Is this a bad idea...leaving agent out of loop

[BramblyHedge]

Our buyers seem very keen on communicating directly with us rather than via our agent which is making us feel a bit uncomfortable.

I think they are being naive ftb rather than up to anything. For example they want a builder friend to look at house before they decide whether to get a survey but want to arrange this directly with us rather than via the agent. Has anyone had a similar experience? I feel we need to insist they go via our agent but not sure if this is unreasonable. I am not the most assertive of people (and they buyer is) so feeling a bit stressed about this.

you MUST insist they go via the agent. The script is 'Please can you contact our agent to arrange any visits, this is how it works and it is easier for all of us'.

there you go. Not hard.

you are paying the agent, make them work. And ask them to escort all visits too.

You must go via agent. It will be in the contract you signed. The agent will uphold it if they find out its been crossed.

Added to that it gives you a buffer so you don't agree to stuff before you get chance to think. You are using agents and paying for it!

Thanks. I have gone back and told then to do it via the agent.

Sometimes communicating directly between parties gets things done quicker but both parties must be happy with this arrangement.
We used the agent for everything for our sale, we dealt with both the vendor & their agent for our purchase.
The problem for us is where we have bought the agent isn't open evenings and weekends but the only spare time we had was at that time.
We swapped email addresses but both sides we're comfortable with this, sounds like you aren't so I would suggest going through the agent.

Ps: it wasn't in our contract that everything had to go through the agent.

Once the initial contact and second visit had happened, the agent actually suggested that we contact each other directly. It made communication much easier - tho maybe only because the woman in the couple and I had similar styles. We resolved a couple of potential problems, and kept each other informed. Towards the end, when their solicitor was being slow, it really helped me to feel they weren't messing about, and meant I could tell them the delay was him, so they could chase!