lemoni Posted February 18, 2006 Share Posted February 18, 2006 I know for a fact that some houses in Broomspring Lane S10 for instance are going to be sold in the next year or so. So go for it! - leafleting is a good idea. How come you pinched my monicker, lemony?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carmine Posted February 20, 2006 Share Posted February 20, 2006 Exactly. Dodginess of the first order. What other "profession" can get away with such borderline criminal practices? The real problem is that while these practices are frustrating and seem quite underhanded, they aren't illegal. Most "professions" tend to know the ins and outs of their little stomping ground and use them to their best advantage whenever they can. While anyone will find this situation galling to the extreme, the best way to fight back is to educate yourself as to the way estate agents operate and try to use that to your own advantage. But having said that, I do think that the Sheffield property market would be a better place for buyers and sellers if the system of "best & finals" went the way of the dodo and was replaced by the more open practice of simply establishing an honest asking price and encouraging people to bid up to it rather than undervaluing and making people run like mad after a property. Apparently the "best & final" system shocks people from other parts of the country and I can't help but think that people would get far better value for their money from an estate agent if they got off their ar*ses and ran about a bit for their sizable percentage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemony Posted February 21, 2006 Author Share Posted February 21, 2006 How come you pinched my monicker, lemony?? I didn't know there was lemoni... it's nearly the same! Mine comes from the pseudonym of a famous children's writer... Lemony Snickett (A Series of Unfortunate Events). I thought if I'm going to have a monicker I'd better have one I can remember! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leesv1000 Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 yea i had simmalar trouble with them and halifax really annoying when your buying although i ended up buying through haybrook and none of that happened i dont know if it was just my experiance with them but it was really easy compaired to the other two Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hotdogbird Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 What is it estate agents do that you can't do yourself? I bought my house after seeing a for sale sign made of paper stuck up in the window. When I do eventually move, I'll advertise privately also. I can answer a phone and book in viewing times to suit me without having a third party involved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crookesey Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 This is not like buying a car, if you don't like one dealership you can go to another for an identical vehicle. If you fall for a property you are stuck with the vendors choice of agent as they have the choice of the agent they use, as you would if you were selling. Try to get more interactive with vendors, let them see proof of deposit and offer of funds in principal. Give them details of the status of the sale of your current property if applicable and let them know the name of your solicitor, their solicitor could then check you out. I know that this is the responsibility of the agent and as we all know estate agents are the most trustworthy folk on earth, so it would do no harm. Give the agents all the information that you have given the vendors, but don't tell them that their clients know everything that they do. Then go back for a second viewing and check that the status of your offer has been presented in the correct way. And don't get stroppy with the agents as they consider themselves to be in a powerful position as you want something that they could help you to get. Just be very nice and polite and then when you leave the office kick three shades of s--t out of the nearest wheelybin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemony Posted February 23, 2006 Author Share Posted February 23, 2006 The real problem is that while these practices are frustrating and seem quite underhanded, they aren't illegal. Why hasn't this "profession" been regulated fully by the government? From what I hear in the forum it's not a one off, they're a bunch of crooks, like a mafia or something. It's about time the process of buying/selling a house was made transparent! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strix Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 yea i had simmalar trouble with them and halifax really annoying when your buying although i ended up buying through haybrook and none of that happened i dont know if it was just my experiance with them but it was really easy compaired to the other two Blundells area manager told me I had asked for the details of too many houses Halifax refused to let us view a new development they were looking after, and having complained to the developer, the manager from Halifax rang us up, not to appologise, but to tell me off!! We bought from Haybrook eventually, and the only thing I found odd was that the lady 'looking after' us kept forgetting who we were, although we were moving into the area from Peterborough and both have scouse accents. Who the F was she muddling us up with? I have to say though, we NEVER negotiate with an estate agent. We make an offer directly to the vendor, eye to eye, and just keep the agent informed. It cuts out all the cloak and dagger stuff, removes all the stress, and lets you know where you stand instantly. If you don't trust the answers you get from the vendor, you have to be prepared to walk away though. Gazumping was a real problem when we were buying last, and one woman we tried to talk to kept saying 'whatever will be will be', and was evasive. We didn't make an offer as we didn't trust her not to go looking for a gazump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoBooth Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 ever checked out http://www.oea.co.uk/? Interesting to note that neither Blundels nor Haybrook subscribe to the code of conduct. I have been trying to buy for months but keep getting outbid and have really had enough of this system, and can't help thinking that I am at times being mucked about Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hels Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 We're looking to sell our beautiful house Due to illness we need a bungalow and have seen one that's ideal. I've read a few reports on here about one particular estate agent (which was the one we first thought about using) and now I'm wondering who we should go with. Any recommendations? The agent we first thought of charge 1.25% of the selling fee plus the cost of placing an advert in the Sheffield Property Guide. Any advice would be appreciated. PS: the bungalow we've seen are on the market with the above (unmentioned) estate agent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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