Estate agents

FixdePitchmark · 02-11-2018 10:34am

beaufoy wrote: »

Mariomaker wrote: »

Out of interest what estate agent did you use and did you get the price you were looking for?

The last estate agent we used for selling was in england...we left the house empty and told the agent that every time she took someone to view the house she should pick up the mail and forward it to our thailand address. She failed to do as requested but she did deposit the cheque given to her for doing said task...no we did not get the correct price...it was sold to a property speculator/maybe friend of agent

Was that not a bit demanding .

I wouldn't fancy managing a sale from Thailand .

You need to take ownership of process too.

02-11-2018 12:00pm

beaufoy wrote: »

The last estate agent we used for selling was in england...we left the house empty and told the agent that every time she took someone to view the house she should pick up the mail and forward it to our thailand address. She failed to do as requested but she did deposit the cheque given to her for doing said task...no we did not get the correct price...it was sold to a property speculator/maybe friend of agent

Why should an estate agent forward your mail to you?

beaufoy · 02-11-2018 6:09pm

Enoch Thankful Vow wrote: »

Why should an estate agent forward your mail to you?

why not

Vicks28 · 16-04-2019 1:01pm

Anyone know Ray Cooke selling percentage fee and out lay? Would you recommend them?

voluntary · 16-04-2019 2:35pm

I'd give <snip> online EA a go. All offers transparent, there's no way offers do not get passed to seller. Seller has a peace of mind and buyer has a peace of mind.
Traditional EAs have a long road to improve. Nobody really likes to deal with them. They run the market as there were no alternatives until very recently.

machalla · 16-04-2019 2:44pm

voluntary wrote: »

I'd give <snip> online EA a go. All offers transparent, there's no way offers do not get passed to seller. Seller has a peace of mind and buyer has a peace of mind.
Traditional EAs have a long road to improve. Nobody really likes to deal with them. They run the market as there were no alternatives until very recently.

Did you sell a house through their service? What was the experience like?

voluntary · 16-04-2019 2:49pm

machalla wrote: »

Did you sell a house through their service? What was the experience like?

No, I did not. Can't say much. Just read through their website. They act nearly like regular EAs, but are cheaper and more transparent.
There's quite a lot of adds on myhome posted by them.

Buyers put offers and sellers get immediate notifications. Seems quite all right and transparent. You still get the separation layer between you and the buyer as with a traditional EA. The agent deals with buyers and not yourself.

Jellybaby1 · 16-04-2019 3:32pm

We sold our last house without an estate agent. Mainly because we couldn't afford to pay their fees. The people whose house we bought also sold their house to us without an estate agent. Our solicitors sorted everything out for us. If we were selling again I still wouldn't use an estate agent.

jimwallace197 · 16-04-2019 7:01pm

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

We sold our last house without an estate agent. Mainly because we couldn't afford to pay their fees. The people whose house we bought also sold their house to us without an estate agent. Our solicitors sorted everything out for us. If we were selling again I still wouldn't use an estate agent.

You couldnt afford to pay their fees but probably ended up getting a lot less for your property than you could have if used one.

jimwallace197 · 16-04-2019 7:04pm

voluntary wrote: »

No, I did not. Can't say much. Just read through their website. They act nearly like regular EAs, but are cheaper and more transparent.
There's quite a lot of adds on myhome posted by them.

Buyers put offers and sellers get immediate notifications. Seems quite all right and transparent. You still get the separation layer between you and the buyer as with a traditional EA. The agent deals with buyers and not yourself.

If an agent is cheaper, there is usually a good reason for that. The fact that they are on here shilling says alot, very desperate.

jimwallace197 · 16-04-2019 7:04pm

<SNIP>

MOD

Recommendations by PM please.

Jellybaby1 · 16-04-2019 9:32pm

jimwallace197 wrote: »

You couldnt afford to pay their fees but probably ended up getting a lot less for your property than you could have if used one.

Not at all. Compared with other houses selling on our estate at that time, we actually got one of the highest figures. Sellers have a choice, to use an EA or not. We chose not. We weren't in the business of squeezing every last drop from buyers, or playing a game, we just wanted a fair price, which we got.

