Estate Agents in Sheffield

[Lemony 10]

I see what you mean, Amanda, but it's a real put off when you offer the asking price, are the only person bidding and they still insist you go 5 to 7K over the asking price...

 

It's very difficult as a seller or buyer to avoid Blundells and they take advantage of this. I wish the wanted/available section of this forum had a sub-section on buying/selling because at the mo it's all mixed up with lots of letting stuff and it's very difficult to see anything to buy. I'm thinking of advertising HOUSE WANTED, etc... My parents suggested leafleting the area but I think that might put people off...

[dieselbabe 10]

My sister will never ever deal with these again. She sold her house with blundells and this woman who buy my sisters house was due to move in on this one day that everyone could move on.

As in the past the woman who buy my sister house was a pain in the neck getting the money together to be able to move, Anyhow moveing day came and my sis and family all packed away ready to move, was half way to the new house and got a call from blundells to say that the move is not goin to happen, and blundells only told the other people that sold they home that same day as the others was too was dealing with blundells that my sister was moveing into. My sister was very upset as she took days of work she lost money that day with removels she still had to pay the top wack, but she dont understand to this day why blundells did not tell my her the day or a few days befor the move, blundells knew 3 days befor the move that it was not goin to happen, Anyhow it took another 2months and she nealy lost her new house due to all the mess as the seller was goin to not sell the house, that she was that despret she lent 3g to this other woman who messed it all up and was short of buying her home just so they all could move. she got the money back of corce, but i never ever know something like that to happen. none of my other family had any trouble like this with other agents.

[Amanda1 10]

Lemony, I think leafleting is a good idea. Surely worth a try anyway? I don't think that would put people off, and if you target one road that you are particularly keen on, it shouldn't take too much time/effort. I have heard that the asking price in Sheffield is merely a starting point and that the majority of houses sell for 5-10% over that. Strange, but I don't think that happens in other cities as much. I know we got our current house by offering just over 5% of the asking price. The vendor didn't immediately snap up our offer, so guess he was hoping for even more!

[PROJECT 10]

Is the reason that blundells/saxton mee get so many complinats, that they are part of so many house sales in sheffield.

 

Does that mean that even though they do seem to get a lot of complaints about them, the reality is that they are no worse/better overall than any other estate agents

[Amanda1 10]

Could be! It would be interesting to hear of people who've had good experiences of estate agents...if there are any!

[Lemony 10]

Amanda, thanks for encouragement! Now I only have to convince my partner.

 

It could be that all estate agents are awful... I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case but why do most estate agents in Sheffield act outside the regulatory bodies? Only a handful of estate agents are members (Spencers for example). I think they're crooks, really, and don't want any regulation because then they'd have to stop doing certain things...

 

Compared to the poor woman above, I've got nothing to complain about. Dieselbabe, I hope she sued their pants off!!!

[Carmine 10]

With estate agents the maxim tends to run that it's easier to be on the train, p*ssing out of the window than it is runing along the platform, trying to p*ss in.

 

We sold our home with Blundells and at the same time kept getting edged out when offering on other houses after telling the other estate agents that we weren't selling with them.

 

Blundells dropped 16 final offers into our laps and somehow the highest belonged to a couple whos house they were also selling.

 

Strange coincidence?

 

When we finally came to bid on a house that Blundells were selling as well they told us that they explained to the vendor the fact that they could keep everything under one roof and make sure it went smoothly.

 

Logically they're highly motivated when it come to the task of keeping the deal in their own hands at both ends.

[Bobbyo 10]

Exactly. Dodginess of the first order. What other "profession" can get away with such borderline criminal practices?

[lemoni 10]

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??

[Carmine 10]

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.

[Lemony 10]

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!

[leesv1000 10]

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