Category: Estate Agents

Asking prices the problem

Asking prices are the problem says this Estate Agent

Nice article where he points this out:
The wrong agent is the one that suggests an unrealistic initial asking price (often to get your business) after which he will recommend price reductions.

It’s a point I agree with. Going with the estate agent that tells you your house is worth more doesn’t mean Iou’ll get that! Many people seem to think that the figure plucked fairly randomly out of the air is the price they will be guaranteed! Remember – it’s an asking price, not a written cheque!

Specialist Estate Agents

Although most people use one of the main property websites when searching if you are after something in particular it pays to look around and see what other estate agents there are.
As well as perhaps doing a search for “property detail + estate agent” you could also search for estate agents in a particular area. Even if they’re on rightmove it’s worth contacting local agents as they might have useful info on the area and be the first to know of properties coming on to the market.

For instance Rural Scene deals only with rural property with land. This is well worth adding to your list to make contact with!

Agricultural Specialists McCartneys has a really good search option set on their site.

A London only property search for water side propertys at this one – Waterview – really specialised!

Georgian Property –
The place to buy and sell your Georgian house
– this doesn’t have a huge number of properties but if you’re specifically after a georgian home then it’s worth a look.

Barns ETC sells barns, converted and unconverted.

David Burr Estate Agent deals with village and country properties only – all in the South East from what I can see.

The Equestrian Properties Estate Agency for property with land in
North Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, South Lincolnshire, Norfolk & Suffolk

Some keep their area very niche such as John Bray who only having properties for sale in the Rock, Daymer Bay, Polzeath and Port Isaac in North Cornwall.

Kernow Properties Estate Agents in Camelford, North Cornwall – the coastal and moorland property specialists.

24 7 Estate Agents

247 estate agents
Online estate agents 24 7 Estate Agents offer a complete service selling your property online. The fee is a fixed fee and you decide whether you want to pay up front or after the sale – the price varies accordingly.


It’s certainly worth a look – although at the moment it has very few properties for sale. I’ll be coming back and looking in a few months so see how it’s getting on though!


The properties for sale will feature on several well known big property portals such as Zoopla, Homes 24, Up My Street, Virgin Media, Yahoo Property, MSN Property and Property Live.


You do all your own viewings but feedback is managed via the online control panel which makes it easy for you to see what’s going on with your property sale at your convenience.

They’re based in Chelmsford and Maldon but they come to you to measure and take photos of your property.

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247 estate agents

Do you have a bad estate agent?

How can you tell that your estate agent is rubbish?

The first clue is that your house still hasn’t sold. If your sale board
rots through before your house sells, then the chances are your estate agent
isn’t doing a very good job.

Another clue to watch out for is a lack of viewings. If you had a viewing within
the first week but suspect that was the estate agent’s elderly mother
doing him a favour, and have had nothing since, then he’s a rubbish estate
agent.

If your estate agent put up photos of your house that make it look dark and
dreary then you won’t inspire anyone to view. Insist they change the photos
– and get some more taken on a nice sunny day.

Estate agents that don’t ask for feedback after you have a viewing aren’t
doing particularly well either. You need to know why someone didn’t like
your house and if they come out with “it didn’t have enough bedrooms”,
then you can also blame your estate agent for that too. Why would he send someone
to see a two bedroom property if they want to buy a three bedroom one?

Another thing to watch out for is how good they are at answering the phones.
In these high tech days we have mobile phones we carry with us everywhere, they
do our email too and unless you live in some really remote area you should always
have coverage! So why are some estate agents almost impossible to get hold of
on the phone?

Do estate agents make a conscious decision to avoid picking up the phone from
people selling their house? If you worry this is the case then do a number withheld
or ask a friend to ring them. If they don’t answer the phone to anyone
that will include prospective viewers too!

Avoiding bad estate agents can be tricky. There are some who would sell their
souls to the devil to get you to sign their 12 month binding contract, and it
would appear from some of their behaviour that not only did they sell their
soul to the devil, but they also timeshared with him their brain!

Test out local estate agents. Do a chart of how well they deal with your enquiries.
Ask everyone you know which ones they have used and which ones have been helpful.
The list might get smaller the more people you ask.

Research – who is actually selling houses – which estate agent
has the most sale signs turn to sold signs? Always check on houseprices.co.uk
to make sure the house has actually sold. It’s also good to have a good
mooch through the properties for sale. There are one or two who keep properties
on their books for years after they have actually sold them to make it look
like they are more busy than they are.

Read the contract carefully before signing anything. This should be the case
in all aspects of your life. People are often too quick to sign without taking
the time and trouble to read through all the details.
You can negotiate on contracts too and a good estate agent will allow you to
do this.

Read the section about terminating the contract carefully. Also ask the estate
agent how many people they have looking for your sort of house. The ones who
say “dozens” might well be lying.
Make sure the estate agent you pick is a member of a nationally recognised organisation.
This means they have rules to stick to and someone to complain about them too.