Roisin76 · 16-04-2019 11:13pm

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

Not at all. Compared with other houses selling on our estate at that time, we actually got one of the highest figures. Sellers have a choice, to use an EA or not. We chose not. We weren't in the business of squeezing every last drop from buyers, or playing a game, we just wanted a fair price, which we got.

After spending a number of months dealing with EAs we're basically fed up with them. I'm certain we would have already made a deal on at least two houses if we could directly talk to the owners. Estate agents are blocking information going both ways between buyers and sellers and I don't believe it's what sellers really want. My feeling is that both buyers and sellers would often like to sort out a sale quick and move forward.

The main reason houses aren't being sold in timely fashion is because EAs are delaying the sales.

Jellybaby1 · 17-04-2019 12:29am

Roisin76 wrote: »

After spending a number of months dealing with EAs we're basically fed up with them. I'm certain we would have already made a deal on at least two houses if we could directly talk to the owners. Estate agents are blocking information going both ways between buyers and sellers and I don't believe it's what sellers really want. My feeling is that both buyers and sellers would often like to sort out a sale quick and move forward.

The main reason houses aren't being sold in timely fashion is because EAs are delaying the sales.

As we've never used them I can't say what their practices are, but we discovered they were unnecessary. The only time I had any knowledge of an EA was when a neighbour told me he managed to get his house at a very low price because he 'knew the estate agent personally'. That sort of confirmed I was right not to bother with them.

jimwallace197 · 17-04-2019 1:02pm

Roisin76 wrote: »

After spending a number of months dealing with EAs we're basically fed up with them. I'm certain we would have already made a deal on at least two houses if we could directly talk to the owners. Estate agents are blocking information going both ways between buyers and sellers and I don't believe it's what sellers really want. My feeling is that both buyers and sellers would often like to sort out a sale quick and move forward.

The main reason houses aren't being sold in timely fashion is because EAs are delaying the sales.

That is absolutely ridiculous, you are making assumptions that have no basis in fact. Looking to blame estate agents because you are didnt get what you want. You dont know the owners, didnt speak to them but are nearly convinced you would have been able to negotiate a deal with them.:rolleyes:

JoeA3 · 17-04-2019 1:26pm

I don't agree with the negativity towards EA's here either.

I currently have my house on the market and my EA has been extremely professional and transparent, at least as far as I can see. Regularly updates me, arranges viewings with enough notice and has called me with feedback after the few viewings we've had so far. I cannot imagine a scenario where he wouldn't be disclosing me information about potential offers or genuine interest from a prospective buyer. We all want the house sold. Anything else is tinfoil hat nonsense.

q85dw7osi4lebg · 17-04-2019 1:27pm

Boardsies are generally anti anyone to do with property (estate agents / letting agents / landlords etc), so I would talk to friends / family as opposed to asking here.

Sleepy · 17-04-2019 4:00pm

JoeA3, you're paying your EA handsomely for that service. What I, and many others wonder, is if EAs can, as they claim, get you a price for your house that's higher than what you'd get on your own by a large enough margin to justify the expense of hiring them. As they work on a percentage of the sale price, and usually bill the seller for any marketing / administration expenses separately, it's a hell of a lot of money and unless they can persuade a buyer that a house is worth 5-10k more than the homeowner themselves could, it's a poor return on investment.

JoeA3 · 17-04-2019 4:11pm

Sleepy wrote: »

JoeA3, you're paying your EA handsomely for that service. What I, and many others wonder, is if EAs can, as they claim, get you a price for your house that's higher than what you'd get on your own by a large enough margin to justify the expense of hiring them. As they work on a percentage of the sale price, and usually bill the seller for any marketing / administration expenses separately, it's a hell of a lot of money and unless they can persuade a buyer that a house is worth 5-10k more than the homeowner themselves could, it's a poor return on investment.

For me, its a worthwhile investment. Do I want to be dealing with buyers / tyre kickers / arranging viewings and all the hassle and aggravation that goes with that? No way. Am I confident I'd be able to put my best foot forward and sell a house on my own bat? Again, no way. I personally would even be reluctant to try selling a car privately, never mind a 300k house.

