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Not getting anywhere with estate agent

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  • 05-11-2018 6:06pm
    #1
    bri007
    Registered Users Posts: 1,375 ✭✭✭


    Hi,

    We have placed a bid on a house we really want.

    We initially went under the asking price due to the condition and the work required to make it habitable.

    We had been outbid so we placed another bid on it, and then we heard no response to our offer.

    We had to ring, send numerous emails and finally they answered us and tried to talk us out of going any further with the house. We said we want to proceed and to acknowledge our current bid by email, they never did!

    We had to contact again and eventually got through and they finally sent us the bid confirmation.

    We heard nothing for a week so we rang again on Friday and the EA was again trying to talk us out of it, saying maybe we should look elsewhere etc.

    We again emphasized we want to proceed with this house.

    She said she would keep us posted. No email or anything today, so a friend in work emailed them and asked about the house, well she wrote back to my friend and said it was more than what we bid so my question is should we have not been informed of this new bid as we were originally the highest bidder?

    Not sure what to do now, and what the story is with it, get the feeling she has the house put aside for someone and no matter what we bid we have no chance!

    Frustrating to say the least and very sly


Comments

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    #2
    Samuel T. Cogley
    Registered Users Posts: 10,684 ✭✭✭✭Samuel T. Cogley


    Are you buying with a mortgage? If so there maybe concerns over whether you'd get a mortgage on the house if it needs a lot of work.


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    #3
    Dr_Kolossus
    Registered Users Posts: 112 ✭✭Dr_Kolossus


    Tell estate agent you will be sending a letter to homeowners with each subsequent offer, explaining in the letter why you have had to do this


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    #4
    KKGirlatheart
    Registered Users Posts: 15 ✭KKGirlatheart


    Sounds really sly and odd to me. We've been bidding on houses in Dublin for past few months and this kind of behaviour from an Agent would set alarm bells ringing in my opinion.

    Personally I would go into the agents office....I'm sure theyd find it much harder to lie and blag to your face. As someone suggested it might be a good idea to send a letter to the owner too!

    If I was the Vendor I'd be pretty disgusted with the agents behaviour.

    Best of luck!


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    #5
    bri007
    Registered Users Posts: 1,375 ✭✭✭bri007


    Yeah we are buying with a mortgage, first time buyers.

    It needs heating as there is currently. I heating in the house apart from plug in heaters. No damp from what we could make out.
    Samuel T. Cogley wrote: »
    Are you buying with a mortgage? If so there maybe concerns over whether you'd get a mortgage on the house if it needs a lot of work.


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    #6
    bri007
    Registered Users Posts: 1,375 ✭✭✭bri007


    We were thinking of doing that, but the person has RIP and was left to a family member so the house is currently unoccupied.

    Do you think we should still try and post it and hope that they pick the letter of the offer up?
    Dr_Kolossus wrote: »
    Tell estate agent you will be sending a letter to homeowners with each subsequent offer, explaining in the letter why you have had to do this


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    #7
    bri007
    Registered Users Posts: 1,375 ✭✭✭bri007


    Yeah we feel it’s very sly, and yeah it’s very odd behavior especially when we are phoning and emailing with an offer, you think they would be only delighted!

    Yeah we plan on taking a trip into the agents office on Friday, going to leave work early and go.

    It’s bad behavior but whats killing us is the reason for it, I would respect them more if they just came out and said this is what it is and we can leave it there.


    KKGirlatheart wrote: »
    Sounds really sly and odd to me. We've been bidding on houses in Dublin for past few months and this kind of behaviour from an Agent would set alarm bells ringing in my opinion.

    Personally I would go into the agents office....I'm sure theyd find it much harder to lie and blag to your face. As someone suggested it might be a good idea to send a letter to the owner too!

    If I was the Vendor I'd be pretty disgusted with the agents behaviour.

    Best of luck!


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    #8
    fg1406
    Registered Users Posts: 433 ✭✭fg1406


    bri007 wrote: »
    Yeah we feel it’s very sly, and yeah it’s very odd behavior especially when we are phoning and emailing with an offer, you think they would be only delighted!

    Yeah we plan on taking a trip into the agents office on Friday, going to leave work early and go.

    It’s bad behavior but whats killing us is the reason for it, I would respect them more if they just came out and said this is what it is and we can leave it there.

    EA did the same with myself and my husband last year. Never acknowledged bids despite telling us that the vendor wanted a quick sale. Got my workmate to call up and ask what the current bid was and it was higher than ours...again we weren’t told. Got sick of the radio silence and withdrew our offer. We wasted 6 weeks on that house.
    Despite the EA hammering home how much the vendor needed a quick sale, at our 2 viewings, the house ended up on the market for a further 4 months and on the PPI it sold for the same price as the highest offer at the point that we withdrew.


