Why are estate agents so useless?

[FizzAfterSix]

I’ve been looking for a property for a year. But I’m endlessly frustrated at how little effort many agents make to promote and sell their properties outside of London – even when they know I’m a cash buyer with nothing to sell.

So many instances I’ve left a message for info via Rightmove and not heard anything back. The main thing I’m looking for is a large garden but outside of London agents never include the garden on the site plan (which London agents generally do) and when I call up to ask how big a garden is (having had my request via Rightmove ignored) they practically always say they don’t know. The particulars will say something like large garden’ or larger than average garden’ but `large garden’ could mean anything. Recently an agent said he didn’t know but would find out and call me back but he never did. Most seem to think it a strange request and fob me off with a vague guess.

Despite being registered with agents in the area I’m looking, they often forget to let me know about suitable properties coming on, so thank goodness for Rightmove. And despite charging vendors up to 2k to print brochures (yes, this was my experience!) they never bother to send them out in the post to interested parties, at a push they can just about email details (but these are the same details available online so what is the point really).

I’ve currently put an offer in on a small dated bungalow in a good plot – after an internal redec it would be perfect for me. However the agent is generating interest by telling applicants that the property is a great development opportunity’ and that there is permitted development’ to extend it by 1000 feet (which would nearly double it). The owner has submitted various planning proposals over the years (all this available online) and they’ve all been turned down flat as the property is on Metropolitan Open Land and development is even more restricted than for Green Belt. `Permitted Development’ is an official term that means development that can be done without needing any planning permission and that is certainly not the case here. Because of the hope value, the owner has put it on for a price that reflects the opportunity to develop which is a third more than its value as it stands. The agent told me it’s wildly overpriced and they are expecting it to go for far less but surely it’s their job to knock sense into vendors – and by putting it on for such a large sum (when the agent tells me they would actually accept far less) is a hopeless sales technique as it will put off applicants even coming to view, thinking it is out of their financial league (not me, as I am a cynical old biddy and know how these things work).

Because of the hope value this disingenuous agency is peddling, there is a lot of interest but no doubt once a prospective buyer does their research they will realise that this putative planning opportunity is pie in the sky.

As a caveat, I have had experience with a good agent who sold my property in London last year. He wasn’t bright but he was hungry like the wolf for his commission; followed up all leads extensively and secured a sale in about 3 months, which given the state of the market last year was pretty good. But left to his own devices, he would show the flat without turning on lights or the fire so I always turned up before to do all this prior to him turning up.

I do think, given how much money they charge they really could use a bit more initiative, be more businesslike and show more energy and preferably not tell enormous porkies. The internet has made their life so much easier – customers now come to them, so they have become almost entirely reactive instead of proactive.

I’ve bought and sold 12 properties over the last 25 years so maybe I’m just suffering from estate agent fatigue and taking things too personally. And don’t get me started on online agents. Nurse!

Estate agents are awful. Why do they mostly seem to be around 21 years old? What happens to them after they stop being estate agents?

I've been trying to buy for around 5 months with no success. Found one I really liked and the agent used my asking price offer to sell the property to another buyer, going to sealed bids for two of us.

Feel like giving up.

I’ll ask my dh as he’s a 54 year old one

I’ve known the odd thoroughly efficient one, but far too many are IMO sloppy and pretty useless. I’ve had more than one at a complete loss when I’ve asked for really basic info, like the length of a lease - as if it’s something they couldn’t be expected to know. They’ve said something like, ‘Well, I’ll try to find out for you...’. in dubious tones, as if they had no idea where to start.

As for the all too common hopeless SPAG in the blurbs - last time I had to use one I discounted any where I found that - to me it indicates a sloppy and unprofessional attitude.

A sister of mine has lived for ages in the US, where I have to say - having seen the blurbs when she was buying or selling - that they are far more professional, but I gather that there they do need a professional qualification - what do ours need? Maybe a few GCSEs, if that. And they do charge a lot more - according to my sister 5-6% is usual.
Having said that, she recently sold her house the first weekend it was on the market - with two offers over asking! so she’s not complaining about the fees.

IMO the problem here is at least partly down to the very many years when prices were constantly shooting up and houses would so often more or less sell themselves - very little effort was needed. During the boom years a dd of mine had a Saturday job with a local EA where several sealed bids were coming in on Monday, after a first viewing on the Saturday!

Times have changed now, but it would seem that too many EAs have not.

OP, what would you call a large garden out of interest? We are about to put my mums house on the market and none of the agents have said anything about putting garden dimensions on the plans although have said it's a 'good size garden'. I may well ask them to now as we may attract the movers out from central London.

Hi @SummerSazz, Perhaps for many buyers who are not so interested in the garden this isn't such an issue. But while good size garden' is an attractive phrase, it is essentially meaningless because where I live 40 feet is a good sized garden' whereas a bit further out it's very small.

I do think to give basic info on the particulars is so important - London agents measure gardens and put them on floorplans as a matter of course but outside London agents look at you as if you're mad when you suggest such a thing. It would of course mean more work for them.

I would have your mother's garden measured as if someone makes an offer it will surely come up, but maybe this is an issue that is only important to me!

@GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER I'd actually pay agents more if they gave an American style of service.
My beef with the current agents I'm attempting to work with while making an offer on one of their properties, is that they are lying about possibility of getting planning. I'm sure this kind of misrepresentation had died out but obviously not.

I totally agree with you. I invest in property and remember telling an (senior) agent I'd worked with a few times that I was looking for a fixer upper and I had cash. He said 'ok you know where to find me'! Like no you fool, you know where to find ME!
I do think America has a much better system. Agents need to be qualified, they are much more invested as commissions are higher, they are far more proactive, tend to know the houses inside and out, and they are better at hand holding.
Then the offer is legally binding, the schedule is written out from day one (x days for inspection, closing date decided etc). No gazumping. Yes the agent gets a bigger cut but a far better service!