I think you under estimate the effort required to do this. I've found it enough work in itself just getting the house in a presentable condition for the photos and viewings!

jimwallace197 · 17-04-2019 6:40pm

Sleepy wrote: »

JoeA3, you're paying your EA handsomely for that service. What I, and many others wonder, is if EAs can, as they claim, get you a price for your house that's higher than what you'd get on your own by a large enough margin to justify the expense of hiring them. As they work on a percentage of the sale price, and usually bill the seller for any marketing / administration expenses separately, it's a hell of a lot of money and unless they can persuade a buyer that a house is worth 5-10k more than the homeowner themselves could, it's a poor return on investment.

Yah, you wonder, in other words you dont have a clue what you are talking about and unless you have some experience of actually working in the industry, then would be better off not promoting misinformed opinions. Truth is, if it was so easy, a lot more people would be doing it and making great money from it.

Alot of estate agencies that set up dont usually last longer than a year or two

Roisin76 · 17-04-2019 9:26pm

jimwallace197 wrote: »

That is absolutely ridiculous...

Are you an EA or work for EA by any chance?

utmbuilder · 19-04-2019 3:20am

To be honest Dublin is pretty good value for agents , mostly everyone is 1% free valuation , free photos, no sale no fee

Small EAs covering 3 or 4 post codes could be holding 80k in deposits

1% of loads of 230k sales is 2300 +vat each after a 4 month lead time. The time for the free valuation, all the viewings all the calls, closing the deal, the photos, most still have shop fronts, my home fees, staff, insurance , probally ipav fees, then their marketing costs to get listings

Regulations loosened again for what trainee agents can do in November they can feature on bill boards now , write things down just got value

None are finding buyers , my home and daft are not enough anymore if you want a sale after August
They get a listing and have no way to market it other than the general old school methods in a decade when people are getting hit with ads online all day
Even if the agent did know how to run targeting campaigns why would he or she as they have margin left to do so. Less viewers less bids for home seller

The industry needed a shake up but young 30 year olds need to be regulated and the low margins will lead to problems emerging in the future

Mortgage brokers get 2% that's the business to.be in

flowerific · 19-04-2019 6:10am

utmbuilder wrote: »

id love someone to try yourbricks or auctioneera and let us know the outcome

600 euro aparently

I used the latter and it worked out well. They're both around 1299 plus VAT not 600.

utmbuilder · 20-04-2019 2:21am

flowerific wrote: »

I used the latter and it worked out well. They're both around 1299 plus VAT not 600.

I believe auctioneera is a few people based out of Cork or Galway, fair play to them getting in on a bit of nationwide action. Although the Galway or Cork markets are pretty on fire at the moment. The name really went over peoples heads, what they are doing is simple, it takes a few visits to get that they are just bringing good value to the market.

The business model is sound, however relies on google adwords for them to get valuations from their cheap offering, if all the agents start clicking on their ads in Dublin, which I am sure is happening, their conversion rates must be in the toilet on google adwords. As soon as the IPAV members cop that not sure how they can sustain the ad costs. Adwords in an industry with heaps of agents seeing them is not a good mix, most post codes have 8 estate agencys in dublin averaging about 4 staff per agency, all chasing typically 700 to 900 sales per year in postcodes like d12, 22, 9 etc

A top digital guy would probably cost 2 of their salary's but would love to see them succeed. Someone mid level would just do the same tactics they are already doing for customer acquisition

Cheaper listings is a great business model, has to be simple for people to understand, and they really did'nt think out their targeting well at all, which appears little understand of digital strategy.

I reckon they are spending 6k a month on advertising, on google , and have limited costs being a rural agency.

I'm not an agent by the way just watch the market closely.

Auctioneera is a sign of things to come, before all agency's go online in the next decade.

It's cheap, its young owner is 34 with 100% of the share capital, its newly incorporated in march auctioneera ltd 2018 with no accounts filed yet, according to visionnet,

the price register should list the agents that sells propertys with the selling price, that really would give house sellers a better way to choose agents.

It's a sign of things to come with new, younger agents hitting the market, being 36 myself dont see it as a bad thing, but you know selling property is a big deal the public needs full transparency, I would like to see more not from auctioneera but from the whole industry as a whole with many new startup auctioneers.

jimwallace197 · 20-04-2019 11:32am

utmbuilder wrote: »

I believe auctioneera is a few people based out of Cork or Galway, fair play to them getting in on a bit of nationwide action. Although the Galway or Cork markets are pretty on fire at the moment. The name really went over peoples heads, what they are doing is simple, it takes a few visits to get that they are just bringing good value to the market.

