juvenal Posted June 30, 2010 Share Posted June 30, 2010 (edited) You should have played him more. Got his hopes up. And then expressed concerns about the dark scary areas. '..concerns about the dark scary areas. But the clincher to reject it - is the number of the flat! '18'. Three 6's! Mark of the Beast! Edited June 30, 2010 by juvenal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bug16 Posted June 30, 2010 Share Posted June 30, 2010 I don't think the OP did anything wrong. The problem really seems to be that in some areas certain properties are not shifting as quickly as they used to. This means that the EA has to do more than just turn up. When I was house hunting there were two EA's in particular who were quite rude. I saw a house on Rightmove and thought it was worth viewing so I arranged a viewing. Ten minutes later I realised that the house had a joint garden/parking area at the rear which was something I didn't want. So I called the EA up to cancel the viewing (thus saving them time with a pointless viewing). I was then on the receiving end of a furious EA who called me pretty much every name he could think of and after shouting "FCKING TIME WASTER!" down the 'phone at me slammed the 'phone down. Yes, I should've gone in to have words with him but I thought "What's the point?" and didn't bother. The other EA kept wanting me to view properties I didn't like from the photos or specifications they sent me and kept pointing out that if I wasn't viewing properties they were suggesting for me they'd no longer deal with me. So, as I was out in the areas where the houses were anyway I thought I may as well spend 30 minutes nosing around somebody elses house. Everytime the EA called me back for my thoughts I'd reiterate what I told them before I'd seen the house (it's too small, you're practically living in a car park, there's no garden, the estate will never be adopted, etc) and they'd then tell me that I was expecting too much and I should lower my expectations. One day she just cut me off as I was politely saying why I didn't like the house. Needless to say some months later I did get the house with the specification I was after in the area I wanted through a different EA who wasn't pushy, was happy for me to be selective and would only inform me when the right properties were turning up, they were a small family firm. I tended to find that the larger chain EA's were the worst attitude wise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy_K Posted June 30, 2010 Share Posted June 30, 2010 Now, what's that saying? The measure of a man is how he treats those who can do nothing for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCountOfNowhere Posted June 30, 2010 Share Posted June 30, 2010 Been in this situation myself...got to a house, phone mast in the back garden, a bit one with several dishes !!! I told him the advert was misleading and I wasnt interested. He tried to encourange me to view. I thanked him for him time and left. He seemed okay with it. At the end of the day if you went into a shop to buy something and someone was rude to them you'd walk out and not buy from them. If the agents refuse to let you view in the future you simply put a not through the door of the house you want to view, tell them what is going on and ask to view directly. Why more people dont do that I dont know. The agents tell everyone who wants to sell, we could all in theory put them out of business in a couple of months by going direct. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selling up Posted June 30, 2010 Share Posted June 30, 2010 I think the agent's attitude is crazy. You don't want that house. Fine, that means you are a buyer looking for a different house. In today's market that makes you gold dust. He cannot afford the luxury of trying to make you feel bad just to soothe his ego. If you did write to his boss I think he'd probably get quite a reprimand. Not pissing off buyers is quite a fundamental principle of selling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiger Woods? Posted June 30, 2010 Share Posted June 30, 2010 You were trying to save the guy some time, and he responded by being a rude c***. It isn't unreasonable to expect street lighting, so why would you have bothered to check beforehand? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiger Woods? Posted June 30, 2010 Share Posted June 30, 2010 However, rather than get all arsey with you, the correct approach would have been "OK, maybe there is something else we can do for you". An expert salesperson would have tried to turn any possible guilt you have had about wasting their time into some sort of future sale. How can you possibly say that? All real estate agents are highly skilled professionals. His sales technique was therefore clearly perfect for the situation. I shouldn't stop taking my pills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timm Posted June 30, 2010 Share Posted June 30, 2010 The EA is probably in fear for his job. He is desperate, panicking and not thinking rationally. This is not your fault. