Fuming

[hatefireworks]

I’m hoping to move to a certain location in the UK and have about 10 streets in particular that I’d really like to live on. I’ve been refreshing Rightmove and Zoopla daily but the market seems pretty quiet at the moment.

I’ve also been keeping tabs on a local estate agent’s page (they don’t use Rightmove or Zoopla so I have to look at them separately).

Anyway, I’ve just checked their property sales in order of most recent and there’s a house on one of my top streets, within my budget, that has popped up today as a new property but is already marked as sold! They must have flogged it even before putting any details online, which is very annoying and surely not in the owners interest either - they could have got more money if it had been properly and widely marketed!

AIBU to be annoyed?

I'm not sure there's any point getting upset about this. It's done.

It’s so irritating though! Who are these special chosen people who get first dibs on properties before they even hit the market? Grrrr

You should 100% register with the agents and make sure they know you’re very keen. We sold off market as we have young children and getting them out the house (esp in evenings when people had finished their working day) we were only keen to do for extremely serious buyers - not people just taking a look for interest. So we told them to call everyone on their books who they knew was very serious. We were very clear quality not quantity of viewers was the most important. We only had 5 viewings and had 5 offers and went over asking price and it was extremely easy for us. Think a lot of people will be doing similar in covid era so get yourself on the agent books and hassle them!

Have you registered with local EAs? When we were looking, one agent would send us relevant properties before they paid for the Rightmove listing.

So to be clear we never went on Rightmove or the agents website until the day we exchanged.

The ones who have spoken with the local agents, built a relationship with them and have shown that they are fast and reliable buyers, with finances and solicitors ready to go.

If you have a very specific area than I suggest you leaflet it and try for a private sale . I have done that twice - and got houses both times. The one that I am living in now is my dream house and I leafleted it in the snow two years ago

I'd also look up any other local estate agents that don't use Rightmove and Zoopla- I was looking in a specific area and only found my house because I walked down the street and saw a sign up outside my dream house- the agency is a local specialist and doesn't use them. I would never have found it via those sites.

Sorry- just seen you also said you were doing that.

Agree with all the above, you need to be ringing all the agents regularly to remind them you exist and are in a position to buy. There are many reasons people may not want to go on the open market if they can get a decent price without.
It’s annoying, but you can do something about it.

when we bought this house, we'd been renting locally and went into the high street offices of 3 or 4 agents every 3 or 4 days. they knew we were keen, ready to go and so when they got instructions to sell this house, I got a call from the agent and we were the first in to see it. Offered on the spot.

EA like to advertise their successes mostly to potential sellers rather than buyers. A local agent does it, advertises on Rightmove "another property sold by us before coming to market, register your interest with us now!" type of thing.

Yes, as above you need to register with local agents and impress on them your keenness and readiness to buy.

We also did this as buyers. The EA knew we were in a position to proceed and wouldn't mess the vendor about. We saw it, offered and were accepted then it went up as stc on rightmove.

100% normal for properties to be sold before making it online. As soon as EAs agree to take on a property they'll be on the phone to the buyers they already have on their books. Possibly even before it's been photographed.

If you're that serious, you should know the agents who sell in that areas and make friends with them!

@MaggieFS

100% normal for properties to be sold before making it online. As soon as EAs agree to take on a property they'll be on the phone to the buyers they already have on their books. Possibly even before it's been photographed.

If you're that serious, you should know the agents who sell in that areas and make friends with them!

Yes, this happened to us as sellers (before the lockdown). We talked to EA on a Monday, contract signed and property description agreed by Thursday, but they couldn't get photos done until the following week, so the online listing was delayed until then. Meanwhile, EA contacted all interested buyers and we had viewings and offers the same week, before the online listing went up.

Just call them up to log that you're pissed off about not getting in on the good house. They'll make a note of it (they log eveerything) and probably inundate you with houses which might equally annoy

It takes several days to get photos/EPC done and upload the to rightmove or the website. When we sold our house the estate agent had lists of people who they knew were interested in our area and they contacted those people for viewings from the moment we signed the forms rather than waiting for Rightmove.