Woman trying to buy a property

lisasimpson

Hi

just wondering have any women out there ever come across an auctioneer who didnt take them seriously?
I went to view a house in the last week and really felt the auctioneer saw me as a silly little girl who didnt know what she was talking about.
Did I just have bad luck with this particular man or can they be like some car salesman when a woman walks into a car showroom on her own to buy a car

Senna

You probably just ran into the wrong EA. If you are showing a genuine interest then I cant see any EA turning their nose up at a potential customer.
Do as much research as you can before looking, read threads on here and the propertypin. That advice is universal, regardless of sex.

Roxee

That EA was clearly a clown. I viewed a lot of properties when buying mine (also female, also on my own) and only once did I find a chauvinistic attitude.

My dad came with me to view one as it was near my parents' house and when I introduced him to the EA he commented "oh he's here with the cheque book is it?". I just looked at him blankly and said "no, not in the slightest" and walked on past him. He was a sap then and I'm sure he's a sap when he's off the job too. Every other EA I encountered took me perfectly seriously. My money is worth as much as anyone else's. So don't be put off by one idiot, you should find they're in the minority.

lisasimpson

Thanks I emailed them last night to express my dissatisfaction what went on and he said noone ever complained in 15 years. yes Roxee I as good a said the same thing in my email that my money is as good as anyone else and there arent loads of people in the position to have funding ready to go at the moment.

Bascailly the house needs to be completely gutted. Now I knew looking at the add before hand a complete new kitchen was needed but the whole house needs to be done. he asked how much I thought a refub would cost. I said not much change out of 20k he laughed and asked was I putting in gold plated doors that it would only take 10k. He told me twice I could come back with someone who would cost. didnt bother to show me around to try and sell it. I had to walk around myself. He also made me feel stupid when I asked was there any bids on it. I thought it was a perfectly normal question to ask

L1011

lisasimpson wrote: »

I thought it was a perfectly normal question to ask

It is... EA sounds like a prick.

Slydice

Try not to heed one thing the EA puts to you. It's their job to extract as much cash from you as possible. If you left distracted from the property, then the EA has gotten one up on ya.

You're purchase will look something like this:
[YOU] -> [OFFER MONEY]
[EA] -> [CHECKS SELLER]
[SELLER] -> [GIVES YES/NO]
[EA] -> [TELLS YOU ANSWER]

There's no attitude in that. There's just you and you getting your property or not.

Try to get the important answers that you would like from the EA. No need to bond or chit chat. That takes your time away from checking the property. Bonding or chit chat also gives the EA an angle on you and might give them an idea on how to squeez more cash outta ya (for example, take note that there'll almost always be another interested bidder... seriously like... in this depression?... unlikely).

lisasimpson

I think your missing the point. i wasnt looking to make friends with him but there was absolutely no need for him to put me down the way he did. I wasnt a time waster I have the funding looking for somewhere to make a home. the gold plated comment was very uncalled for. And its a perfectly reasonable question to ask was there any offers on the place without him as good as telling me stop been so stupid. he never made an effort to try and sell the house to me

the groutch

AH answer: maybe it's because your only 8 years old

Proper Answer: contact his boss and see can you make any inroads

astrofool

The EA is always going to downplay the cost to put a property right, it means the buyers puts up more money to buy it if they fall for it.

I can't say the above behaviour isn't typical of a lot of EA's, most don't take anyone seriously until they put an offer in, male or female.

amtc

i was going to buy my first car 15 years ago....and the dealer said 'oh a little car for a little lady'.

I walked out and went next door

riclad

Make an offer ,look at similar house s on the market .IF offer is accepted you can get a structural survey,this will give you an idea of
costs of repairs ,modernisation needed.
Theres eejits or sexist dopes in every job .Nowadays a woman is just as likely to have to money to buy a house as a man.
You can make an offer subject to survey,ie offer may be void if serious problems found eg dry rot etc
Get advice from your solicitor.
For anyone with money ,its a buyers market at the moment.

anto9

Estate Agents whem buying are your enemy not your friend .They are working for the seller .(dont believe a word they say ).Contact neighbours etc to get more info on any property .

variety

lisasimpson wrote: »

Bascailly the house needs to be completely gutted. Now I knew looking at the add before hand a complete new kitchen was needed but the whole house needs to be done. [...]He told me twice I could come back with someone who would cost.