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rozza Posted June 30, 2010 Share Posted June 30, 2010 The EA is probably in fear for his job. He is desperate, panicking and not thinking rationally. The EA is probably worried he will end up living in a craphole with a phone mast in the garden on a road with no streetlights Who wouldnt want to live there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lurker07 Posted June 30, 2010 Share Posted June 30, 2010 I would have asked to see his Estate Agent's licence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCountOfNowhere Posted June 30, 2010 Share Posted June 30, 2010 (edited) The EA is probably in fear for his job. He is desperate, panicking and not thinking rationally. This is not your fault. Maybe he was just a knob.( in a cheap suit ) Edited June 30, 2010 by TheCountOfNowhere Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mal Volio Posted June 30, 2010 Share Posted June 30, 2010 The other EA kept wanting me to view properties I didn't like from the photos or specifications they sent me and kept pointing out that if I wasn't viewing properties they were suggesting for me they'd no longer deal with me. So, as I was out in the areas where the houses were anyway I thought I may as well spend 30 minutes nosing around somebody elses house. Everytime the EA called me back for my thoughts I'd reiterate what I told them before I'd seen the house (it's too small, you're practically living in a car park, there's no garden, the estate will never be adopted, etc) and they'd then tell me that I was expecting too much and I should lower my expectations. One day she just cut me off as I was politely saying why I didn't like the house. exactly my experience back in 1994 (when they were selling very little) with an obnoxious EA in Didcot. Last year I put an offer in with an EA in Ledbury, and the guy was in-your-face rude. Not just dismissive, but really rude. It was a decent opening offer too, and I'd have been prepared to go up a bit but just left it because of his attitude. A year later, the house is still for sale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazquin Posted June 30, 2010 Share Posted June 30, 2010 Quote : Don't be surprised if someone much more polite gets to see the best properties which come on first. Reply : Are you really naive enough to think thats how it works, the person who gets to see the best properties is the person who happens to spot the best properties on rightmove and phones the agent first, they have a standard list and they email everyone on their books about them. Its sales and its money, not saying you need to be horrible to them but if they think they can get commission out of you they will, whether you are a **** about it or not is ultimately irrelevant. As someone who has been involved in property for many years I can assure you that unless the market is flat which is certainly not the case now judging by purely personal experience on our sites, that agents will, when they get a good property on for sale or rent tend to ring people they like and consider good buyers / tenants to give them 1st choice and to speed the sales / letting process. In spite of the opinion of some people on here, people who deal in property are just human beings with the same emotions and flaws and feelings as everyone else. Given a choice of selling or letting to a person they like or one they dont like they will obviously recommend their client to accept an offer, all things being equal, from the person they like and have a better working relationship with. Part of the judgement as to who is a "good" prospect is based on how easy they will be to deal with and who they get on with in an easy way with mutual respect and understanding, rather than someone who is rude and unpleasant. There are certainly people who have visited my sites who would be willing buyers who we have deemed to be too much hard work to deal with. In such cases we would just prefer to find a better and less obstuctive / difficult buyer. I rememeber my 1st week as an estate agent before I became a developer when a particualary rude guy met one of the sales girls on an appointemt and was exceedinly rude for no good reason, saying he hated all estate agents - usual stuff. The owner of the company rang and politely asked if the gentleman would come in so that they could discuss how to move forward. When the guy came in the owner of the firm said he would not tolerate his staff being spoken to that way and that he would no longer be offered any viewings on any property. All agents and developers share lists of people who they consider to be timewasters or just ignorant and we avoid them like the proverbial. