Estate Agent not returning calls

Apip99

Afternoon all,

I’m looking for a little sensible advice. (As I know what I would like to do)

My house has been on the market for 9 months now, and the usual story of people not waiting to buy, sue to waiting for prices to drop (yawn) But we had more viewings last month then we had the previous 8!

We took a weeks holiday a 2 weeks back and when I got back I called agent and asked what the story was, and if any viewers had shown an interest. He said , and I kid you not “We don’t chase after a viewing, we wait for them to contact us if they are interested” :eek: I was shocked as being in sales for many years now, you always follow up, and you always try to close a sale. I think the agents here have gotten to used to opening the door and letting people look, and then collecting the deposit on the way out.

So anyway, I did say that I think that in the current market would it not be best for him to follow up. He said he would, and now here I am 10 days later and he will not call me back from the various calls I have made to him.

I want to speak to him to speak to the people that have viewed, see if there is any interest and to advise that we are taking a good few grand of the asking price, to see if we can get things moving along.

What so I do now? I can’t keep calling him as he’s not responding? I want to try and get some control back.

Oh and he is the owner of the company, so its mnot as if I can go over his head!

Any thoughts?

Cheers,

Apip

Sleipnir

Write to him explaining that you've tried to contact him so many times without response etc, tell him you're taking your business elsewhere and to come and collect his sign.

Apip99

Thanks,

I was thinking about taking that kind of tact, but two things stand in the way there. One, having to pay again for another agent (something I still can't get me head around in this country)

The second is I seam to remember that if we cancel with them then we can't get another agent for a set time. 6 weeks I think.

D3PO

that opening post is a shocking inditment of the ineptitude of Estate agents in this country.

Your exactly right they were to used to open the door and wait for the offers to come in during the boom times (a time which I regularly questioned why you would not sell privately instead of using an agent)

I still think the same now. What does an agent do that you cant ? The majority of people use the internet as a medium for house searching these days. Sites like daft and myhome being the core of house advertising these days.

If you surveyed a thousand house buyers how many of them would tell you that they went into an EA or enquired after seeing a for sale sign versus how many did an online search ? Id hazard a guess its pretty low.

Personally unless you consider yourself to be a poor salesperson (and lets be hones tmost EA's are brutal at this anyway) or unless you dont have the time to field viewings yourself I dont see why people dont sell privately

NewFrockTuesday

I would view any agreement as voided if he is not keeping in contact. I would think that I have been dropped as a client if I was not having my calls returned.

Did you sign a contract with him to sell the house? You do have to pay cost for advertising the property but the agent gets commission at the end of the sale ...so how are you paying the agent already? Its unreasonable to expect the agent to absorb the cost of advertising - however if hes asking you for up front payment on his service costs Id be wary.

If it was me, Id drop him. If hes not doing the job that he should be and trying his hardest to sell my property, there are lots of agents out there that would be glad of the business.

On a side note, a house down the road from me (within easy gawking distance!) was mobbed at the weekend for viewing. I live in Doneycarney and the market here appears to be waking slightly - a sleepy shake of the head and the feeling of being hit by a shovel granted, but stirring all the same. I thought it would be alot longer tbh.


Anyhoo, good luck with your sale. Dump that agent.

ntlbell

every EA i've ever viewed a house with called me in a day or two to get my feedback the thought of them not doing this is bizarre.

do yourself a favor save a few quid and sell it yourself.

trad

Next door neighbour house up for sale for 9 months with a lagre well known estate agent, great intertest at the start and then nothing. Eventually took it off the estate agent put it on daft themselves and sale closed in 8 weeks and at a better price that the agent was telling them to expect.

Bottom line, take it off the agent and do it yourself.

DublinWriter

ntlbell wrote: »

do yourself a favor save a few quid and sell it yourself.

I tried this myself and eventually had to resort to using a traditional EA.

Firstly, I tried one well known Irish sell-it-yourself property website.

I ordered a sign from their site to put up myself. After not hearing anything for a week or two, I rang their office number and the guy on the other end (who answered my phone call with a curt "Yeah?") told me that "Dave" usually looks after the signs and he'd call me back.

Dave never came, the sign never arrived, I cancelled the CC transaction.

Then I approached a new flat-rate EA company based in Northside Dublin. Called twice, told that the owner "Frank" (not real name) was away and he'd return my call. Frank never returned the call. I called again, same excuse. I thought that if that's the way they handle clients, then I'd rather not do business with them.

Both the above are typical tales of Irish entrepreneurship where the story seems to be that all you need is a good idea and that the execution will magically look after itself. Muppets.

Apip99

He must be reading the boards.ie, as he just called me!!! LOL

The usual, please take 30K of the price of you house and I may be able to get viewers in!!!

This is due to new properties new to the market. Making ours look expensive!

Oh well, just another day at the office.

Thanks for all the replies.

geem

He's probably right about you lowering the price - you will never sell it if yours is dearer than similar local property. If I were selling now I would undercut everyone else by 50k this will bring interest and some of them will probably bid it up.
If I was using an agent who wasn't following up - I would take my business elsewhere. If your home is still up on daft or whatever it is paid for and you won't have to pay again. Agents are meant to be paid out of commission if they sell - so don't know why you worry about paying another one. Shouldn't be paying them anything unless you went for newspaper ads.

ntlbell

DublinWriter wrote: »

I tried this myself and eventually had to resort to using a traditional EA.

Firstly, I tried one well known Irish sell-it-yourself property website.

I ordered a sign from their site to put up myself. After not hearing anything for a week or two, I rang their office number and the guy on the other end (who answered my phone call with a curt "Yeah?") told me that "Dave" usually looks after the signs and he'd call me back.

Dave never came, the sign never arrived, I cancelled the CC transaction.

Then I approached a new flat-rate EA company based in Northside Dublin. Called twice, told that the owner "Frank" (not real name) was away and he'd return my call. Frank never returned the call. I called again, same excuse. I thought that if that's the way they handle clients, then I'd rather not do business with them.

Both the above are typical tales of Irish entrepreneurship where the story seems to be that all you need is a good idea and that the execution will magically look after itself. Muppets.

for 99% of people there's no need for a sign the only people who see it are people living on the road anyway

with most people now using websites such as daft etc selling it should be pretty easy on your own.

the most important part of selling a house today is pricing it correctly and realisticly

sign or no sign it will sell quickly.

Freddie59

OP - if it's any consolation to you I BID on a house - two weeks ago today! I'm the one ringing/emailing the EA. But not from today. OK - the vendor is out of the country with limited access to email and text (!).

We sold our house via text when in Spain last year. I don't know what this game is they're playing. It almost seems like a stalling tactic for whatever reason. We're cash buyers; no chain. So if we can't get service I would hate to be a seller.

NewFrockTuesday

for 99% of people there's no need for a sign the only people who see it are people living on the road anyway

with most people now using websites such as daft etc selling it should be pretty easy on your own.

I disagree bu only slightly. I remember when I was rying tot buy my house, I used to keep an eye out all over he place for signs and then look them up on the net. Although now I would rely more on the net. But I think a sign out the front is important for area wanderers.

the most important part of selling a house today is pricing it correctly and realisticly

Agreed. Its been so long since anyone in this country had to do it though, when they have to come down to brass tacks, its hard and still isint happenning.

Freddie59

We specifically said no sign -and the house sold in three months.:)

Apip99

Well we also got a re-list on myhome.ie, so we are at the top of the search. As we had slipped down the list due to being on for so long.

Hopefully that plus the price drop, we may get somewhere. So if any one is looking for a lovely home in Delgany. Please let me know.

Cheers guys,

Pip