******* **** Bastard **** Wankers!!!
Thats better!
they’re not all bad and it’s more likely they’ve just had to pass on a message from another party.
Not in this case! Every property I have looked at and made an offer on has mysteriously had a similar offer and then has ended up with a ‘best offer’ situation. Money grabbing devious misleading ****.
In that situation you should simply re-state your offer, being clear about all of the details such as anticipated completion dates etc. Make it clear you want to continue to view properties.
If these mysterious offers are not real they will come back to you fairly quickly. If they do not come back within a few days then there probably is another offer, in which case you could always try increasing yours if you want.
Everone is expecting house prices to fall and so vendors will be in a panic and will not be keen to risk turning down genuine offers.
Don’t be dominated by the monkey on your back - focus on the monkey on the other guy’s back. `
I think your initial evaluation of the profession was spot on!
Make no mistake, I’m not falling for their ****. But I have to say it would seem that there is more interest in property lately, when ever I’ve been sittin in an office their phones dont stop and its increasingly difficult to get viewing times.
My personal experience of estate agents have all been bad, bud knowing theres prob one or two around here i wouldnt tar them all with the same brush…
Believe me, every estate agent wants to get wrap up the deal before one of their colleagues and wont purposely jeopardise a deal. If you’re looking around the £250k mark or below, competition is the most fierce and it’s probably just the vendors getting greedy.
When I was an estate agent, I always looked after my buyers that were serious. I only knew they were serious if they were open and told me if they had a mortgage, who with, how much deposit, what solicitor your using, the most you’ll pay, why that area, where else your looking, what you’ll compromise on and what you wont, ALL their contact info, current situation etc etc. The more questions an estate agent asks you the better. Too many buyers are too defensive and don’t want to tell the agents anything - that makes it difficult to take them as serious buyers and to even know what they’re looking for.
Do your estate agents really know you are a serious buyer?
anyway, going by the current worldwide instability, i think your absolutely crazy to be buying property at the moment unless you really know what your doing ( of course, estate agents would probably tell you otherwise)
Oh so you used to be one of them…
I know what your saying tho… And yes I have told them everything they need to know. I’m just finding the whole process very exhausting. And I can only really say one of the 5 estate agents I have been in contact with seems genuine, there is a lot of fake ‘wanna be your friend’ ******, especially when its so insincere.
And given my situation I really do need to find somewhere to live!
They are all 2 faced, slimey b@stards.
I’ve had quite a few dealings with estate agents and every time I shook their hand I felt the compulsion to count my fingers and check my wallet;)
Yes, I have worked as an estate agent and until very recently I was managing an estate agents.
Admittedly they’re not all good but none will want to lose a deal. Basic salaries tend to be very low so they’ll need the commission! Try and ring them once a week and ask if there’s anything new on or anything new they think might be coming on in the very near future. If they think something might be coming on, ask if they can get you in for a one off viewing before it hits the market. The vendors NEVER says no unless there’s a very good reason. If you think you’re not being looked after, speak to the branch manager and explain that you are a serious buyer and ask to be looked after by the most proactive negotiator in the office.
As for being insincere and wanting to be frineds - that’s a game you’ll need to play too! You want to be their favourite buyer and get the 1st call on new properties 
Try and remember the name of the person you’re registered with at each agency and unless they’re crap, always speak to them directly or the manager, internal competition is rife and it’s not unknown for colleagues to be a bit slippery.What area are you looking in?
Estate Agents have a bad rep generally . . . I should know, I was one for 20 years . . . and it’s ohh so easy to jump on the bandwagon to slag them off but, for the sake of playing Devils Advocate, lets look at what you’re saying . . . “Every property I have looked at and made an offer on” . . . offer is the key word here . . . so presumably you’re looking to get the best deal for yourself, where you save money. The agent has a duty to his client to achieve the best possible price . . . you are NOT the agents client, unless you want to pay his or her fee.
If it was you that was selling or letting a property, wouldn’t you want the person you employ to act for you to do their best for you financially?
You wanting money off is no better or worse than the agent wanting to achieve the best for their client.
Yeah your right, but you have to admit that prices in central london are a joke, and I think that offering 238k for a 1 bed flat in rotherhithe is more than fair considering that the client will make **** loads on the property if they have been occupants for more than 5 years. All I’m after is a fair price and no ********.
London prices are horrendous! Unfortunately people pay them and they keep on rising.
Try not to think about how much the current owner is making, it really is irrelevant. That could be your position in a few years time. Think more along the lines of how much it’s worth to you and if you really want it, offer the asking price with the condition that all other viewings are cancelled and will remain so if you’re survey is booked within 2 weeks. It’s only at that point will you have made any financial comittment. This is especially important if the property is on with more than one agent. make sure your agent has collected any keys from other agents.
My experience is that you can tell when they are lying…their lips move 
As the others said, they work for the seller not the buyer so you have to kind of expect it. Alternatively start building a property portfolio and after buying several properties off plan and older houses from the same agent, then they start wagging their tails like good little doggies and showing you the ‘under the counter’ stuff.
It is the only way to get to the top of their buyers rolodex…
It is a dog eat dog world and with a low basic wage and commission based on a percentage of the final sale price - the incentive for them is to get best price for themselves and correspondingly the vendor.
Salespeople eh!!! Oh wait a minute, I am one (kinda) 
So when would you say is the best time to buy a house? Wait until next year, this summer?
Nice advice from SheWoolf and the rest, will have to remember it when I hit the market looking for a place.
I had a look and applied to see what deal I get, for £200k house with a 10% deposit so that’s £180k left I would pay back about £456k that’s paying £2.56 for every £1 I borrow. How great is that?
Best time to sell a house will be after April when Tesco launch their online estate agency for a flat fee of £299:w00t:
Chunks, they’ll only be advertising it! The vendors will have to vet all the potential viewers themselves, do all the viewings themselves and then after the hassle of agreeing an offer they’ll have to worry about the mortgage offer, lenders being satisfied, and all the wonders the conveyancing procedures have to offer. For somebody untrained - it’s gonna be a nightmare :w00t:
As for the best time to buy a property - people need to stop looking at the short term and remember property is really a long term investment.