Don’t forget it’s not always the estate agent to blame if your house
doesn’t sell. If they have told you that they think the market has dropped
in your area and you should reduce the price, and you ignore their advice, then
you almost certainly won’t get a sale. It’ll be harder for people
to be persuaded to view your house if they know you don’t want to lower
the price too – as they’ll be aware of mortgage approvals and the
valuations done by mortgage companies. If you are given advice by an estate
agent then you should consider it carefully.

Another reason why your house might not be selling is if you’ve got some
problem areas you’ve not sorted out such as a very messy house, unfinished
DIY work, or a really grotty garden. Again you need to listen to advice from
the estate agent about this sort of thing too.

Sometimes the estate agent might be terrible, but sometimes they’re selling
terrible houses – it’s up to you to decide which is the case with
your property!

House selling fees?

I’ve read this week about someone who was suprised to find in the contract with their estate agent, that they could be charged the % fee on the original asking price of their property – even if it sells for thousands less than that!
A warning to all who go with the highest valuation – and for everyone signing a contract – to read the small print carefully!

NEVER be rushed into signing a document. If they try and rush you then just say you want to take time to read it through properly and take it away with you and read it at home!

Estate Agent speak translated

Deciphering the Estate Agent Code

Some of the things estate agents write about properties can be confusing. So what do their pet phrases mean?

Close to all transport links might indicate it’s so close to a main road that you can guess the tonnage of the lorries whizzing by just by the vibrations alone. May also indicate a direct view of the local motorway.
It might also mean surrounded by a railway and a road. Convenient for local transport does mean that the bus stop is directly outside the front.

Tucked away means that it’s not near any transport links at all and there’s a half hour walk down a dirt track to get to the property. This can also indicate that the property is hidden behind some industrial units.

There’s a scale of estate agent speak about the level of work needing doing on a house.

Of interest to builders means it probably needs a hard hat for viewings and is in danger of falling down, may have already fallen down, or need pulling down.

Original features indicate no work has been done for some years. This can be a blessing as it means original nice features may be retained, or it might mean no work has been done since the 1960s when avocado bathrooms were all the rage.

Rare opportunity usually means it’s been in the same family for some time and has been owned by an increasingly aged occupant who has not heated the property enough to keep the dry rot away.

Needs TLC can mean anything from light dusting to full blown renovation work needed. In need of renovation might also mean the same range of things, that is: rewiring, new boiler, windows, new kitchen and bathroom and then decorating. This can also be described by using the phrase has potential! Would benefit from some updating is another euphemism for this. DIYer’s dream usually means the seller has made some botched attempts at improving the house and that it now needs the professionals in.

Deceptively spacious is an amusing one. We all know the Tardis is fictional, but we still believe that a house can be bigger on the inside than it is on the outside?

Early viewing recommended is one of those things to make you think a property is more desirable than it is.

Corporate Client can mean repossession. No upper chain can also mean repossession.

No upper chain on a family size home can also mean that the current occupants have passed on to a better place. Often Fairviews Nursing home … This can be confirmed by the presence of patterned carpet, tasselled sofas and old fashioned style gas fires.

Reduced for Quick Sale might indicate the owners are desperate to sell before it’s repossessed.

In Our Opinion is an indication that you might well disagree with the following statement.

Cosy means tiny. Compact and bijou mean tiny. Potential to extend also means tiny. Charming can also indicate tiny but is likely to also indicate low ceilings and beams to crack your skull on.

Desirable neighbourhood means that the property is overpriced.

An Up and coming neighbourhood means it’s not there yet, so might be a bit risky after dark.

Studio apartment means that it’s so small you can stir you soup whilst you’re in the bath.

Well maintained property means they did some work about 20 years ago and think it makes the property worth more.

Very well looked after is similar to as above but with the seller wanting to make extreme profit from having repainted the kitchen door five years ago.

Offers over is an indication the estate agent couldn’t persuade the seller how little their house was worth.

Easily maintained garden means that it’s not big enough to actually need a lawn mower and you’ll have to use scissors. May also indicate every plant in the garden is in a pot and won’t be there when you get the keys!

Convenient for local school means it’s got parking problems at school dropping off times and hoards of screaming children at breaks. On the plus note the 15 weeks of holidays offer ample peace and quiet when it’s just people stealing the lead off the school roof that create the noise.

Box room means that the room isn’t legally big enough to fit a bed and a human being but if you need a room to store the ironing board it’s probably big enough. Describing a room as a study is also a euphemism for it not being big enough to be a bedroom.

Good size double bedroom indicates that if you get a smaller than normal double bed you might squeeze it in.

Taylors Estate Agents

Taylors Estate AgentsTaylors Estate Agents are right across the South of the UK and cover a region from St Ives in the east to Cardiff in the west.
Their search facility allows you to vary the area search quickly using a slider tab. There are options for price range; type of property; number of reception rooms,bedrooms, number of bathrooms, as well as advanced options that allow you to search for chain free properties.
I’ve just done a search today though and not found any properties in Devon or Cornwall. For properties I’ve looked at in Worcester on their website they have good clear photos, PDF brochure and floor plans. This makes it easy to get an idea of what the property is like.