would estate agent send bogus viewers?

[JoJoMummy321]

Hi...we have been on market since august and are trying to move for dh job. We have decided we may have to rent the house out so are going to change to a more local agent who we believe would be better for getting it rented out.

We therefore gave our current estate agent who are a national company their 28 days notice. We have not had a viewer for several weeks and now we have one booked in for Thursday 8th. Is it a coincidence that it is a week before the notice period is up?

Dh thinks they are trying to make us think we should stay with them a bit longer and the viewing may be bogus!! Are we being paranoid or has anyone heard of this?

Thanks!!

I've always suspected they do, but I doubt you could prove it.

We had a similar situation occur - I was suspicious too but the viewer turned out to be genuine as they actually bought the house!

Obviously impossible to say whether it was just luck - or fear of losing the contract that made the EA pull their finger out and find a buyer.

I think it's more likely that they've started making more of an effort now they're at risk of losing you.

I used to be an EA for my sins and what's probably happened is that they have actually just started to push your house to viewers and it may have fallen between the cracks before now.....

If the viewing does come to something you could always negotiate a contract with them that states that your house is not for sale with them to anyone but that one viewer so if it falls through you are free to use other agents, but if they do want to buy it then they still get their commission. Hope that explanation makes sense, my brain is broken today as always really

the same thing happened with my ILs, they had the house on the market, not a sniff of interest, then the day i went to get the keys ( ILs were abroad) to take them to new agent, they said ' oh what a shame, we had someone phone just this morning to view', i did respond rather cynically. i think they will try it on, if they are at risk of losing the business

They may have made a superhuman effort, but then surely EAs are doing all they can to make a living these days anyway?

On the other hand, my friend, in the last week of a contract for 'sole agency', recognised two 'buyers' her EAs brought round from the photocopying shop next door....