Lilymaid that's terrible and really is worth an email to rightmove if it's affecting the sale of your house. Surely they want to have a reputation for being a property website that only has bonfide property for sale on it?!

There are no underhand tactics

I beg to differ lolly I think what I, lily and other people on this thread have described ARE underhand tactics. I appreciate you yourself did not employ these but you can't blame the rest of us for being cynical from our personal experiences...

OP posts:

HereWeGoLoopyLou · 08/12/2011 18:32

Lily - you must let your neighbour know. That is such an underhand thing to do. The scumbag EA is exploiting them.

befuzzled · 08/12/2011 20:24

Lolly I'll warrant you're not in London or South East because we have been looking to buy for 18 months and must have met in the region of 60 estate agents. At best, they have been ineffectual, at worse, blatant liars. The best of the bunch has been the estate agent involved in the sale of the house we have eventually purchased. They were ok to be fair - no complaints. ALL the others have been such that I would NEVER consider using them to sell a property for me. As a purchaser you see so many dodgy things going on, it is unbelievable.

It is a shame that some people in your profession give it such a bad reputation for the rest of you.

Lilymaid · 08/12/2011 20:33

I've just checked RightMove for the house that was sold in the spring - and it is finally off that website ... but it still appears on the EA's own website. I certainly would not trust RightMove any more than EA's websites. The house we are selling has been on sale now for 2 months and after prospective purchasers pulled out we agreed to reduce the price by 15k. When I next looked at the house on RightMove it appeared as a "new instruction" again! We are changing agents for the start of the New Year (presuming nothing more will happen until then) so it will be a "new instruction" yet again - and with wintry rather than autumnal photos as well!

FreyaoftheNorth · 08/12/2011 20:40

It's annoying, isn't it? But there probably isn't much you can do.

A while ago I phoned up to book a viewing of a house I'd seen on RM, and the agent said it had been off the market for SIX MONTHS.

Flip

Swipe left for the next trending thread