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[Hazel444]

Anyone got any insider info about why some estate agents don't update Rightmove when a property is under offer? I've contacted 2 estate agents this week to arrange viewings only to be told the properties in question are under offer and not available to view. While I was on the phone I asked one of the agents I spoke to about a couple of other properties they had on Rightmove and they were under offer too. We are chain free cash buyers, so I don't think they were just fobbing me off.

Surely marking properties under offer would show that you were a successful estate agency? What is the point of a portal like Rightmove/Zoopla when many of the properties advertised are no longer available?

I know! Drives me nuts! You spend hours looking on rightmove, narrow it down, make the calls only to find half of them are under offer! I asked the estate agent I'm buying through, and he said that until they've done their ID checks and proof of funds they don't put it as under offer, but do so as soon as those are approved (a couple if days). But I see properties i asked about weeks ago still being marketed. So frustrating.

I only assume it’s so they can suck you in and once you call they can explore your circumstances, suggest alternative properties and maybe take on yours as a listing

We have experienced this both ways, wanting a house, and waiting for agents to show our house as STC.. they say it is because they need all solicitor contact info from both parties..so both the sellers and buyers, plus any other info like ID etc. Sometimes people are slow getting this info so it wont show as STC until then.

They wait until proof of deposit and mortgage in principle are provided, and ID checked, before they officially take houses off the market.

@BlueCherryBlossom

They wait until proof of deposit and mortgage in principle are provided, and ID checked, before they officially take houses off the market.

That makes sense but I'm sure a lot of the estate agents leave them on much longer than this - a house we viewed just after Christmas and has had a 'sold' sign up since January is still on Rightmove as if it's for sale. If they were really just leaving it up until proof of funds etc, they must have a really patient vendor if those checks haven't happened yet almost 3 months later!

The house we were selling was under offer in November, exchanged in Feb and sold in March. At no point did the ad on Rightmove change. They just kept it the same then removed it when we completed.
We assumed that the EA was using it as bait to get buyers to call them and then show them other properties.

@HepLaurenceLB

The house we were selling was under offer in November, exchanged in Feb and sold in March. At no point did the ad on Rightmove change. They just kept it the same then removed it when we completed. We assumed that the EA was using it as bait to get buyers to call them and then show them other properties.

This can happen usually if the seller went up with 2 agents. The agent who did not get the sale just leaves it up for some reason..

I hate this too. I could almost understand it if there was some sort of ploy to go “oh but whilst you’re on the phone what about this or this or this....” but inevitably you just get some irate person on the end of the phone who says “sorry that’s sold” and then either hangs up or goes silent until you do. One or two agents round here are really bad for it. My other pet hate it those that list stuff then you read the description and it already says SSTC despite only going on rightmove hours before. I get that it’s marketing, but it just fills my inbox with pointless shite about new listings that aren’t actually listings at all!

And just to clarify the SSTC description ones aren’t ones that sell stupid fast upon listing, they are deliberately listing them when they are already sold just to appeal to other prospective sellers and tell everyone how marvellous their off market sales are 🙄

@HepLaurenceLB

The house we were selling was under offer in November, exchanged in Feb and sold in March. At no point did the ad on Rightmove change. They just kept it the same then removed it when we completed. We assumed that the EA was using it as bait to get buyers to call them and then show them other properties.

Nope neither of the agents I talked to tried to 'bait' me despite us being in a good position as prospective buyers. When we sold our house I actually was put off using the largest local agent as they always had lots of properties on Rightmove that were on for months, but now having spoken to them regarding buying it turns out a lot of their listing are not actually 'live' after all - so not only are they not trying to 'bait' people with their no-longer-available listing, they are also losing prospective sellers by looking like they don't have a quick turnaround when that isn't actually the case!

Argh we are new hopeful FTBs that have done our first few viewings this week and we have found this too! I'd say 80 per cent of the properties we called about were under offer but not updated on the website. We do live in a very desirable area though where it's normal for a house to go under offer on the first day of viewings. I agree the EAs generally don't mention any other suitable properties either, only one of them has been helpful in this, the others we have had to ask them and their response has usually been "check the website" etc...helpful.

Lack of properties on there books, so they keep them live to look busier than they are?

@Evecob we were only with one estate agent. Maybe it was just good old incompetence.