Bloody Estate Agents

[JoJoGabor]

I was speaking an EA yesterday as I was viewing a house and he assured me that "prices are going to go up for the next 2 years". He must have been a clairvoyant as none else has a clue which way prices are really going right now.

I find it's best to treat everything that comes out of EA's mouths as white noise.

Ask him to put that in writing for you and watch him squirm. No I reckon in 2 or 3 months time, once interest rates are on their way up again, when the thousands of fixed-raters have to remortgage onhigher rates and unemployment has risen we'll start to see another downturn, possibly by as much as the first one (15%ish)

[Board Game Geek]

The problem with a lot of "middle men", is that they endeavour to create a perceived need for their services, of a value that is somehow above and beyond what existed previously if they didn't exist.

In that sense, the punter believes they are getting value-added services, when in reality, the services never went away in the first place.

All that has happened is that someone has convinced you that they need to take a slice of the pie, for no other reason apart from the fact that they have created a role which could be done yourself.

Ofc, it's a lot more complicated than that, and people choose to use their services for a number of reasons (time, convenience, lack of skill, etc), however many middle men are unnecessary extras.

[jmo21]

meh.....they are salesmen pure and simple....same bucket as recruitment agents and car salesmen....w@nk stains the lot.

[Ruse]

Likely phrases you'll hear from EAs:

"Green shoots of recovery"

"Definite signs of a buyers' market"

"Market starting to upturn"

"Confidence is returning"

Then ask them about sales volumes. That should shut them up.


Last death throes of a dying breed of chancers.

I was speaking an EA yesterday as I was viewing a house and he assured me that "prices are going to go up for the next 2 years". He must have been a clairvoyant as none else has a clue which way prices are really going right now.

I find it's best to treat everything that comes out of EA's mouths as white noise.

[hyperD]

Likely phrases you'll hear from EAs:

"Green shoots of recovery"

"Definite signs of a buyers' market"

"Market starting to upturn"

"Confidence is returning"

Then ask them about sales volumes. That should shut them up.


Last death throes of a dying breed of chancers.

[nomadd]

Just had a phonecall from "Clare" at some spurious agency I viewed a house with at the weekend suggesting random houses to me over the phone. After her 3rd pitiful attempt I said, look I'll look online and call you if anything looks nice.

Is this normal behaviour? Just suggests to me that they are desparate to drum up some transactions and/or look busy?

Just tell her you are waiting for the house price crash to run it's full course.

Nomadd

[Clippy]

Should have told her you are changing your number and given her the telephone number of a pimp you don't like.

[JoJoGabor]

They seem to be worse than recruitment agents. I will need to get a pay as you go SIM jsut for dealing with estate agents now.

[BrilloPad]

Just had a phonecall from "Clare" at some spurious agency I viewed a house with at the weekend suggesting random houses to me over the phone. After her 3rd pitiful attempt I said, look I'll look online and call you if anything looks nice.

Is this normal behaviour? Just suggests to me that they are desparate to drum up some transactions and/or look busy?

Sounds like they were trying to be helpful. Once you asked them to stop calling did they stop?

[norrahe]

I get phone calls and letters from the guys I bought my house off every so often.

[Zippy]

They'll be on a commission and need to look busy - just like pimps.

[Pondlife]

Just had a phonecall from "Clare" at some spurious agency I viewed a house with at the weekend suggesting random houses to me over the phone. After her 3rd pitiful attempt I said, look I'll look online and call you if anything looks nice.

Is this normal behaviour? Just suggests to me that they are desparate to drum up some transactions and/or look busy?

Samething happened to me last week.

[JoJoGabor]

Just had a phonecall from "Clare" at some spurious agency I viewed a house with at the weekend suggesting random houses to me over the phone. After her 3rd pitiful attempt I said, look I'll look online and call you if anything looks nice.

Is this normal behaviour? Just suggests to me that they are desparate to drum up some transactions and/or look busy?