To be fair, unless you had notified the EA you are well aware of building costs, it's understandable for him to assume that you would need professional advice on the costs. Most people would.

lisasimpson wrote: »

he asked how much I thought a refub would cost. I said not much change out of 20k he laughed and asked was I putting in gold plated doors that it would only take 10k.

Yeah, it's a bit of a narky comment all right.
But the property actually might really only need a spruce up of €10k or so; if you want to put it high-end finishes, bathrooms, kitchens, etc... this would of course cost more. Did you discuss with the EA what level of finish you were thinking of?

lisasimpson wrote: »

didnt bother to show me around to try and sell it. I had to walk around myself.

I suppose this is a matter of personal preference.
I wouldn't want an EA wandering round every room with me pointing out "positives" in a property that needs gutting- it would only annoy me.

lisasimpson wrote: »

He also made me feel stupid when I asked was there any bids on it. I thought it was a perfectly normal question to ask

This is a perfectly normal question.

I'd say you just had a bit of a personality clash, but as other posters have said, who cares? An EA is not your friend, and if you like the property you'll bid on it and no amount of "selling" from an EA will change your mind.

As a matter of interest (pure curiosity!), are you interested in the property enough to bid on it?

lisasimpson

yes im very interested in the house. the place needs to completed gutted a whole new kitchen etc dont know what animals were in the place the condition its left in, but its in the area I like and i can fully picture what it would be like by the time id be finished doing it up and making it a home. at 1st his attitude ruined the viewing for me

Slydice

It really does seem like you're missing the point. It's not the EAs job to get you to buy the house. It's his job to get as much money for the house as possible. He makes more money if he sells it for a higher price. He gets a percentage. He's not really bothered about who he sells to or how long it takes unless he lives nearby or doing viewings starts costing him money. He cares about how much money he gets from the sale. Nothing else.

It's the sellers who care about the place. They care about someone nice buying it. They care about offers and answering your questions. They care about selling up faster. They also care about the price but they don't earn a commission, they just get what you pay (less the percentage which the EA takes).

Unfortunately, if an EA is involved, you gotta deal with them. Try to get as much info as you can but don't expect any of it to be true. Look at the market around the area. See how that is for prices. Hang around the area for a while to see what your neighborhood might be like if you lived there. Make an offer based on what you think. Don't give the EA info and don't let the EA get to you. That's their job, to sponge you of your cash.

Finally, before committing to the sale, always make sure to have an expert (preferably someone you know and trust) check out the place and make sure it is ok.

lisasimpson

Im not getting in an agruement about what an ea job is it not what i was asking or i wasnt asking for tips in what to do. I just asked about a general attitude towards women and if its an issue. he was completely rude to me and i really think there was no need for him to be so scaristic and laugh at me.
come to think about it even when i asked about any bids he never once asked did i want to make a offer or did i have finance t

StillWaters

He sounds a bit of an eejit.

But I certainly wouldnt have gone emailing a complaint to his colleagues if I was looking to make a bid on the house :-o

lisasimpson

it turns out he was the owner of the ea company. i checked before i emailed as I wanted to have the correct name of the guy I met. but i was really annoyed with his attitude. I can always get a sibling to work on my behave for me so the EA is none the wiser whos bidding.

gerryo777

lisasimpson wrote: »

Hi

just wondering have any women out there ever come across an auctioneer who didnt take them seriously?
I went to view a house in the last week and really felt the auctioneer saw me as a silly little girl who didnt know what she was talking about.
Did I just have bad luck with this particular man or can they be like some car salesman when a woman walks into a car showroom on her own to buy a car

Would you have started a thread on here if it was a female EA who made you feel the same?

Honest question.

lisasimpson

tbh i dont know. met two other EAs both female and both were grand. did their job one was way nicer though and when i told her the last bid put the property out of my budget she was lovely. gave me advice and took my details about what Im after etc and even rang me when something similar came on the market

But there is still an eliment in society unfortunately who dont give the opposite sex due credit in certain situations