Poor estate agents

Baby01032012

Probably not worst agent in many senses. I'm looking for 2 bed apartment for investment. I have an offer in on an apartment in a block that I particularly like. Another apartment in same block has come up for sale. I contacted them couple of weeks ago, gave my details..they send a text when a viewing is to be scheduled. I saw by chance yesterday that they were having open viewing per an update to the daft add yesterday so got my wife to go a long. She was only one there. The agent had no material which is fine, but she couldn't answer any basic questions on the apartment, didn't have pen etc. I rang up today to set up viewing for myself...same story I'll get a text when viewing is arranged. Long delay on phone when i gave address and again when i asked if any offers. I had experience with them before where I wanted to view another apartment and they never got back to me. I pity the poor owner trying to sell the apartment. Seems like they aren't the most active agents.

campingcarist

In my limited experience with estate agents, I have found them pretty unresponsive and fail to have knowledge of basic facts, especially about apartments, my main gripe is lack of information about the management company and the service charges.

Uno my Uno.

Unfortunately generations of desperate buyers and sellers who will accept poor service has taught many estate agents in this country that property essentially sells itself. As a result its not really necessary for Agents to do silly things like call bidders back or know inconsequential details like the square footage of a property or how much the annual service charge is.

Tombo2001

Their client is the seller, not you. You are not paying them for a service, so in a sense there is no point in complaining that you are getting a poor service from them.

They see hundreds of tyre kickers. I'm sure you are not of those. But I'd guess they allocate time to these sort of queries according to (I) how anxious they are to sell a property and (II) how serious they see you as a buyer.

The fact that they sent an uninformed junior suggests that on (I) they are not all that anxious at present.

Baby01032012

OP here.

So a couple of viewings have happened over last say 6 weeks on an apartment I'm interested in. Despite giving my details 3 times and promised I would receive a text when a viewing was arranged I was never contacted.

I rang yesterday as I saw from the ad that there was a viewing Tuesday. I enquiried as to any interest from the viewing. First I was told no offers then I was told there was an offer of 15k under asking price.

I see on daft today that the asking has dropped to 25k below original asking. So I'm guessing that off yesterday was bull by the agent.

I have an offer on similar apartment in same block that is now equal to 36k more than the new asking on this apartment.

hfallada

Read freaknomics and their section estate agents. Like all rational people. They make to make as much money as possible with the least effort, like all of us.

As a result they focus on high value sales and don't really care about their lower value properties. Why would they kill themselves on a 130k one bed in Dublin 1, when they have a €1.3 million luxury house in ballsbrige. They are going to make 10 times the commission for the same work. Also why would they kill themselves to bring the 1 bed to 135k, when they can focus their energy on a sale that's worth ten times as much.

You are better going with an estate agent that sells houses in that price range. I can't understand people who use luxury agents like to sell their ****ty 3 bed in ' glasnevin north'. When the agent will probably focus only on high value sales for rational reasons.

Also 1% estate agents won't work as hard as an agent on 3% commission. As the agent on 3% has a far greater incentive to work harder

noniej

I have a real estate license in New Zealand. Over here agents work their butts off for the vendors. It's not 'okay' to have no material on the property they're viewing. It's not okay to not follow up with potential buyers. Actually, the whole of the industry in Ireland is not 'okay'. I'm really tempted to actually show how it can be done! I'd have a few rules.


If you want me to sell your house show me proof that you have authority to sell it

Agent (me) procures Title and any other Council information before house goes to market.

We agree on an asking price and that's it - unless we're in a multiple offer situation, you take the offer of asking price.

House then comes off the market.

If a buyer requires a mortgage they have 10 working days to produce proof that they have it. Otherwise the house goes back on the market.

Only solicitors who are prepared to work swiftly are hired - this may mean working with a solicitor on the other side of the country if necessary.

It actually means that the agent has to work for their commission but honestly, from what I've seen, the system is so crap over there an honest, hard working agent couldn't fail to be successful.

househero

hfallada wrote: »

Also 1% estate agents won't work as hard as an agent on 3% commission. As the agent on 3% has a far greater incentive to work harder

You would think so, but not in my experience.

It's the greedy 3% EA that thinks its 2006.

EA grew lazy in the good times and they don't know how to sell

bingowings2015

Estate agents seem to be still living in the old days when property sold itself. Then again, if recent media reports are anything to go by history is repeating istelf