Bloody estate agents

[catlady1234]

We are planning to move very shortly!

Iv come to realise that some agents are leaving properties online on Rightmove etc. after a sale is agreed. One agent said it's still 'available' online until exchange! None of the agents actually have any properties to sell!

I'm really frustrated that iv spent time looking at properties online that have already sold months ago. Iv bought and sold before and iv never come across this. Is this common now?

I'm worried that once we sell there won't actually be anything available to buy.

Has anyone been in this situation?

Thanks

We have and found Dexters the absolute worst for doing this. Would never sell through them now as they are a total pita

I saw a lot of this a couple of months ago, not so much recently. I'm also having trouble just trying to get appointments to view properties.
e.g. EAs just not calling me back, asking me if I can view a week on Thursday at 10am or something equally specific. It's not even as if these houses are selling quickly, the EAs just seem a bit crap. And then when I do get a viewing they know nothing about the house and can't answer any questions.

Where I am, there are very few properties just sitting there, waiting to be looked at, yes. If EAs took them all down from their Windows (in the High Street) or off their website then it would all be empty.
In a way they are right - nothing is actually sold until completion.
Everywhere I've seen them still there though, it is indicated across the top corner of the property "SSTC" or occasionally they put "Under Offer" so you know when trawling the websites or the High Street Windows.

@Kite22
I would expect them to have them in their windows still but they should highlight that they are under offer or sold stc.
I have at least 20 examples of properties I have seen online about that are showing as for sale on rightmove and on the agents own website. Only when I have inquired have they told me that they are sold.

I was nearly swayed to use an agent to sell because I thought they had soo many current listings. They look very prominent in the area when you look online. It's very misleading

@Twiglets1 yes dexters and snellers seem to be the worst round here! I only found out today they are owned by the same company!

I'm not looking forward to any of this moving situation!

@Mooserp
Oh god! It all sounds awful!
I think 80% of the properties in my search criteria aren't actually on the market!
It makes me nervous to sell and then be scratching around for something to buy!

Did you find anything yet?

I've just contacted an estate agent just to see if they do weekend viewings. They said they couldn't tell me because they didn't know yet what days/times would be suitable for the vendor. House has been on Rightmove since late July. I know this could just be the vendor dragging their feet (and immediately put me off because I want to move quickly) but maybe as an estate agent, I'd try and push them to give me the days/times asap? So strange.

@ecochiroptera
That's frustrating! Have you sold your property?
I'm worried we might be able to sell but will struggle to find anything to buy

Not yet. It's on the market. Plenty of viewings but no offers yet. It's an unusual house, so I expected that. I wouldn't normally book viewings already but we're relocating 200 miles and I happen to be in the new area in two weeks, so figured I could look at a few houses to get an idea. I didn't think they would let me, because I read everywhere that they want you to have sold first but none of the EAs even asked what my position was. We're dropping our price this week, so hopefully we even have an offer by then.

I've seen a couple that I offered on but lost out. Others that I've actually managed to view haven't been right. I'm looking in a different area to where I currently live, so I can't do drive-bys to check places out in advance.

There is a house on my street on Rightmove and the estate agents own website marked as SSTC. However, the sale has gone through and the new owners moved in six weeks ago!