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    #9
    Ray Palmer
    Registered Users Posts: 8,394 ✭✭✭Ray Palmer


    This sounds like the estate agent is trying to keep the price down to sell to a preferred buyer. It is unlikely the owner is aware so I would let them know


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    #10
    bri007
    Registered Users Posts: 1,375 ✭✭✭bri007


    Yeah that’s what we were thinking, we thought we were going crazy but the more and more it’s going on the more we feel that’s the case and they are keeping the house for someone!

    We will try let the beneficiary know somehow
    Ray Palmer wrote: »
    This sounds like the estate agent is trying to keep the price down to sell to a preferred buyer. It is unlikely the owner is aware so I would let them know


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    #11
    bri007
    Registered Users Posts: 1,375 ✭✭✭bri007


    Yeah that’s what we were thinking, we thought we were going crazy but the more and more it’s going on the more we feel that’s the case and they are keeping the house for someone!

    We will try let the beneficiary know somehow
    Ray Palmer wrote: »
    This sounds like the estate agent is trying to keep the price down to sell to a preferred buyer. It is unlikely the owner is aware so I would let them know


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    #12
    davindub
    Registered Users Posts: 1,447 ✭✭✭davindub


    bri007 wrote: »
    Yeah that’s what we were thinking, we thought we were going crazy but the more and more it’s going on the more we feel that’s the case and they are keeping the house for someone!

    We will try let the beneficiary know somehow
    Ray Palmer wrote: »
    This sounds like the estate agent is trying to keep the price down to sell to a preferred buyer. It is unlikely the owner is aware so I would let them know

    There might be issues with probate, title or structural defect.

    Try contacting the owner by all means but you might be at the stage where you look somewhere else. I had a similar experience with a forced bank sale property, was told not possible to view a few times as they had lost the keys and then it was sold. Needless to say that particular company is on my naughty list.


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    #13
    Ray Palmer
    Registered Users Posts: 8,394 ✭✭✭Ray Palmer


    davindub wrote: »
    There might be issues with probate, title or structural defect.

    Try contacting the owner by all means but you might be at the stage where you look somewhere else. I had a similar experience with a forced bank sale property, was told not possible to view a few times as they had lost the keys and then it was sold. Needless to say that particular company is on my naughty list.

    The estate agent could state any of that. Could be any number of reasons but not very likely. The most obvious one is a preferred buyer IMHO


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    #14
    spaceHopper
    Registered Users Posts: 3,991 ✭✭✭spaceHopper


    I bet the house either side has a number for one of the family knock on the door and ask.


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    #15
    the_syco
    Registered Users Posts: 37,300 ✭✭✭✭the_syco


    bri007 wrote: »
    We were thinking of doing that, but the person has RIP and was left to a family member so the house is currently unoccupied.
    Goto family member direct. If they say no, you can just move onto the next house.


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    #16
    3DataModem
    Registered Users Posts: 3,997 ✭✭✭3DataModem


    The EA may have another buyer who is in a chain with them, so it is in their interest to sell to them.


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    #17
    techguy
    Registered Users Posts: 2,234 ✭✭✭techguy


    Is real estate broking regulated in Ireland.

    This current situation needs to be digged into and if there is a corrupt real estate agent in the mix they need to be weeded out and exposed.

    Real estate agents make my blood boil how they carry on. There is a general interest to the public in my opinion.

    Whatever about email, have a registered and signed for letter sent to the Estate Agent by name.

    If the property ends up selling and according to the property register is less than what you are offering then the EA is legally exposed in a serious way. I would then sue them and the seller could do so too...


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    #18
    techguy
    Registered Users Posts: 2,234 ✭✭✭techguy


    bri007 wrote: »
    We were thinking of doing that, but the person has RIP and was left to a family member so the house is currently unoccupied.

    Do you think we should still try and post it and hope that they pick the letter of the offer up?

    I would seek out the owner by whatever means and doorstep them. Tell them you think the EA is acting in their own interests, without straight up slandering them and tell them your highest (or near) offer. See what happens.

    To "doorstep someone":

    When journalists doorstep someone, they go to their home and try to get an interview or photographs, even when the person does not want to talk to them.

    That's what I would do..Like you say - if the property is a fixer upper then somebody could probably easily "fix it up" and flip for a profit. Alarm bells.

    EDIT - where is this property for sale? Is it a population centre like Cork, Galway, Dublin, Limerick or a secondary market?


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