Experience as buyer? Purplebricks, Doorsteps, Yopa, Strike and other non high street estate agents?

[BakeOffRewatch]

As per thread title, interested in hearing people’s experiences as a buyer? I scroll past, it’s such a fraught process I think estate agents on both sides are needed. But perhaps I’m missing out! I did request details from one the other day and it asked me to pick a time slot to request a viewing and sign up and it felt like too much leg work. I make phone calls to local EAs, get to know them and ask them to send me houses based on lifestyle, get an idea of seller’s situation. But like I said maybe my old fashioned phone call based ways are holding me back!

I'm going with strike at the minute
Not any leg work really, I'd say
You just put your name and address and phone number in, pick a time and day that you want to visit and I got a response back really quickly with all mine I requested.
I haven't finished the process yet but I haven't had any problems really yet

Purple Bricks. Agent didn't know a thing about the house. No one to ask any questions. Had to make offer online, but owner did not respond. Had to call 'agent'. It went nowhere so I dropped out.
Another viewing another area. Agent knew nothing. Didn't bother pursuing after last experience.
Yet another (though by this time if a property was listed with Purple Bricks I'd almost not bother). Agent quite nice and very helpful and even went back to do a video walk through as I couldn't remember certain details. I didn't offer on it though, so don't know if that process has changed.
I didn't like having to make appointments online though, and not being able to ask some questions up front. The ladt agent was the most covid compliant of any of the firms I viewed with. I think he was an exception though.

Just going back to my earlier post, my viewings were with the owner (I believe they all are with strike. ?? Certainly most)
So could ask anything
And people responded quickly to my messages online

I tried to buy a house through Purple Bricks. Just didn't work. I made an offer through their automated system and the seller turned it down and that was sort of it? I ended up having to ask her next door neighbour to intercede for me, lol. I don't think she got good advice from a proper estate agent as the house has gone back on the market 2x since, and still not sold in a hot local market. Shame as it's a perfectly nice little house and I know lots of people would like to buy it.

Though I'm relieved for myself as I bought another, better house nearby, through a proper estate agent, who capably shepherded me and the vendor through all the ups and downs and covenants and negotiations and handed me the keys about 8 weeks after my initial viewing. Worth the money, I'd say.

I sold my hose through Emoove a few years ago, do not think they are in business anymore.
To be honest apart from the fortune it saved me I was overall happy with them.
I decided on my own selling price after having 3 local estate agents to value my property. Appointments were booked online, I did the viewings, all quite smooth.
I also used my own solicitor to handle the sale.

I was previously buying a house through a seller with PB. Honestly, I didn't find it any issue at all really.

The seller was doing the viewings, and it gave me a chance to ask all the niggly questions the agents don't know, as I was moving to a completely different area. I found it easy to book viewings, and deal with.

Chain fell apart but because of my buyer pulling out, nothing to do with that house. No issues from me. I would happily view another house again if it was at the right price and location. I did actually view a few others houses listed with PB and HouseSimple (as Strike was previously). Similarly, zero issues arranging things.

Arranged a viewing with Purple Bricks. Vendor showed us around. That was fine but house wasn't for us.

Saw a house with Yopa. All comms were with the vendor who was v emotional about her house and the pricing. We had a difficult time negotiating. We eventually had an offer accepted. Then when we lost our buyer and got a new one ten days later, we found the vendor had already been persuaded by Yopa to swap their sale to a modern-style auction. To get back in the chain we were already in, we'd have had to pay £7k upfront with the possibility of it falling apart at any point and not getting that money back (it was additional to the house cost). Oh, and they'd put the price up too!

We moved on. The vendor lost three months to being on rotating auctions where no one bid. They are back on normal sale now through a different estate agent.

I'd never use Yopa and I'd be wary of the other similar ones now too.

We bought a house marketed by Yopa. Everything went fine even when we lost our buyers three times. Vendors were really nice and waited that we got our house sold. Yopa tried to persuade vendor to put the house back to the market several times.

We bought a house that was on with purple bricks, the online offers was a bit awkward and we ended up phoning them to agree it and then doing it online because the system needed us to. They used their in house solicitors who were awful and caused loads of delays.

I just scroll past anything being sold in an unconventional way too. Modern method of auction is a non-starter for me, as are PB, Yopa and the rest. House selling/buying is expensive, complex and emotional - it's not a straightforward transaction and I don't think can be done effectively online or directly with the vendor. I think this is why conventional estate agency as a 'profession' has survived. I say that as someone who has bought and sold six times in the last 25 years.

