Since Rightmove & Zoopla why use an expensive High St estate agent ?

[Tomjames]

You answered your own question. I'm using one to sell a house in burton because I can't keep going down to burton (£1200). I sold one in sheffield though, in which I was living, and used an online service (£600). Its a big difference in cost and not one that represents the additional benefit of the estate agent doing the viewings.

 

thats a good reason to use an estate agent.

I get leaflets through the door every week from the various agents asking if i am selling the house.

 

It suggests we have a sellers market.

 

---------- Post added 16-06-2016 at 10:36 ----------

 

Well, like quite a few people who posted, I think you're wrong to expect to negotiate a discount after the service you've agreed to has been provided. I can't see how having (and justifying) that opinion is trolling, but you can obviously think what you like.

 

You are most definitely not correct that any reasonable person would feel that way, as demonstrated by the number of people who disagree with you. In fact any reasonable person would expect to pay the agreed price or negotiate it before the service is provided.

I'm sure you are annoyed at Morfitt, you've said so and I have no reason to doubt you. I think your annoyance is entirely unwarranted and sounds ridiculous to me, if you didn't like the price you shouldn't have signed the contract.

 

Who signs a contract for a service and waits until the service is complete to ask for a discount and then gets all upset that one isn't forthcoming. The expectation at that point that you might get a discount is just ludicrous IMO.

 

No harm in asking.

[Cyclone]

I agree with that Tomjames, there is no harm in asking. But there is also no point in being surprised when the answer is a polite "no".

[Justin Smith]

Well, like quite a few people who posted, I think you're wrong to expect to negotiate a discount after the service you've agreed to has been provided. I can't see how having (and justifying) that opinion is trolling, but you can obviously think what you like.

 

You are most definitely not correct that any reasonable person would feel that way, as demonstrated by the number of people who disagree with you. In fact any reasonable person would expect to pay the agreed price or negotiate it before the service is provided.

I'm sure you are annoyed at Morfitt, you've said so and I have no reason to doubt you. I think your annoyance is entirely unwarranted and sounds ridiculous to me, if you didn't like the price you shouldn't have signed the contract.

 

Who signs a contract for a service and waits until the service is complete to ask for a discount and then gets all upset that one isn't forthcoming. The expectation at that point that you might get a discount is just ludicrous IMO.

 

Sorry, I don`t appear to have seen "a number of people" saying it`s perfectly reasonable to pay £2100 for the amount of work Morfitt Smith did*. Quite the opposite, most people are saying estate agents charge far too much for what they (usually) do, and my sale is at the extreme end of that. In fact, now I come to think about it, nobody from Morfitt Smith even came to my property, apart from John Morfitt who came round initially to do a "free" valuation.

Whatever you may think about how reasonable it is to charge £2100 for the small amount of work my estate agent did I`m going to make it my duty to try and save as many people as possible a shed load of money.

 

* Do you think it is ? Or are you simply arguing from a contract law perspective ? A number of people ?

Actually I don`t know why I`m even asking you this because, knowing you of old, I`m pretty certain you won`t answer it, certainly not a clear simple answer. Thus it`s time to abandon this particular line. I refer you back to this post.

Edited June 16, 2016 by Justin Smith

[Cyclone]

Well, there have been what, 5 people comment, including yourself.

And only Tomjames appears to agree with you.

 

I haven't said whether the cost is reasonable or not, if you didn't think it was reasonable though, why did you sign the contract for the service they provided?

[Jeffrey Shaw]

The EA also did quite a lot of the chasing with solicitors and so on, generally moving the sale forwards as they only get paid when it completes.

Sad to say, this 'chasing' makes the transaction slower and not quicker.

You see, the time wasted by solicitors in answering EA's unnecessary calls is better used in furthering the transaction concerned.

[Cyclone]

Sad to say, this 'chasing' makes the transaction slower and not quicker.

You see, the time wasted by solicitors in answering EA's unnecessary calls is better used in furthering the transaction concerned.

 

Hahahaha.

The task most often seems to be pawned off onto the work experience student, who doesn't know what they're doing nor have much interest in doing it.

My most recent experience of a house being sold (my parents house) had the non local solicitors asking for ridiculous things like proof of the annual maintenance charge. This was a 3 bed HOUSE. Not a flat. It took weeks before they would accept that there was no maintenance charge.

They also asked for planning permission for having had the boiler replaced.

These are supposed to be professionals. So how can they get it SO, SO wrong? Weeks wasted, months probably, as they would send a letter with their single inane question, then take weeks before sending the next stupid request.

[Jeffrey Shaw]

My most recent experience of a house being sold (my parents house) had the non local solicitors asking for ridiculous things like proof of the annual maintenance charge. This was a 3 bed HOUSE. Not a flat. It took weeks before they would accept that there was no maintenance charge.

I guess that:

a. the house is leasehold; but

b. the solicitors are from an area where 'leasehold' usually connotes' flat'- hence their concern about Service Charges.

Remember that most houses in E&W are freehold. The exceptions tend to be in:

a. Central London;

b. Sheffield;

c. South Wales;

d. Manchester/Wigan/Bolton/Oldham;

e. Newcastle; and

f. Birmingham.

Edited June 16, 2016 by Jeffrey Shaw
Added 'Manchester'

[Cyclone]

You might well be correct. So their ignorance causes a long delay.

 

I'm not sure why they'd ask for proof of planning permission that never requires PP.

 

And these are just the two issues that most stuck in my memory.

[Jeffrey Shaw]

You might well be correct.

Don't you know? It was your parents' house, after all, so you must know where it was!

[Cyclone]

Don't I know why the solicitors were so hell bent on getting the management charge details. No, I'm afraid I don't. Which is why your guess might well be correct, but I can't say for sure, not being able to read minds.

 

It's amusing that you list places all over the country as "exceptions" though. It might have been quicker to list the major cities that weren't exceptions... Leeds. There, that pretty much covers it.