The business model is sound, however relies on google adwords for them to get valuations from their cheap offering, if all the agents start clicking on their ads in Dublin, which I am sure is happening, their conversion rates must be in the toilet on google adwords. As soon as the IPAV members cop that not sure how they can sustain the ad costs. Adwords in an industry with heaps of agents seeing them is not a good mix, most post codes have 8 estate agencys in dublin averaging about 4 staff per agency, all chasing typically 700 to 900 sales per year in postcodes like d12, 22, 9 etc

A top digital guy would probably cost 2 of their salary's but would love to see them succeed. Someone mid level would just do the same tactics they are already doing for customer acquisition

Cheaper listings is a great business model, has to be simple for people to understand, and they really did'nt think out their targeting well at all, which appears little understand of digital strategy.

I reckon they are spending 6k a month on advertising, on google , and have limited costs being a rural agency.

I'm not an agent by the way just watch the market closely.

Auctioneera is a sign of things to come, before all agency's go online in the next decade.

It's cheap, its young owner is 34 with 100% of the share capital, its newly incorporated in march auctioneera ltd 2018 with no accounts filed yet, according to visionnet,

the price register should list the agents that sells propertys with the selling price, that really would give house sellers a better way to choose agents.

It's a sign of things to come with new, younger agents hitting the market, being 36 myself dont see it as a bad thing, but you know selling property is a big deal the public needs full transparency, I would like to see more not from auctioneera but from the whole industry as a whole with many new startup auctioneers.

You don't happen to be involved or connected with the company in any way by any chance:rolleyes:

Truth of it is, every man & their dog thinks they could make money from estate agency & the few that actually try, find out the reality in Ireland is very different.

Auctioneera.ie or other online only platforms for selling peoples houses fail to recognise the amount of work that goes into selling a house. In theory it sounds fine and simple but there is a lot more to it than that. Selling at that kind of price, 1299, they would need to sell in bulk and with only 2 recognized agents (who are not even a member of any professional body) in that company, what do people think they are going to get. Yes, more than likely a substandard service as it is simply not financially viable. On top of this, even though there is less of a need nowadays for an on street presence than there was previously, its still quite useful to have one and they have zero on street presence along with other online platforms.

People can make up their own minds but I'm pretty sure, the more people that try out these services, the more they will realize they are a waste of time when they see their property selling for less than what it could have but they managed to save 700/800 euros in estate fees.

flowerific · 20-04-2019 12:01pm

I used them in Dublin and I didn't get a lower price on my property than other agents got for similar property.

jimwallace197 · 20-04-2019 12:03pm

flowerific wrote: »

I used them in Dublin and I didn't get a lower price on my property than other agents got for similar property.

Yah Im sure:rolleyes:

Keep up the shilling though

flowerific · 20-04-2019 12:17pm

I'm really not sure why you have a attitude and a complete disregard for other posters experience.
I have no affiliation with auctioneera my experience was positive and i got a good price for my property. I would not sell for any less than I wanted and knew the value of my property and did my home work on what other properties were selling and other agents sold similar for. I did ring more than one agent before setting in which I was going to go with to sell.

Mad_maxx · 20-04-2019 1:07pm

bri007 wrote: »

Stay clear of fl#nn estate agents. Have been trying to purchase properofrom the the last 6 months, friend of a friend was interested in same house we were bidding on turned out they were telling a different story to each person that viewed it.

We recently found out the house went less than we bid on it, as we know who bought it in the end..... strange!

Estate agents sometimes have someone in mind for a property, more common when market is cheap however

Preferred buyer phenomenon

utmbuilder · 20-04-2019 1:17pm

i deffo dont any relationship or nore do i know auctioneera team

i cant stand cork people

Dolbhad · 21-04-2019 8:12am

I viewed a house that auctioneera were selling. It was 3 bed semi in a good area. Anyway we debated whether we would put a bid on it. However we were greeted at the door by a young girl who was about 20. She just took our name and email (to send us a link to bid but never got the email and emailed them twice for it). She didn’t know anything about the property ( I would usually have questions) so just wandered around. I remember saying to my partner I wouldn’t use them if I was selling. We have met some great auctioneers who were just good salesmans. And that’s what I’d want selling my house. I did google them and they looking for sales advisor for an hour at a time to pay them I think €20 an hour to take the names etc. So I’m not sure how involved auctioneers are in that. House went sale agreed but didn’t go through as saw it for rent on daft soon after.

