How much fibbing can estate agents do to generate interest?

[WhoWhereWhatWhy]

I saw a house at the weekend which I’m really interested in buying. It’s been on the market for about 4-6 months, was reduced in price over two months ago.

I said how much I liked at at the viewing, and that I’d like to come back with my husband. The seller was at home at the time, and the seller and the agent were talking about leaving the gate open as there was a viewing just after mine. I thought no more of it. The seller is a developer, who has lived at the property with his family for the last few years after completion.

Im going back in a few days time to view with my husband, and have been emailing the agent about a time that suits. He’s offered a time (which suits me) and has said that there is a viewing about 15 minutes after mine would end.

Is this coincidence, that each of the viewings I’ve been to/am going to has another viewing scheduled to immediately after?! I know it could be, but is it more likely to be that the agent wants me to feel that there is some competition for the property? Or is that against a code of practice?

They will say anything to make you want it more!

Isn't it just simply going to be that the EA has arranged the viewings in sequence so as to be convenient for them and the seller?

Hang around and see if you want to? Sit in the car outside. Honestly - I wouldn’t much care. Id offer what I wanted to and go from there.

I would think it's more likely that the estate agent has arranged the viewings close together because it's more convenient.

I’m going to do this. It wouldn’t make a difference to whether offer or how much, but I always like to have a full a picture as possible.

edited for context to say that I’m going to sit in the car afterwards and see

I think they organise bookings in a block for convenience. I do the same with my meetings in work!

Absolutely, he may have scheduled the viewings efficiently. It may well be a coincidence that he has agreed to the time and date I suggested and that someone else would like to view on that window.

Agree with PP it's much more likely that they are trying to bunch any viewings together to make the logistics easier for them and the seller.

They are salesmen and often get ridiculously high salaries based on a % of the house sale, so it is in their interests to sell it to you at the highest price.

When I worked with them (well known chain) they lied through their back teeth and showed houses known to have damp/subsidence/roofing repair works and plenty of other issues that had been rejected on the initial questionniare by prospective buyers. It then would take months for the survey to come through (they would often not mention the previous buyers had a survey to buy hoping the new ones would opt for a cheaper one that might not show up the issues). Everyone would be furious if it was caught on the survey but the young lads didn't care as they'd be onto the hundredth next person. Often they didn't even bother doing viewings and just made the buyer rock up to the house!

Don't use a national chain as they have high targets and treat customers as targets. I'd use an independent family run agent as they are more dependant on doing a good job for their reputation.

Code of practice?! That says you can't say there's another viewing straight after? I don't think people get into EA as a career if they're heavily interested in ethics and professional standards. If it makes it look popular, they'll do it.

I guess wait round the corner if you can be arsed to see if they come. But if you like it maybe it is really popular. All of a sudden!

I think it’s probably this… although it does seem very ‘coincidental’ that 2 months after a price change the other interested parties happen to come along in the same week as you view the house… 🤔

Remember that even if the next appointment booked after you is genuine, sitting in the car afterwards to see them going in doesn’t guarantee the agent is telling you the truth. Plans do change.

But I think you’re right to to stay sceptical
ETA - to answer your question, I’m unaware of any code of ethics and I’m fairly sure that most EA or salesperson of any kind would be comfortable with a bluff of another fictitious buyer. (I’ve had several other people interested in cars I’ve been to look at!)

I think they meant a code of practice that says they can’t lie about having viewings when they don’t!

Just trying to get a sense of urgency in you. Quick or you might miss out , someone else is interested sort of thing.
We even had that when we put an offer in. We were told someone else might put an offer in. To me it is put to the seller and they either say yes or no.
We decided our offer had a time limit to it. Saying that produced a gasp of intake of breath the other end.

If this was right after the house first went on the market then I’d say they’re just trying to clump viewers together. However, it’s been on the market for 4-6 months and was reduced two months ago, so why the flurry of interest now? You’re right to question these tactics.

We’ve been looking at houses for the past 18 months, some new to market and some been on for ages and nearly every estate agent has said the same about having a viewing straight after or implying there are other people very interested in it which, in some cases, we’ve found out to not be true. So take it with a pinch of salt.

My house is up for sale and yesterday I had 5 viewings all 15 minutes after the other!

In my experience estate agents will say anything they can to make you feel there is pressure to buy a property.

They won"t be doing that in this market, many of them are going bust due to lack of buyers, they will be wheeling produce about at Sainsburys soon most of them.

You could always just laugh out loud then pretend to look embarrassed and cough or something when they say it, they will probably get the message at that point?

Time pressures, as others have said, can be a tactic. It may well be that the EA has arranged the viewings to make things easier for themselves and the seller. It may also be that they are trying to pressure you.

If you really want to know, you could call them back and say that actually 15 minutes will not be long enough for your second viewing, given all the things you'd like to measure, check, etc., and your husband needs to have a good look around as well. So, perhaps they could reschedule the viewing for another day when they can give you a half an hour.

See what happens.

They might be lying, but it’s very common for estate agents to book blocks of consecutive viewings. It saves the EA time going back and forwards to the house for individual viewings, and it’s more convenient for the home owner..

When we sold a couple of years ago we had 18 viewings. However the EA did them in 3 blocks, of 5,6 and 7 people
at once. I can’t imagine having to tidy up and be out of the house 18 times, but doing it 3 times was perfectly manageable.

It would be more believable if it had just gone on the market. It would be quite the coincidence indeed given it's been on for several months.
I'd sit in the car and watch. I wouldn't want to do business with someone who was lying to my face.

@SmallDFartyCarNRG not sure when you worked for your agency but I’ve bought and sold about 20 properties and it’s taken days to arrange surveys and I get the report a few days after that. And while ‘fibbing’ about other interested parties is par for the course, knowing about existing issue that might affect a buyers decision is against the law, even if they don’t directly ask about it. Caveat emptor still applies, but if an agent knows about an issue, they are obliged to inform the buyer. If an agent was dishonest to me I’d report them, starting with their manager up to the chairman of the firm.

All views appreciated, thank you. I shall remain healthily sceptical. Having another interested party or additional interested parties won’t affect whether we want to buy the property, but would impact negotiation. Im going to wait in the car on the road afterwards.

The whole company is huge and most of the salesmen where not very bright, so if anyone challenged them they just said it really didn't matter. There was an expose a couple of years ago about agents mis-selling mortgages. They are not at all legally savvy. There are certain agents solicitors dread working with because they know they will be pushing sellers into getting the cheapest surveys (that do come in a couple of days) and say there are no need for flood plain checks for insurance, environmental searches and the rest. Agents that stir up worry in the chain to rush everyone just so they can get their bonus often break the whole chain because they are impatient and greedy.

Curious as to what might be considered a ridiculously high salary?

Unless someone is very senior, or owns the company, the money is not that great.