Rightmove enquiries are usually time wasters pick up the phone and call them

Some estate agents can't get it together to put a floor plan on the Rightmove listing, or to put the measurements in metric! It's a joke.

I don't think it's fair to say Rightmove enquiries are usually a waste of time. Yes some might be, but with most people looking online when agents are closed, it's the quickest way to make contact. Agents pay enough for it, they should maximise its value.
Any other sales industry would be thrilled at so many potential leads come to them without them having to do much.

Renting it's even worse. Nice rented properties are like gold dust so the agents don't have to work for it. They don't bother telling people when properties have let, fail to turn up to viewings, schedule too many viewings so it's a free for all and make a lot of promises they can't fulfil

I had one ostensibly very pleasant and professional EA - who told me his father was a vicar! - string me along by letting me view a property that was only going through the motions of being on the open market. It was owned as a rental by someone at the agency - he did tell me that much - but my very reasonable offer was turned down since I couldn’t exchange and complete within 24 hours. WTF?? I’d never heard of such a thing.

Thanks to nethouseprices, I found out 3 months later that it had sold for WAY below my offer - evidently to a mate, son or daughter, at a vastly reduced price, presumably to avoid or reduce CGT/stamp duty, and very likely brown envelopes were involved.

Dodgy bastards!!

there some good ones out there our house we looked at it on the Saturday at 1.45 empty house so no chain and we were cash buyers it was off the market by 4pm as we had taken funding paperwork straight down to the agents, we got a good solicitor and 8 weeks later we exchanged and completed

Even at the beginning of the process there can be a problem. Here, one estate agent doesn't even describe the rooms, sizes etc of the property, just posts some pics and a line or two re: detached or semi/flat, no more than that. Nothing. Another's photos cannot be enlarged [on Rightmove]. Another one here overvalues to get the vendor to sign up, the property sticks and the price has to eventually drop, thus wasting weeks for the vendor.

None of these practises are helpful. Then some estate agents cannot answer a simple question re: age of property, council tax, management charges etc, whether there is cavity/loft insulation/any building issue. And they aren't interested. I tend to use established agents who are also chartered surveyors and auctioneers, they know what they are doing, when I sell.

I don't know how some continue to trade really. And that is before someone in the office being rude or disinterested in the possible purchaser, and being bored by the general public.

And not any better on the lettings side - went with my DD to look at a flat recently and the twerp had all the wrong information about it re when it would actually be available and the price. Turned out he had picked up info for totally wrong property. Then airily declared that he would never waste money renting - gosh , never thought about that option, that’s what she and her DH should be doing with the £500, 000 plus that they some how forgot they had.

Nothing new. It took us 3 years to find our house back in the mid 90s before the internet. We went round all the local EAs and handed them our details, what we were looking for etc. We expected/hoped to get the odd phone call when a new property came on the market, but no, nothing at all. One EA did send us brochures, but they bore no resemblance to what we asked for, i.e. wrong location, wrong size, etc. We eventually found one ourselves just by driving around the locality every week watching for new for sale boards being put up. As the OP says, useless!

I don't know how some continue to trade really.

It's the property boom. When there is massive demand, even the most hapless/useless of sales agents can sell and survive. It was very apparent back early 90s in the property crash that many EA firms folded but others survived. A good business is far more likely to survive a downturn, whatever the trade/industry.

Because there's no minimum educational requirements, anyone no matter how thick, can become an EA and like to think of themselves as 'professionals'. Have come up against some shockers over the years.

@FizzAfterSix it's a good point, thanks . The garden is c100ft x 30ft so big I'd guess compared to London but not huge for a family home in Surrey. Did us ok as kids though

Because any uneducated, unqualified muppet who owns a suit, a car, a phone and a laptop can call themselves an ‘estate agent’, and many do.

If proper qualifications and proper accreditation were required to act as an estate agent they might be proper professionals rather than gobby chancers.

EAs are the worst. They are just literally the worst. Useless at best, chronic liars at worst. Tied up in all sorts of misrepresentations to secure additional financial benefit, with singularly poor service.

Can you tell I bought a house recently?

I made a good cash offer for the house I wanted last week. The agent came back to me and said the vendor's had decided to take another offer and refused to let me bid any higher.

It's all very fishy and I after some stealthy delving I've discovered that these buyers have bought into the EA's lies about the chances of developing the house and perhaps building another in the garden.

Given that all the planning applications have been turned down flat in the past and that the property is on Metropolitan Open Land in a SSI, the buyers are being extremely optimistic and paying considerably extra for the hope' value. Even though there isn't any hope'.
Ah well.

Because it's one of the BS professions that requires zero skills, no qualifications, just a suit, a tie and hair gel (for males).

I thought I was missing something! I moved to England from the US and found house buying/selling here so annoying. I couldn’t understand the point of the agents! I think I will die in this house because I never want to go through that process again.

It’s usual where I live for details of gardens to go into the info about property. Plus photos! I’m 35 miles from central London. Gardens are important here and we have found agents ok but they are sales people. There are decent ones in the smaller towns.

Vendors can alter what the agent writes about the property. They don’t have to accept no floor plans, no garden description or other omissions. The garden, if we ever sell, would be a highlight of our property! Generally speaking you use an agent commensurate with the value and quality of the property. Look at the details they produce before appointing one.

Get to know them if you are looking. Right move is sometimes behind the curve. If an owner insists on a price the agent is snookered. Lots of owners fly kites. If someone is paying a high price, in your opinion, that’s down to them, not you! If they cannot do what they want to the property, that’s also their problem. It will come back on the market!