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Original poster

Estate Agent etiquette - was I wrong?

46 replies

ZoomRoom · 01/10/2020 15:50

This happened a couple of weeks ago but still wondering if I did something wrong.

I saw a house I really liked listed with estate agent #1, I phoned, told him I was SSTC and very keen on the house and ticked all our boxes, could I view ASAP? He said he was incredibly busy and the first opportunity was two days' later, but he'd have to check with the vendors it was okay before confirming.

An hour or so later my DH then noticed the house was listed with another agent. I really had a gut feeling this was the right house and we needed to view ASAP so I phoned estate agent #2. They also said they were busy and could only accommodate a viewing two days' later. I said no thank you as I'm waiting to hear back from Estate Agent #1 for a viewing the same day so don't worry.

Well then Estate Agent #2 was suddenly free! They said no problem I could see it immediately! An hour later they showed me around, I met the (lovely) vendor and I put in an offer which was accepted right away.

I then phoned Estate Agent #1 (who hadn't even called back to confirm the viewing he'd proposed) and told him I had now seen the property with Estate Agent #2 and put an offer in and it was accepted, it that it had all happened really quickly.

He was really pissed off with me and said if I was that serious I should have insisted, and he told me that calling the other Estate Agents at all was bad form, and I'd used my contact with him as leverage to get a viewing sooner with them. I didn't even know that was a thing!

My DH thinks he's just annoyed he missed out on the commission but did I go against buying etiquette?? I hate confrontation and it kind of soured it all a little. :(

OP posts:
Noidea2114 · 01/10/2020 17:49

mountains76 what a load of sh*t you have posted. If the first agent couldn't be bothered to someone who is in the position to buy
then I don't blame the OP going with the 2nd agent. And if the commission is £5k that is not a small amount.

whataballbag · 01/10/2020 17:52

@mountains76 incredible amount of work? Are you joking?

Headoctor · 01/10/2020 17:55

Pretty sure @mountains76 is being sarcastic 🙃

NoSquirrels · 01/10/2020 17:55

Ha! Send him flowers! That’s so funny.

Professional fails to arrange service and OP should send him flowers?

RubixMania · 01/10/2020 17:57

I think you were wrong here. Every estate agent I've encountered has behaved with the utmost integrity and given the incredible amount of work they put in for very little pay (sometimes as little as 5K on a sale) they deserve a bit more commitment from you as a buyer

😂😂😂
I tried for too long to work out if this was tongue in cheek 😂

I’ve had a fair amount of dealings with EA’s over the years - renting (as tenant), buying and selling.

By and large my experience has been that they say anything that pops into their heads to get you to buy/sell/rent with them, much of which has little relation to the actual truth. And my overall opinion of most of them is that they do very little for their fee and I wish there was an easier way to do it direct!

Hathertonhariden · 01/10/2020 17:58

Think mountains is an EA. Your EA is just pissed off at missing the commission. He could just as easily made the effort to get you a viewing. You took the trouble to update him so that he didn't waste time on your behalf. Shame he didn't show you similar courtesy.

Afibtomyboy · 01/10/2020 17:58

@ZoomRoom

Oh, phew. Honestly thank you so much. I've had a bit of a tight knot about it, what was otherwise a really exciting whirlwind of a day; I'll let it go now.

I did wonder if it had been my DH phoning him back whether he'd have had such a go. Maybe not.

You trust the view of anonymous mumsnetters more than your DH?!

Totally with your DH on this btw

jomaIone · 01/10/2020 18:07

You don't owe the estate agent anything, they're there to help YOU and they didn't so you tried elsewhere! You gotta do what you gotta do! Congratulations! When you know the house is right, you need to move fast!

mountains76 · 01/10/2020 18:41

In case it wasn't obvious my previous post was a joke. On the whole estate agents are vermin.

AltoCation · 01/10/2020 18:54

You had no need to be telling EA#1 all the details. It’s not for you to tell an EA that the vendors have accepted your offer via another EA, that is for the vendors to do as the EA is working for them.

You could just have left a message to cancel the appointment.

You set yourself up for him to be annoyed by blathering on.

pilates · 01/10/2020 18:56

Perfectly fine, he’s pissed he’s lost his commission.
You snooze you lose.

tara66 · 01/10/2020 18:57

mountain76 - you must be an estate agent or just left a convent!

tara66 · 01/10/2020 18:59

mountain 76 - didn't see your last message - haha.

Insaneinthemembury · 01/10/2020 19:03

If he didn't bother to call you back Id just have left it! That was courteous of you to even do that. You owe him nothing.
What a wierd way for him to carry on

RubixMania · 01/10/2020 20:03

In case it wasn't obvious my previous post was a joke. On the whole estate agents are vermin

😂😂😂😂😂

Chicchicchicchiclana · 01/10/2020 20:33

@doublehalo

The vendor will have signed contracts with both agents which will include that they will get their fee if someone they introduced to the property ends up buying it.

It's possible they will argue that they introduced you to the property as you saw their listing first and called them first.

This is the truth^^, alongside a lot of fiction on this thread.

It's why agents hate multi-agent listings. Too much room for confusion.

Original poster
ZoomRoom · 01/10/2020 20:34

@mountains76

I think you were wrong here. Every estate agent I've encountered has behaved with the utmost integrity and given the incredible amount of work they put in for very little pay (sometimes as little as 5K on a sale) they deserve a bit more commitment from you as a buyer.

Perhaps you should send him a bunch of flowers.

Now that's a good point and I will absolutely pop to see him, with flowers with chocolates! Grin

Thanks again all, DH says I can be too nice. Have to have a thicker skin...

OP posts:
AnneElliott · 01/10/2020 20:38

I agree with everyone else. I wouldn't have bothered calling him back! You snooze, you lose!

And estate agents are notoriously shifty. Hate them with a passion.

Roowig2020 · 01/10/2020 22:08

You did the right thing. That's why people must have it on with 2 agents. Congrats on your new house. Hope it proceeds well!

mumsy27 · 02/10/2020 00:36

congratulation! morally or ethically you have done nothing wrong.
however, why would you called him, to rub the salt or to cancel any further appointments.
I've bought recently, vendor's agent was very pleasant and honest and well known in the community (involved with schools..etc).
my partner even wanted to offer them flower and I am not trying any sarcasm here.

seayork2020 · 02/10/2020 00:40

2 agents selling a house well only one of them can actually sell the house, you are the buyer so you buy the house, the house ia sold to you now so that is the end of the story

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