Roisin76 · 21-04-2019 8:20am

jimwallace197 wrote: »

<SNIP>

MOD

Recommendations by PM please.

Roisin76 wrote: »

Are you an EA or work for EA by any chance?

jimwallace197 wrote: »

You don't happen to be involved or connected with the company in any way by any chance:rolleyes:

flowerific wrote: »

I used them in Dublin and I didn't get a lower price on my property than other agents got for similar property.

jimwallace197 wrote: »

Yah Im sure:rolleyes:

Keep up the shilling though

The only one shilling here is you jimwallace197.
And still no answer to my question:

Are you an EA or work for EA?

Roisin76 · 21-04-2019 8:25am

jimwallace197 wrote: »

Truth of it is, every man & their dog thinks they could make money from estate agency & the few that actually try, find out the reality in Ireland is very different.

Auctioneera.ie or other online only platforms for selling peoples houses fail to recognise the amount of work that goes into selling a house. In theory it sounds fine and simple but there is a lot more to it than that. Selling at that kind of price, 1299, they would need to sell in bulk and with only 2 recognized agents (who are not even a member of any professional body) in that company, what do people think they are going to get. Yes, more than likely a substandard service as it is simply not financially viable. On top of this, even though there is less of a need nowadays for an on street presence than there was previously, its still quite useful to have one and they have zero on street presence along with other online platforms.

People can make up their own minds but I'm pretty sure, the more people that try out these services, the more they will realize they are a waste of time when they see their property selling for less than what it could have but they managed to save 700/800 euros in estate fees.

You really sound like a desperate defender of a sector which is on a brink of a disruption. Your days are numbered. The same way retail is struggling as buyers go online, same as traditional soul matching lost to tinder, same as social moved to facebook or twitter and cashiers are being replaced by self checkouts.

EAs are the obstacle here and most people hate dealing with them therefore they will go at the first opportunity.

21-04-2019 8:36am

Roisin76 wrote: »

You really sound like a desperate defender of a sector which is on a brink of a disruption. Your days are numbered. The same way retail is struggling as buyers go online, same as traditional soul matching lost to tinder, same as social moved to facebook or twitter and cashiers are being replaced by self checkouts.

EAs are the obstacle here and most people hate dealing with them therefore they will go at the first opportunity.

Buying a house will never be like buying a jacket or dating, though website listings make it easier to identify properties that are of interest to you, you still want to see the property and ask questions about it. As an earlier poster said, the online auctioneer actually knew nothing about the property apart from what was online.

All industries are always on the brink of disruption, new technology, work practices, modernisation mean few can stand still.

You may delight in the thought that EAs may become superfluous, but the fact is they won’t. There will always be a market for online auctioneers, and they appeal to some, but the majority will still go with a local auctioneer with knowledge of local markets and who can give insight to both sellers and buyers.

You see them as an obstacle to a purchase, they don’t work for you, they work for the seller to facilitate a sale. And I hate dealing with EAs when I’m buying, but I sure like them when I’m selling.

Roisin76 · 21-04-2019 8:43am

Dav010 wrote: »

Buying a house will never be like buying a jacket or dating, though website listings make it easier to identify properties that are of interest to you, you still want to see the property and ask questions about it. As an earlier poster said, the online auctioneer actually knew nothing about the property apart from what was online.

All industries are always on the brink of disruption, new technology, work practices, modernisation mean few can stand still.

You may delight in the thought that EAs may become superfluous, but the fact is they won’t. There will always be a market for online auctioneers, and they appeal to some, but the majority will still go with a local auctioneer with knowledge of local markets and who can give insight to both sellers and buyers.

And I hate dealing with EAs when I’m buying, but I sure like them when I’m selling.

What buyer need from EA other then what one like moovingo offers? They advertise on public websites, arrange viewings, hold ea licenses. Plus offers are transparent so both buyers and sellers know what's going on at every stage of the process.

And why do you like traditional EAs when you're selling? What do you get on top of what would you get from a sami-online one?

