It’s no wonder people dislike estate agents so much.
Scrub that, I’m being polite. It’s COMPLETELY UNDERSTANDABLE why people hate estate agents so much. In fact, I think I need to add the adjective vehemently to that.
So the opening sentence should in fact read: I vehemently hate estate agents.
Seriously. I have F**KING had it up to here. If I actually had any proper understanding of what was happening with this current farce of me “buying a property” I would actually know what to do.
But I have not got a clue what is happening.
Up until Friday I thought I was merrily buying a property. I even thought the sale was about to go through and exchange.
Until that is, someone in the estate agents looked up the word “imminently”.
Because while I was trying to buy the property that was the only word the estate agents used: if a sale was to happen – it had to happen imminently.
That was until I tried to BUY the house imminently.
And in that moment, the estate agents realised they did not know the meaning of the word “imminently”. I think maybe they got it confused with “up-and-coming”.
Because actually I could not buy the house imminently.
Because nobody was actually ready for me to buy the house imminently.
And due to the public notice which needs to be published (it’s a repossession sale) there is no imminently at all. In fact, imminently in estate agent speak is rather like waiting for a bus in any other language.
Because for one reason or another the notice could not be published before waiting a week. And then another week had to be waited until the property could be bought.
And so I figured I would wait.
Until Friday when my solicitor called me and told me he had just received a fax from the vendor’s solicitor requesting he return the sale contract given we are no longer buying the property.
Which confused us both. We thought we were buying the property!
And so I tried to call the estate agent.
Nobody was “available” to take my call. And despite them assuring me I would get a call back, nobody did. And maybe they thought if they ignored me for long enough I would go away and stop trying to buy the property.
But they didn’t realise I am a tenacious little shit who won’t give up so easily. So I just contacted the vendor’s solicitor direct to find out what was happening.
The interference from up-on-high obviously did the trick. I have now received an email from the estate agent telling me they have had a higher offer.
Nice of them to tell me before and ask if I wanted to increase my offer…given I actually have/had a sale contract in place on the property you would’ve thought it was the least they could do. Obviously not. Ignorance is what they think works.
The vehemently hated estate agents now claim I have to offer more. Not just like a little bit more. But apparently at least £11k more. And I have to do it imminently. And it would now appear the notice is going to be published earlier than what I was previously told. And now, it would also appear my offer is going to appear in the notice…and yet mine is the offer which apparently is not high enough!
I responded in the only way I knew they would understand.
I ignored them.
Images from: deviantart.com Pain by Artistic Music and Wait by error
Paul
Frustratingly hilarious! I feel your pain…
Sam
Grrrrr I’m going back to the auction rooms!
Jon Butler
So, you were gazumped and the estate agent didn’t have the decency to tell you! What a bunch of gutless overpaid amateurs!
Sam
But why are they now publishing my offer and not the other offer? You any ideas??
Iain
I can understand your frustration. But in defence of some estate agents they have a hard job usually dealing with buyers and sellers that have little understanding of how a sale works, solicitors who drag their feet (and for some unknown reason always want to complete on a Friday) and mortgage companies who are inept at best.
My Mrs was an estate agent so I know how frustrating the job can be but it sounds like your agent is just compounding the situation by not keeping you in the loop about what’s happening.
Sam
Lain – communication is the key issue here. I don’t think I am buying the property any more – but still if that was the case why have they not published the highest offer they have now received? I have found the public notice in the paper today and it has my offer (which apparently is no longer enough!)
rich greenland
They should publish the last (highest) offer.
It’s a daft system with repo sales, they have to advertise offers to invite gazumping to make sure they get the highest offer, but in reality all this means is buyers risk losing sol fees which puts people off buying repos. Also they insist upon paying the EAs peanuts in comms (to save costs) but this costs more in bad marketing so the EAs have no motivation to really SELL the property – they just don’t care. That’s what you have run up against here. I don’t bother offering on repos any more unless I’m pretty sure no one else will want to buy. Too much hassle.
Don’t give up on EAs! They are only responding to bad management by their clients.
R
Sam
Yes, I agree they should have published the lastest (highest) offer – but maybe given your point about “inviting gazumping” that’s why they stuck with mine – although this is wrong as mine is apparently no longer valid!
I offered way more than the property was being marketed for and acted within 24 hours to get ready to exchange. I will also have the aborted costs from my solicitor along with all the wasted time on this. I am not best impressed – esp. when the agent acted like such a muppet and I get to foot the expenses bill at the end of it – and have wasted time on it.
Kate Davis
We moved house in February and have no intention of doing it again.
We had an offer accepted on a house in July with the condition we completed by the end of August, but mid August the seller’s solicitor kept telling us they hadn’t been instructed. The estate agent was no help and just said it is is definitely going ahead because the couple are divorcing and need to sell. In the end my husband went round to the house to see the sellers direct. It turned out the husband had just returned from overseas and had not agreed to sell the house and the wife had been trying to complete before he came back. The estate agent just glossed over the fact they hadn’t got agreement from both parties and told us to offer more money. The whole thing collapsed a month later.
I did have great fun though when they sent me a feedback form about my house purchase; would I use them to sell my house? would I recommend them? No and No!
Sam
Oh Kate, that is just dreadful! I cannot (yes, I can) believe the agent was trying to sell the house when both parties did not agree! I am pleased you managed to move in the end – successfully!
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