Estate Agents: Lazy, illiterate and ignorant... discuss

Balmed Out

a fridge is a bit of a necessity id demand next day not to mind a week.

who_ru

Treehouse72 wrote: »

By a very, very long margin EA's and LA's are collectively the most unprofessional, disorganised, ignorant and plain dim professionals I've ever come across in any sphere of activity. Nobody can touch them in that regard.

you can't mention estate agents and the word 'professional' in the same sentence, it's a contradiction in terms.

Blackjack

Dades wrote: »

Used Savills eventually

Your house is probably advertised at about 25% above current Market.
The reason is in Bold above.

johndaman66

Jo King wrote: »

You have to go out and meet the agents. Call into houses they are showing or call into their offices when they are relatively quiet and talk to them. Estate agents would never get anything done if there were to chase up every random phone call or e-mail. If the meet you and realise you're a serious buyer they will take your calls and e-mails much more seriously.there are so many messers and time wasters around genuine enquirers get lost in the chase.

Although I take your point to a certain limited extent one needs to question why they provide email adresses or contact numbers at all if theyre not going to use the bloody things. Estate Agents dont seem to do email at all in my experience so far so why provide email contact adresses in ad's? In my own case for example email is more ideal for me as I work office hours in an open plan office and never seem to get any time or privacy to make phone calls during office hours never mind calling into their premises in person. I actually had one guy call me back when I sent him an email once to say he was just phoning back as he doesn't like typing, which I found a wee bit bemusing.

I do appreciate there are lots of messers and timewasters out there among the public but I'd assume its part of their job to decipher out these. Surely with things the way they are EA's should treat any enquiry as being a serious one whether it be by phone, email or in person...at least until the opposite is blatantly obvious.

I think also part of the problem with a lot of Estate Agents is they have their hands in too many jars. So many of them run building socities, Mortgage brokers, insurance brokers from the same premises which hardly seems ideal to me either.

Spiritofthekop

Blackjack wrote: »

Your house is probably advertised at about 25% above current Market.
The reason is in Bold above.

True Savills are a complete joke with pricing.

mikemac

johndaman66 wrote: »

I think also part of the problem with a lot of Estate Agents is they have their hands in too many jars. So many of them run building socities, Mortgage brokers, insurance brokers from the same premises which hardly seems ideal to me either.

Conflict of interest right there
You go to a broker to get approved for a mortgage and then the estate agent can find out what your limit is when you put in a bid
Sounds dodgy to me

I remember a Prime Time programme around 2005 and this happened. The broker and the estate agent for the seller were buddies and the agent rang up and was told what the buyer was approved for.
So the agent knew how far they could push

johndaman66

feelingstressed wrote: »

Conflict of interest right there
You go to a broker to get approved for a mortgage and then the estate agent can find out what your limit is when you put in a bid
Sounds dodgy to me

That does strike me as wrong also. Almost akin to two different solicitors from the same law practice representing the defendant and the plaintiff. Its hardly an anomaly though, estate agents and mortgage brokers operated from the same premises are commonplace in Ireland all the same oddly enough

feelingstressed wrote: »

I remember a Prime Time programme around 2005 and this happened. The broker and the estate agent for the seller were buddies and the agent rang up and was told what the buyer was approved for. So the agent knew how far they could push

Following on from your point, why buyers are so eager and actually talk up a property when dealing with an Estate Agent is beyond me. I was watching Location Location Location programme from UK television a few weeks back. Two older women were buying a cottage and discussing the property with the Estate Agent. One of the women was actually totally talking up the property to the estate agent. She didn't make one bad point about it! I was thinking to myself they were making the Estate Agents job very very easy for him... If I was buying a house or a car I'd be picking out negative aspects to try to negotiate a better price. Then they made an offer of the asking price!!!

Jesus Wept

Terrible people. Have only had one decent estate agent and he isn't working in the industry anymore so I have to deal with his boss who is awful.

up4it

I enquired about a couple of properties recently which were fixer-uppers and had been on the market for quite while.

Suddenly, I was informed by the EA that both properties had other offers in not too far short of the asking prices. Seemed too much of a coincidence to be true.