Roisin76 · 21-04-2019 8:46am

Dav010 wrote: »

You see them as an obstacle to a purchase, they don’t work for you, they work for the seller to facilitate a sale. And I hate dealing with EAs when I’m buying, but I sure like them when I’m selling.

Buy/Sell is a two way transaction. The only reason EAs are getting away with their questionable practices at the moment is that we're in the Seller's market because of the massive under supply.

This state is not going to last forever.

21-04-2019 8:51am

Roisin76 wrote: »

What buyer need from EA other then what one like moovingo offers? They advertise on public websites, arrange viewings, hold ea licenses. Plus offers are transparent so both buyers and sellers know what's going on at every stage of the process.

And why do you like traditional EAs when you're selling? What do you get on top of what would you get from a sami-online one?

Again, the EA works for the seller, not the buyer, so the buyer doesn’t dictate what type of EA the seller uses.

The seller doesn’t need “transparent offers” showing online, the EA tells the seller. Buying/selling is a two way transaction, but the EA works for only one side in that transaction.

All EAs have websites, so they are all “semi online ones”, the poster above who described their experience with an online seller should tell you all you need to know.

Roisin76 · 21-04-2019 8:55am

Not convinced. One person's bad experience is not the end of the world. Also, this is a very new market, it will tak time to mature. The seed has be planted thought.

Sono · 21-04-2019 8:59am

Bought my house 3 years ago and I have to say if I could have avoided dealing with EA’s I would.

Impossible to trust them, putting bids on houses through them and was not convinced the bid was being rejected by the vendor or not and often felt I was bidding against myself at times, no transparency whatsoever and I have no proof of what I am saying either but just a feeling I got.

If we do decide to sell I would much rather do it alone than pay any of them a fee for something we could easily do ourselves. At this moment in time they are a necessary evil which in time will no longer be required thankfully.

21-04-2019 9:02am

Roisin76 wrote: »

Not convinced. One person's bad experience is not the end of the world. Also, this is a very new market, it will tak time to mature. The seed has be planted thought.

You have the luxury of choosing what way you sell your property, you don’t however have that luxury when you want to buy one, so it really doesn’t matter whether you are convinced or not. Property selling/exchange is as old as civilisation and buyers have always complained about how it was done. This is not a new market by any stretch of imagination, property cycles have always existed. People thought when online portals like daft and myhome began that it would revolutionise the buying/selling of property, it did to an extent, but the basic mechanics of the industry stayed the same.

Graham · 21-04-2019 9:05am

Mod Note

Roisin76, posters to not have to divulge their profession. Stop asking.

21-04-2019 9:06am

Sono wrote: »

Bought my house 3 years ago and I have to say if I could have avoided dealing with EA’s I would.

Impossible to trust them, putting bids on houses through them and was not convinced the bid was being rejected by the vendor or not and often felt I was bidding against myself at times, no transparency whatsoever and I have no proof of what I am saying either but just a feeling I got.

If we do decide to sell I would much rather do it alone than pay any of them a fee for something we could easily do ourselves. At this moment in time they are a necessary evil which in time will no longer be required thankfully.

How many times over the years have we read accusations with nothing whatsoever to back them up? The vendor wasn’t being told of my bids and I was bidding against myself, but I have no proof. Jesus wept.

Sono · 21-04-2019 9:08am

Dav010 wrote: »

How many times over the years have we read accusations with nothing whatsoever to back them up? The vendor wasn’t being told of my bids and I was bidding against myself, but I have no proof. Jesus wept.

You can only base it on your own individual experience and that was mine. Cowboys the lot of em. There should be transparency with bids between buyer and seller to eliminate this element of doubt. Is it any wonder people don’t trust them?

Edit: it is in the interest of the EA to have a more transparent bidding system also so people don’t doubt their credibility.

21-04-2019 9:19am

Sono wrote: »

You can only base it on your own individual experience and that was mine. Cowboys the lot of em..

Was the house you bought so unappealing that nobody else would be interested in bidding on it? Was your first offer so good that the seller could not have turned it down?

recedite · 21-04-2019 9:30am

utmbuilder wrote: »

I believe auctioneera is a few people based out of Cork or Galway...

