Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Estate Agent Problems

Options
  • 29-07-2014 8:20pm
    #1
    Casati
    Registered Users Posts: 3,034 ✭✭✭


    Im currently bidding on a house, and find I'm having to chase the estate agent continually - i.e if my bid is exceeded by the other bidder, the agent makes no attempt to call me, leaving me to continually call him for updates. I get the impression he doesn't want me to get the property. Do I have any rights here?


Comments

  • Options
    #2
    wexie
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,480 ✭✭✭wexie


    Casati wrote: »
    Im currently bidding on a house, and find I'm having to chase the estate agent continually - i.e if my bid is exceeded by the other bidder, the agent makes no attempt to call me, leaving me to continually call him for updates. I get the impression he doesn't want me to get the property. Do I have any rights here?

    in short....nope, none whatsoever, there is no statutory body or law preventing estate agents from delivering bad service and the majority seem to be delighted to be using this to their full advantage.

    Also, you need to remember the estate agent doesn't owe you anything, you're not paying them, the seller is paying them.


  • Options
    #3
    Diane Selwyn
    Registered Users Posts: 257 ✭✭Diane Selwyn


    It sounds wrong though - the agent should be trying to get the highest price for the seller so surely that should mean trying to get you to outbid the competition and vice versa? If you have to chase them for updates I'd suspect that all wasn't straightforward with the sale.


  • Options
    #4
    wexie
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,480 ✭✭✭wexie


    Diane Selwyn wrote: »
    It sounds wrong though

    Oh of course, I'm not saying it's how it should be, just that there's little that can be done about it other than moan to the estate agent and that's not likely to help much.

    And of course there is every chance there's something up with the sale, many houses on the market where the owner's don't really want to sell but are trying to keep the bank happy, many people testing the waters with all the reports of rising house prices etc. etc. etc.

    Could be something as simple as people not wanting to sell until after holiday season....


  • Options
    #5
    Doom
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 2,381 ✭✭✭Doom


    Send an anonymous letter to seller about the EA


  • Options
    #6
    Casati
    Registered Users Posts: 3,034 ✭✭✭Casati


    Doom wrote: »
    Send an anonymous letter to seller about the EA

    It seems like the seller doesn't want me to get the sale to be honest. Its a forced liquidation sale so I don't know who the 'seller' is


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #7
    Henry Ford III
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators Posts: 17,712 Mod ✭✭✭✭Henry Ford III


    The E.A. wants the sale to go ahead at whatever price can be achieved.

    That's what they do.


  • Options
    #8
    odds_on
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,869 ✭✭✭odds_on


    Casati wrote: »
    Im currently bidding on a house, and find I'm having to chase the estate agent continually - i.e if my bid is exceeded by the other bidder, the agent makes no attempt to call me, leaving me to continually call him for updates. I get the impression he doesn't want me to get the property. Do I have any rights here?
    The more that you go chasing the EA, the more he knows he has a fish on the hook and wants to buy. Thus he is pulling the line in slowly hoping that either another bidder will come in, or a phantom bidder appears and then the price will rise.


  • Options
    #9
    Santa Cruz
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,126 ✭✭✭Santa Cruz


    Put a time limit on this matter and if no cooperation then walk away. It's not worth the aggravation


  • Options
    #10
    Casati
    Registered Users Posts: 3,034 ✭✭✭Casati


    The property is fairly unique so I don't want to walk away from it, my impression is that he wants to sell it to the other bidder and doesn't want me bidding it up making it too expensive for this other bidder.

    V. annoying but sounds like I can't do anything about it


  • Options
    #11
    BookBook
    Registered Users Posts: 99 ✭✭BookBook


    Casati wrote: »
    The property is fairly unique so I don't want to walk away from it, my impression is that he wants to sell it to the other bidder and doesn't want me bidding it up making it too expensive for this other bidder.

    V. annoying but sounds like I can't do anything about it

    You can ask him which receiver is selling the house. You can write/complain to them (may take forever to get a reply). You can also make sure all your bids are in writing and if the worst comes to the worst you can lodge a complaint if you think you were the highest bidder.

    The EA could be keeping the house for their friend or relative. I know at least two people who got their house through an friend who is an estate agent over other viewers. This same estate agent was selling a house I was interested in , I couldn't even get a viewing and I contacted them numerous times from the day the house went up on Daft. The house ended up being sold for 80k less than house for sale at same time two doors away. Other house was in better shape but not 80k worth.


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #12
    Casati
    Registered Users Posts: 3,034 ✭✭✭Casati


    BookBook wrote: »
    You can ask him which receiver is selling the house. You can write/complain to them (may take forever to get a reply). You can also make sure all your bids are in writing and if the worst comes to the worst you can lodge a complaint if you think you were the highest bidder.

    The EA could be keeping the house for their friend or relative. I know at least two people who got their house through an friend who is an estate agent over other viewers. This same estate agent was selling a house I was interested in , I couldn't even get a viewing and I contacted them numerous times from the day the house went up on Daft. The house ended up being sold for 80k less than house for sale at same time two doors away. Other house was in better shape but not 80k worth.

    Its amazing that they are not regulated, its easy to see how EA can manage this type of sale to his personal benefit if he so wishes


  • Options
    #13
    TheDriver
    Registered Users Posts: 12,513 ✭✭✭✭TheDriver


    They are regulated in theory. They also should have a bid book which can be consulted at any stage


  • Options
    #14
    the_syco
    Registered Users Posts: 37,301 ✭✭✭✭the_syco


    odds_on wrote: »
    The more that you go chasing the EA, the more he knows he has a fish on the hook and wants to buy. Thus he is pulling the line in slowly hoping that either another bidder will come in, or a phantom bidder appears and then the price will rise.
    Agreed. OP; you could be bidding against yourself, with the "bid" only being increased when you ring...


Advertisement