I've bought twice with purple bricks, found it easy as you're talking direct with the owner so got quick answers to any questions.

We bought in 2018. Needed local estate agents on both sides, needed someone to deal with our agent, with the vendor (who was difficult), with the solicitor. Our solicitor said PB use the worst solicitors available and the process is painfully slow. We tried to look at one house being sold through pb: had to speak to a call centre, they had no clue, never arranged a viewing and kept bombarding us with marketing calls wanting to sell our property. Almost as bad as Foxtons!

Recently bought through PB. Absolute pain in the arse. Viewing was with an agent who knew nothing about the house and couldn't answer our questions so had to submit them to the vendor online blah blah. We desperately wanted the house because we'd been waiting for ages for a house like this to come up on that street, but my god we had to persevere. Problems with their onward purchase but PB post sales support know nothing so we kept asking for an update and got no information. Eventually snapped and said a shitty email to the local agent who finally told us why the chain was held up. Meanwhile our estate agent was pushing and chasing trying to make the chain happen. We got there in the end but no I would never choose to sell through PB.

Interesting! Sounds like it completely depends on the vendor’s emotions to the sale, knowledge of process and motivation to get things like documents moving. I just don’t have time to view things where people might mess me around so I will continue to scroll by. High street estate agents are motivated to complete, and repeat custom. The ones that are popular near me don’t deal with vendors who aren’t realistic on prices etc cos it’s not worth their time so they’ve already done that sift for you as a buyer as it were.

@bakeoffrewatch yes, also in the end we got our house because it came back on to the market after previous buyers fell through, and before it was relisted anywhere the agent rang us to see if we could come and view then and there (a Saturday morning). We did and offered the full asking price five minutes after the viewing, and we've lived here for 2.5 years now.

That would never have happened without the personal relationship with a local agent who knew we were desperate to move and had a buyer for our place.

Personally, I have an inherent distrust of estate agents. So I wouldn't trust high Street ones anyway 😂

@purpleme12 are you a first time buyer? The value (a good) estate agents bring is after sale is agreed, looking after the chain, chasing solicitors, brokers, documents up and down the chain and managing emotions too, they can also “save” a chain with their contact book like @DropDTuning’s story. Booking viewings and making offers is one part. And yeah I agree definitely don’t deal with anyone you don’t trust! @InescapableDeath’s and @turtlewurtle’s stories sounds like yopa was actively getting in the way!

Fair enough
I'm willing to have my distrust disproved!
(Although I'm buying through strike anyway just cos that's who's marketing the property i need to buy!)

My own story - the vendor tried to charge me extra for the fitted cooker and their estate agent put them straight lol. Minimal fuss for me. I wouldn’t want to deal with that directly.

I’m interested in stories by people who have completed or gone past the offer stage (I.e. arranging surveys, renegotiating based on survey outcomes, agreeing completion date).

Hope it all goes well for you @purpleme12 and keep us updated

Thank you ☺️

I sold mine through a local estate agent so I'm jumping on as a buyer. I'd stay well clear. When the houses are up for sale with one of these estate agents, I don't even look. I think it's stressful enough as it is without having a non existent agent and the inability to speak to anyone.

I mean for the right house I would’ve looked at them again. But only for the once in a lifetime sort of house.

Same with Connells - they’re a national agency and their behaviour was awful when we wanted to buy a house through them. I’ve sworn off them but if the house was perfect... I think many people would be swayed.

I’ve sold twice through purple bricks and it’s been great. It’s direct and you get an offer through and you can counter offer and communicate through the app. You can also request the agent do some negotiating on your behalf.
Selling my grandads through purple bricks and paying them to do the viewings this time, so far so good, however I know it’s going to be harder to sell and will take time. Using them as I can manage it for him from 300 miles away. The agent has been great!

I've sold through purple bricks and wouldn't recommend them for either side. Fortunately we paid up front so at least we had our own local solicitors otherwise I think we'd have lost our buyers and chain.
We did viewings ourself but whilst we could answer questions more, I could tell some people would have been more comfortable with an agent.
We ended up exchanging numbers with our buyer and doing everything personally between us but a) many people wouldn't have been happy with that and b) it wouldn't have worked if there was anything niggly or contentious.