Anyway, I did not pursue them any further and needless to say that both the properties are still for sale! :rolleyes:

Dades

Blackjack wrote: »

Your house is probably advertised at about 25% above current Market.
The reason is in Bold above.

I'd say maybe 20%. But given the expectation buyers have that they'll get at least that much off any specified 'asking' price I'm not too concerned. (Yet :pac:)

Graces7

gigino wrote: »

Actually a cousin did just that once, but he was fobbed off by them. An organisation of cowboys he said.

That is sad; it worked very, very well for us and they recommended an agent for us. Not perfect but better :rolleyes:

Ratzo Rizzo

Amazing! I enquired about two properties today and this was the reply I got despite informing the estate agent that I work 9 to 5 in Dublin...

"Thank you for your enquiry in relation to the property in xxxx, we are doing open viewings on this property tomorrow morning between 11.00 and 11.30. If this time does not suit we will be doing open viewings again next week one evening and one morning on days to be selected tomorrow. Please let me know if tomorrow or next week would suit"

Thank you for being so accomodating! I'll just leave work early as helpfully suggested by the EA to view the property. I wonder if the friendly, helpful EA will reimburse me for taking the afternoon off work???

nightster1

Jo King wrote: »

You have to go out and meet the agents. Call into houses they are showing or call into their offices when they are relatively quiet and talk to them. Estate agents would never get anything done if there were to chase up every random phone call or e-mail. If the meet you and realise you're a serious buyer they will take your calls and e-mails much more seriously.there are so many messers and time wasters around genuine enquirers get lost in the chase.

The above is pure rubbish. Random calls my arse!

Mr. Loverman

I recently enquired about two properties:

The first enquiry was asking if the property has broadband... e-mail was ignored.

The second e-mail was specific questions about the property... the replied with the brochure which doesn't answer any of my questions. I replied asking the same questions but they ignored me.

Amazing!

Ratzo Rizzo

I also enquired yesterday about two properties offered by the same estate agent down in Cork. I still patiently await a response...

gigino

Mr. Loverman wrote: »

I recently enquired about two properties:

The first enquiry was asking if the property has broadband... e-mail was ignored.

The second e-mail was specific questions about the property... the replied with the brochure which doesn't answer any of my questions. I replied asking the same questions but they ignored me.

Amazing!

a lot of estate agents had it too handy for too long, and do not know what customer service is.

borderlinemeath

Ratzo Rizzo wrote: »

Basic English is one of the tasks they fall down on. I've just done a search on myhome.ie and the very first property I looked at had this stunning example of estate agent literacy...

Sherry FitzGerald are delighted to present....
The sunny walled in front garden is a ideal to relax after a days work and offers privacy with its own wood gate.

Do these people need any qualifications at all?!?!

I know what property you're talking about!! - D6, beside Swan Centre.

Rang to view that very property - was told it was sale agreed the day before..was told that they would keep my name in case the sale fell through.. I won't be holding my breath.

borderlinemeath

Thought you would appreciate this gem

http://www.daft.ie/searchcommercial.daft?id=53980

It's in the discription.

Aprilmay

borderlinemeath wrote: »

Thought you would appreciate this gem

http://www.daft.ie/searchcommercial.daft?id=53980

It's in the discription.

Is it a Suite to let or is it Sweet let??;)
No photo's either

Ortiz

borderlinemeath wrote: »

Thought you would appreciate this gem

http://www.daft.ie/searchcommercial.daft?id=53980

It's in the discription.

That'd be description there borderlinemeath.......:P

borderlinemeath

Ortiz wrote: »

That'd be description there borderlinemeath.......:P

I actually did go in to edit it and got distracted doing something else! Ah well.
At least I don't do this for a living:D

Blackjack

Dades wrote: »

I'd say maybe 20%. But given the expectation buyers have that they'll get at least that much off any specified 'asking' price I'm not too concerned. (Yet :pac:)

Well, bear in mind that you're effectively excluding a large viewing population by overpricing. People aren't going to go view something where the believe the vendor has a high expectation of the value.