They have a premises in Dublin, but its not a typical estate agent office with a big plate glass window. More like a commercial office building.

jimwallace197 wrote: »

People can make up their own minds but I'm pretty sure, the more people that try out these services, the more they will realize they are a waste of time when they see their property selling for less than what it could have but they managed to save 700/800 euros in estate fees.

The saving is more than that. It could be €6K on a €400K house. There's a sliding scale on the website showing exactly what it would be.
I think the selling price is usually set by whatever the neighbouring houses have sold for recently, not by the particular agent handling the sale.

From the buyer's point of view, the more interesting thing is the fact that every bid goes up on the website in a fully transparent way. This could bring an end to all sorts of chicanery when it catches on.

21-04-2019 9:36am

Can I ask ye folks, how does the photography aspect work with your local estate agents?

I'm a photographer and recently a friend of a friend sold their house. Asked me to take the photos for them. I didn't charge them as they're good friends with my brother, and as I don't know them well enough, I didn't want to be overly nosey. But I got the impression that the Estate Agent was charging extra/separately for photography (and I am guessing at a mark up price, as he's a middle man and will want a few euro on top of what the photographer gets).

21-04-2019 9:36am

recedite wrote: »

They have a big premises in Dublin, but its not a typical estate agent office with a big plate glass window. More like a commercial office building.

The saving is more than that. It could be €7,500 on a €400K house. There's a sliding scale on the website showing exactly what it would be.

From the buyer's point of view, the more interesting thing is the fact that every bid goes up on the website in a fully transparent way. This could bring an end to all sorts of chicanery when it catches on.

Out of interest, is there anything to stop someone who isn’t actually interested putting a bid in, and the bid showing online, therefore pushing the price up?

I’ve always thought one of the benefits of an EA is that through experience, they are often able to assess the buyer. EAs have told me at various times that a buyer is a messer/is struggling to sell their own property/ has bids on multiple properties etc which meant I considered other bidders.

Dolbhad · 21-04-2019 9:48am

The only thing about the online bids on auctioneera was the countdown. I just found no one placed bids until the last few hours so not sure if that help seller or not as weeks of nothing happening.

I’m trying to buy a house so yes I find auctioneers can be difficult to deal with. But they don’t work for me. They work for the seller. I found some auctioneers great to deal with and some not. But if you get a good one I think their worth the money (from a sellers point of view).

I do find an issue at the moment with sellers generally where house can be on market for months and won’t reduce price as it’s overvalued. I think auctioneers should let sellers know it be be overpriced but generally sellers don’t budge. I’ve been under bidders in property and auctioneer has let me know when a similar price house is coming up. I’ve had auctioneers ask us about our circumstances and look for proof of funds to make sure our bids are genuine. I didn’t get this with a solely online place and as a seller that’s what I’d want. To have the time wasters weeded out and have an auctioneer with a list of potential purchasers at the ready to buy and quickly.

Also had a friend buy a house in a probate sale. The children didn’t get on and one of them appointed a solicitor old school who was very difficult to deal with. Just refused to give the necessary paperwork and sure all the kids couldn’t agree. Her solicitor at the end when she got keys said the only reason it got through was the auctioneer. In the end when her solicitor neeed something, she want to the auctioneer who manage to keep his clients in line and agree - something the solicitor had no interest in doing. Auctioneer didnt just go my job is done as I’ve found the purchasers. So you get good auctioneers and bad. However like most things you pay for what you get.

recedite · 21-04-2019 9:50am

Dav010 wrote: »

Out of interest, is there anything to stop someone who isn’t actually interested putting a bid in, and the bid showing online, therefore pushing the price up?

I’ve always thought one of the benefits of an EA is that through experience, they are often able to assess the buyer. EAs have told me at various times that a buyer is a messer/is struggling to sell their own property/ has bids on multiple properties etc which meant I considered other bidders.

I can't say for sure, but AFAIK bids could be filtered in the usual way by the EA. Its not an online auction as such, open to random anonymous internet users. The EA would have already met the bidder at a viewing of the property.

21-04-2019 10:18am

recedite wrote: »

I can't say for sure, but AFAIK bids could be filtered in the usual way by the EA. Its not an online auction as such, open to random anonymous internet users. The EA would have already met the bidder at a viewing of the property.

But in terms of transparency, is it actually anymore transparent? Isn’t it just a way of publishing bids rather than a check on their authenticity?

Estate agents

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