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Original poster

One off viewing

13 replies

AgeBeforeBeauty · 18/08/2019 07:14

We want to upsize so need to get our home on the market. Had a couple of agents around last week, and one said he had a buyer who was looking for something in our area, and could he arrange a one-off viewing? So I did, with a one-off contract specific to that buyer, as it was apparently exactly what the buyer was looking for.

They came round on Friday, seemed really interested, but I heard nothing yesterday, even though the agent said he would call me with feedback.

Question is this, how long do I give them to get back to me, before putting ours on the market? Is it normal for estate agents not to call when they say they will? Is it a ploy to keep you waiting so you get more nervous about the whole process? I know I'm impatient Wink

OP posts:
motherofdinosau · 18/08/2019 07:16

We had feedback generally within 48 hours of a viewing.
Not much help, sorry but hopefully you u wont be waiting too long

Mosaic123 · 18/08/2019 07:27

Just give the agent a ring and say it's about to go on the open market as you haven't heard back from the potential buyer via him.

Poor behaviour from this agent not to get back to you. Choose a different one?

Original poster
AgeBeforeBeauty · 18/08/2019 07:45

Thanks - we haven't officially chosen an agent yet, this was just a one-off.

Does anyone have any experience of online agents (NOT purple bricks) - perhaps sellmyhome or doorsteps? It's tempting for me to manage the selling/viewings myself, as I hate waiting around for people, and like the idea of managing via a portal. I am a control freak.

Or is this a big no-no in general?

OP posts:
itsasausage · 18/08/2019 07:49

i know you said no purple bricks, but we literally sold twice now really easily with them.

also from viewing properties recently I would say dont do your own viewings. it was always really awkward to view with the owner there and we actually just wanted to get out the house asap, rather than spend time really thinking about whether we liked the house or not.

itsasausage · 18/08/2019 07:50

"literally" just jumped in there for no reason. ignore that!

stucknoue · 18/08/2019 07:53

We used a normal estate agent and they expected us to do viewings, when we viewed houses the only time the agent was there was if it was empty.

Original poster
AgeBeforeBeauty · 18/08/2019 08:24

Thanks @itsasausage - however I wouldn't want to pay a fixed fee, as I don't have a lot of faith in the current market :(

It costs £1399 with PB (near London area), and for some of the other online agents, there's a 'no sale no fee' option for £1999 - so I'm tempted to perhaps consider one of those options?

OP posts:
Didiusfalco · 18/08/2019 08:30

If you can find a good agent I would use them rather than an online one. I’m in the process of selling and considered pb or similar but so glad I didn’t use them, mine have been brilliant. When it wasn’t selling they took over the viewings and got us an offer that week. When there was an issue with the survey they liased with the buyer and had useful contacts for structural surveyors, builders etc. They’ve been great at chasing the chain and keeping me updated too. I think if the sale is completely straight forward online is probably fine, but we have an older property and I have been so thankful that I used a ‘real’ estate agent.

JoJoSM2 · 18/08/2019 09:38

Saturdays are busy for agents. If the people who viewed your property are interested, they'll probably ring the agent on Monday (maybe they had other viewings at the weekend too). Otherwise, hopefully the agent will ask for feedback tomorrow.

The online agent we used several times in the past are Property Eagle. We did our own viewings. They were excellent at booking viewings, getting feedback, chasing the chain etc. I'd 100% recommend them.

Original poster
AgeBeforeBeauty · 18/08/2019 09:56

Didi I think I will probably end up with a real agent, I guess I'm just curious about the online ones - not just for the pricing difference, but the convenience - they all seem to have longer opening hours too.

Thanks JoJo - are Property Eagle no sale, no fee? I couldn't work it out from their website Confused

Do they have an online portal? I may call them tomorrow, thank you.

OP posts:
Blobby10 · 19/08/2019 13:51

@AgeBeforeBeauty I'm discovering that having a local estate agent handle your sale is worth the fee and more! The ones doing mine are handling the whole chain and chasing up solicitors and other estate agents on a regular basis. They are known for having the most excellent after sales service but I think this is what you pay the extra for. If you do your own viewings you can always negotiate a lower fee

Original poster
AgeBeforeBeauty · 19/08/2019 21:41

@Blobby10 thank you - I am erring on the side of the local agent to be honest, partly as we're first time sellers, and also the market doesn't seem too great at the moment. Don't want to make any mistakes.

The one off viewing we had wasn't successful; they're downsizing, but even our house was too small for them! I guess Saturdays are too busy for agents to call, they rang this morning with the feedback.

OP posts:
JoJoSM2 · 19/08/2019 22:02

I think that when we sold previous properties, we did the up front fee with Property Eagle but they had another option of selling when sold too.

Tbh, for us it was better to do the viewings ourselves. We're both friendly and confident and knew the local schools, amenities, shortcuts to the station etc. Viewing other properties I find agents a very mixed bag and often unable to answer basic questions.

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