Hi,

I'm looking to buy in the Crookes/Walkley, Hillsbrough area.

I've registered with all the main estate agents there and have looked at the properties but I was wondering if people could advise me on which are the best/worst estate agents in that area?

Also, are Blundells really all that bad? I have read quite a few bad posts about them on this website, but unfortunately they have the most properties available. Has anyone had a good experience of buying a property from them?

Any help/advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

I think the negative feedback is mostly from people selling. You shouldnt have to much concern buying from them.

I think like all estate agents they can play up the "interest" in houses....they told us one property we liked had LOADS of interest - when infact we were the only people that had viewed it in a week (as told by the seller themselves)

Interest in a property does not always mean that you have load of viewings. They could have been phone/email enquiries.

When you are buying the best one is the one that has the house you like most. For the buyer they are probably all about as good/bad as each other.

We bought our first house with Blundells and they were fine. Although I think they may have actually tricked me in to paying more than I needed to, by inventing another bidder. That was my own fault though and I suppose it is their job to get the most they can for any property.

Saxton Mee have quite a few propertys in Walkley and crookes, we just sold and bought with them.

As long as you bear in mind that they're likely to hype up all properties and make the most money for themselves that they can, all of the estate agents are much of a muchness as a buyer.

I found it easier to speak directly to the vendor- I knew that I was the first person to view my house so I asked the vendors to refuse other viewings if I offered them the full asking price and they agreed.

As long as you bear in mind that they're likely to hype up all properties and make the most money for themselves that they can, all of the estate agents are much of a muchness as a buyer.

I found it easier to speak directly to the vendor- I knew that I was the first person to view my house so I asked the vendors to refuse other viewings if I offered them the full asking price and they agreed.
I agree estate agents can be good or downright useless.
It is a good time to buy property at this time of year especially after the run of interest rate hikes with a bit of luck you can buy lower than the asking price.

I noticed the other day that alot of the houses we looked at prior to buying are still on the market, we got the one we wanted for under asking price. And we are moving in tomorow :clap: the whole sale and purchace took lesss than 8 weeks

Always found ELR professional and honest

Interest in a property does not always mean that you have load of viewings. They could have been phone/email enquiries.

I guess - but - the sales rep of the property said they'd had "several viewings" that week, so it was a blatent lie

To the OP - my best advise would be drive around the area, at diff times if possible - see whos selling the houses you like. Also rightmove.com tend to have quite a few different agents advertise on there.

We bought through Bairstow Eves in Crookes. They were very helpful, didnt play up interest in the property and were also very helpful at chasing our solicitors who were useless. If it wasnt for Birstow Eves we would have lost this property. I would really recommend them.

We are currently looking at properties for sale through Blundells and Haybrooks. We are only just at the looking stage and do not want to put our house on the market until we have an offer accepted on a property. We have done this in the past and it is equally as stressful getting a buyer for your house when you have not yet found a property to move to yourself as it is having an offer accepted on a house when you do not have a buyer for yours.

I have been 'advised' today by a lady at Haybrooks that these days many vendors will not even show their homes to anyone with their house not yet on the market. I said that was fine but that was the way we were going to do it and we would have to deal with the ones that will show us around their house not yet having ours on the market.

Having not bought our sold for 10 years now, I can see a big change in how things are done. We are finding Blundells and Haybrooks really pushy regarding mortgages and getting ours on the market. Its most off putting..... and besides, we already have a firm written mortgage offer in place anyway or we wouldn't even be looking .....