Have you had any interest to date?

Icepick

I wonder how many of them were taxi drivers or will be.

Ratzo Rizzo

borderlinemeath wrote: »

Thought you would appreciate this gem

http://www.daft.ie/searchcommercial.daft?id=53980

It's in the discription.

It never ceases to amaze me the levels of illiteracy amongst estate agents!

Ratzo Rizzo

borderlinemeath wrote: »

I know what property you're talking about!! - D6, beside Swan Centre.

Rang to view that very property - was told it was sale agreed the day before..was told that they would keep my name in case the sale fell through.. I won't be holding my breath.

Yep, that was the one! It was the very first description I read that evening when I sat down to search the property listings. I couldn't believe that an estate agent, after writing such beautiful prose, couldn't be bothered to proof read their own text to check for mistakes. Proves my point in the subject header... lazy and illiterate...!

ShadowHearth

missmyler wrote: »

I am having the same issue. I am a cash buyer looking to purchase a small property outright. I have recently contacted 5 estate agents by phone and email ( which co-incidently all happen to be branches of SHERRY FITZGERALD) and only received an answer back from one of them

Eventually I got annoyed, sent emails to the branches telling them I would be getting in contact with their managers or posting my annoyances on daft (which I had no intention of doing) and surprise surprise every one of them got back to me within a day apologising and telling me their email was down, they were out of the office blah blah.......Useless I tell you

Hmmmm I am looking to buy a house. I called them on Sunday. Said I was interested in viewing 3 houses. He asked me to call on Monday to office and he will arrange the viewings. I called today and he got details of houses and said he will meet me later on today. He just called me back and said he got few more houses in area and if I would like to see them? I was happy enough with it. The man on phone was very very nice to me and sounded very interested.

I am meeting him at 3, so we see how it will go. So far I am happy with that crowd.

Ortiz

ShadowHearth wrote: »

Hmmmm I am looking to buy a house. I called them on Sunday. Said I was interested in viewing 3 houses. He asked me to call on Monday to office and he will arrange the viewings. I called today and he got details of houses and said he will meet me later on today. He just called me back and said he got few more houses in area and if I would like to see them? I was happy enough with it. The man on phone was very very nice to me and sounded very interested.

I am meeting him at 3, so we see how it will go. So far I am happy with that crowd.

It's amazing in itself that they answered on a Sunday...

ShadowHearth

update:
just back from viewing 6 properties with Sherry FitzGerald. I can honestly say fella was briliant. we planed to see 3 and he showed us 6. Very helpfull with info. As honest as auctioneer can go :rolleyes:. He had to leave me with ather fella from same branch as the last house we were viewing was for ather area. i could see huge difference in 5 seconds between two fellas.

from me it get thumbs up, atleast my local one. i know they are all over the ireland, so i cant vouch for all of them.

borderlinemeath

Ratzo Rizzo wrote: »

Yep, that was the one! It was the very first description I read that evening when I sat down to search the property listings. I couldn't believe that an estate agent, after writing such beautiful prose, couldn't be bothered to proof read their own text to check for mistakes. Proves my point in the subject header... lazy and illiterate...!

At the minute my bug bear is pure lazyness, not by one, but a whole group of estate agents. My OH is looking to rent a commercial space and the listings on the likes of daft/myhome and the agents home websites aren't even updated.

There's 3 premises he thought would be suitable and all 3 are let, 2 are already operating so have been let for some time! Yet all 3 are still on their websites as being available:mad:

Raskolnikov

I really don't understand why you're having so much difficulty with estate agents. I mean, it's really not that difficult. You see a property you like, you ring up, ask a few basic questions, if nothing seems out of line, you arrange a viewing. If you're interested in the gaff during the viewing, you can usually needle out an idea of the price that the seller is looking to achieve. If the price interests you, you bid accordingly.

Are you just sending vague, random e-mails to EA's asking would the seller accept 100k for a property that is currently on the market for 200k? If that was the case, then I would personally just add you to the list of junk mail senders. I am not an EA, but I do know one, and he says that the crash in the market has drawn out so many tyre kickers and time wasters.