Should I change my estate agent? - Page 3

jomarch · 07-06-2012, 23:13

I agree completely but if no one puts in an offer how can you gauge what someone is prepared to pay?
I really wish I had set my own price instead of listening to the EA valuation of what they thought it was worth (they were so clearly wrong!). I have a feeling that their valuations are based on the market price of other similar houses in the area and not on what houses previously sold at. A similar house close to mine for example was for sale £14 000 more than mine was valued at, clearly over priced so I felt that mine must be a bargain.
I'm only after a fair price for a decent house in a decent area, but maybe there just aren't enough buyers around. My previous house sold to a cash buyer just thirty minutes after it went on the market, so I could have held out for a bidding war but I thought the offer was fair and I really just wanted to sell my house, which is what I want now.
I spoke to someone today who said his son had just bought a house but had to take out a thirty-five year mortgage- so it isn't surprising that the market is like it is.

SpencersEA · 27-06-2012, 15:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by mc55

We eventually bought from Spencers and they have been excellent - very open and honest during all of our contact / negotiations. We chose Crucible when we were thinking of selling - they were fantastic (we had a lot of buyers through the door and several offers with asking price achieved)

Thank you very much. Good to hear, and thanks for taking the time to say something nice.

heeleyson · 28-06-2012, 00:11

Be realistic, went with one well known in Sheff a few years ago and after several months, of which you are still paying council tax etc , they decided they could not sell it but demanded months worth of payment. Well i could av fell thru the bloor.

Cyclone · 28-06-2012, 08:14

What estate agent charges on a monthly basis?

Northside · 03-07-2012, 21:48

Hi all, I haven't been on here a while but thought I would post an update.

Yes I did change my agent to the 'market leader', despite the discomfort of shelling out (if they sell it of course) over £2k of my hard earned cash.

I have to say it has been on the market nearly 2 months now and, well, the viewings certainly have been happening. However no offers as yet. The viewings have also died down somewhat so I am trying to give the agents a bit of a kick up the bum as they seem to have a flurry of activity to start with and then lose interest. Mind you it is in their interest to sell as they put the ad in the Telegraph for as long as it takes to sell a property and would generally want to shift 'em as quick as they can!

I desperately need some offers as I keep losing the properties I like, and even despite the fairly low bottom bracket of the price, people keep giving various reasons (or not bothering) but they are not making them. A few said they loved it etc etc then nothing from them and you find they bought somewhere else in the end. Need to keep harassing the agents to get more people through the door and not letting them get slack with it

Stuart82 · 07-07-2012, 12:39

It is coming into holiday season now so won't be quite as many people making big purchases at moment. Will pick back up going back into September.

Northside · 08-07-2012, 14:16

True, it can slow down in summer, many people won't be buying but there is also a number of people who purposefully want to move during summer when they have time off more easily and things not as busy with work etc. All swings and roundabouts

Just as long as someone makes me an offer soon

jomarch · 16-07-2012, 15:03

Northside- good luck with your sale and hope that changing to a traditional agent pays off!
Just to let you know that I resisted and stayed with Move& Save and have sold my house! It has taken 6 months, a lot of hard work and a drop in price of 10% but I got there in the end. I have saved not only money with M&Save, but also had good service and sound advice. I am also using their conveyancers who seem very efficient and good value for money- the paperwork is going through much quicker than I had thought so I have no complaints.

jm79 · 17-07-2012, 11:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by jomarch

Northside- good luck with your sale and hope that changing to a traditional agent pays off!
Just to let you know that I resisted and stayed with Move& Save and have sold my house! It has taken 6 months, a lot of hard work and a drop in price of 10% but I got there in the end. I have saved not only money with M&Save, but also had good service and sound advice. I am also using their conveyancers who seem very efficient and good value for money- the paperwork is going through much quicker than I had thought so I have no complaints.

Well done jomarch, good for you! I hope our persistence with Move & Save also pays off. For some reason, our viewings have suddenly increased (5 in the last week!) although im not complaining. I just wish there was a way of filtering out time-waters though!

jomarch · 17-07-2012, 14:19

Thanks jm- viewings can be a pain but it is a necessary evil and you never know which ones are timewasters (at least not until they turn up!). I must admit to viewing properties just to cross them off the list, but buying a house is a serious business and you really do have to view to know if it is right or not. The right buyer will turn up and I will repeat what a wise person said to me that people buy houses, estate agents don't sell them. It was good advice and I'm glad I took notice of it!
Good luck.

jm79 · 17-07-2012, 14:31

That's good advice jomarch. We had to go through 15 viewings last year to accept an offer on our house. Unfortunately the chain fell through, so we have had to start the process all over again this year

So to be fair to Move & Save, they 'sold' our property once already, now they are going to have to 'sell' it all over again this year!

GrannyGranny · 18-07-2012, 07:27

Good luck OP. As above, dies off over summer holidays then rush to try to get in by Christmas then dies off again after Christmas and picks up March/towards easter.

My Father in Law's house in Lincolnshire has been on the market since Feb and only 4 viewings. Its been reduced but it really slow.

My parents house in Cheshire has been on for 18 months, they've been let down a few times with timewasters but no new offers in the last 4 months. They've reduced in by over £50k in that time!

Simply, if its cheap enough it will sell but then you need as much as possible to buy your next house. Its certainly frustrating.

GodStar · 18-07-2012, 13:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by jomarch

Northside- good luck with your sale and hope that changing to a traditional agent pays off!
Just to let you know that I resisted and stayed with Move& Save and have sold my house! It has taken 6 months, a lot of hard work and a drop in price of 10% but I got there in the end. I have saved not only money with M&Save, but also had good service and sound advice. I am also using their conveyancers who seem very efficient and good value for money- the paperwork is going through much quicker than I had thought so I have no complaints.

You saved on the selling fees. Whether you have ended up better off is not certain- a traditional agent may (or may not) have got a better price for your house.

jomarch · 20-07-2012, 14:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by GodStar

You saved on the selling fees. Whether you have ended up better off is not certain- a traditional agent may (or may not) have got a better price for your house.

I understand that this may be the case, but who is to say which agent would get more for your house? There are so many variables I wasn't willing to take the risk. From watching the local market, talking to viewers (all who had sold properties had dropped prices, some quite considerably) and also people I know who have bought and sold in this tricky climate I am still of the view that I made the right decision. May be in a parallel universe I would have gone with Haybrooks.Reeds Rains, Blundells er al and made masses of money. As it is we all have to make the decisions we feel are right for us and I still have no regrets, even though my buyers have revised their offer following the survey I still think I got a fair price for my house.

Cyclone · 20-07-2012, 14:04

It's unlikely that a traditional agent would get anymore, they can't make people offer more.
So long as you get the viewers in, the price you finally sell for will depend on what price you chose to market it at, and what price people are prepared to offer (and what you accept obviously). I don't think the EA can do much about any of these things except getting the viewings in.

GodStar · 20-07-2012, 16:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cyclone

It's unlikely that a traditional agent would get anymore, they can't make people offer more.
So long as you get the viewers in, the price you finally sell for will depend on what price you chose to market it at, and what price people are prepared to offer (and what you accept obviously). I don't think the EA can do much about any of these things except getting the viewings in.

Like you say it's all about getting the viewings in. You only need 2 parties to get competitive with their bids and the price goes up. So an agent good at getting the viewings in can have a real difference.

Northside · 20-07-2012, 17:02

Congratulations Jo on selling your house, looking forward to the day when mine finally sells too!

I would agree with those who said it is all about getting people through the door; ultimately the more viewings you get, the more chance you have of getting an offer; unless you are incredibly lucky like I would have been if the 2 people who the online agent got to view my house in 5 weeks had offered on it. Would have been great but the stuff of dreams to be honest! (Unless you are not bothered about selling quickly at all, which I am..)

I have to say my 'traditional' agent has been very active with getting people to view, it's died down a bit now so I revised the price range in the hope this would make a difference (which it has done in the past with other properties). Starting to get more again now. I have also found that despite my own reservations as to whether these 'channels' are worth it, I've had people viewing who either saw my house in the Property Guide or walked into the branch, and didn't go on Rightmove at all (or went but overlooked it for whatever reason).

Fingers crossed for everyone trying to sell, it's a tough job but we'll all get there in the end!!

Cyclone · 21-07-2012, 09:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by GodStar

Like you say it's all about getting the viewings in. You only need 2 parties to get competitive with their bids and the price goes up. So an agent good at getting the viewings in can have a real difference.

In the current market I think most people are happy to get a bid. It's a lot different to the early noughties when houses were sold in the midst of bidding wars.

Northside · 22-07-2012, 21:41

Bidding wars still happen, but are rarer these days. You're right, in this climate if you get an offer full stop you are in luck. I have a very decent house in what is considered a desirable area, competitively priced, and yet to get an offer. If I get one that is above my set minimum , I will accept it gratefully!

jm79 · 23-07-2012, 11:32

Im in the same boat NorthSide - great house, highly-desirable area and the price is so low (just reduced it again), im practically giving it away! We have suddenly had a bit more interest though, so I will wait patiently and keep my fingers crossed.

I just hate time wasters though. Someone asked if we had a garage the other day, I said no. They were still interested in viewing so they turned up, liked the house, but said not taking it further as they wanted a house with a garage. Grrrr!