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCountOfNowhere Posted June 30, 2010 Share Posted June 30, 2010 exactly my experience back in 1994 (when they were selling very little) with an obnoxious EA in Didcot. Last year I put an offer in with an EA in Ledbury, and the guy was in-your-face rude. Not just dismissive, but really rude. It was a decent opening offer too, and I'd have been prepared to go up a bit but just left it because of his attitude. A year later, the house is still for sale. Go offer less Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cicero Posted June 30, 2010 Share Posted June 30, 2010 Were you out of order? No. Was the Estate Agent out of order for treating you with utter contempt? Yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustYield Posted June 30, 2010 Share Posted June 30, 2010 My Gf says I should have just been polite and went inside to view and then said we needed time to think before politely declining. Was I out of order? Yes. There's a fine line between being nobody's fool and being a complete tool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rozza Posted June 30, 2010 Share Posted June 30, 2010 All agents and developers share lists of people who they consider to be timewasters or just ignorant and we avoid them like the proverbial. So just to be clear, regardless of what i think of the rest of your post, u are saying someone calls you, gives you their name and number and is then an ass about stuff. so you then break just about every single part of the data protection act and hand it out to other random businesses. hmmm.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairies Wear Boots Posted June 30, 2010 Share Posted June 30, 2010 What an idiot of an Estate Agent. He wanted to show you around to waste another 20 minutes of his time on something you have already decided you wouldn't buy. And even if that did make him unhappy, he should have licked your ass, told you not to worry, then gone back to his colleagues and slagged you off to them. They don't have to show you any more properties though do they? I mean, if they consider you a serial time waster, they can stop agreeing to take you for viewings. Even if you reported them to vendors, vendors will be glad that estate agents didn't show skirting board kickers around. Especially HPCers that are going to make "insulting offers"! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darwin Posted June 30, 2010 Share Posted June 30, 2010 Classic narcissistic estate agent behaviour. Who gives a toss what they think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mal Volio Posted June 30, 2010 Share Posted June 30, 2010 So just to be clear, regardless of what i think of the rest of your post, u are saying someone calls you, gives you their name and number and is then an ass about stuff. so you then break just about every single part of the data protection act and hand it out to other random businesses. hmmm.. This worried me also. bazquin, are you in all seriousness suggesting that EAs share info on people who contact them ? It looks to be a system open to abuse: one EA could effectively blacklist someone based on their own prejudices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noodle doodle Posted June 30, 2010 Share Posted June 30, 2010 This worried me also. bazquin, are you in all seriousness suggesting that EAs share info on people who contact them ? It looks to be a system open to abuse: one EA could effectively blacklist someone based on their own prejudices. those barwatch systems that operate up and down the country seem to wpork on the same principle and the police encourage them "sorry mate, you're barred from my pub - and i'm passing on your mugshot n details to all the other chavpits" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustYield Posted June 30, 2010 Share Posted June 30, 2010 What an idiot of an Estate Agent. He wanted to show you around to waste another 20 minutes of his time on something you have already decided you wouldn't buy. And even if that did make him unhappy, he should have licked your ass, told you not to worry, then gone back to his colleagues and slagged you off to them. They don't have to show you any more properties though do they? I mean, if they consider you a serial time waster, they can stop agreeing to take you for viewings. Even if you reported them to vendors, vendors will be glad that estate agents didn't show skirting board kickers around. Especially HPCers that are going to make "insulting offers"! Based on the OP, the guy basically went in saying "Wotcha ****, this is a waste of time, there's no street lights". This was: a) needlessly antagonistic beyond the agent's control c) public knowledge d) nothing to do with the actual property being viewed. But hey, this is HPC, where all EA's are the devil incarnate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rozza Posted June 30, 2010 Share Posted June 30, 2010 those barwatch systems that operate up and down the country seem to wpork on the same principle and the police encourage them "sorry mate, you're barred from my pub - and i'm passing on your mugshot n details to all the other chavpits" Sort of agree, apart from barwatch etc are tied up with the police and data protection. EA's are breaking a lot of laws if they are doing this. Also the part about which buyer is good is frankly rubbish, if i have 500k burning a hole in my pocket and wanna be asshole, then i will be (i dont and im not) and if the EA doesnt like it then another one will. Simple Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jadoube Posted June 30, 2010 Share Posted June 30, 2010 My Gf says I should have just been polite and went inside to view and then said we needed time to think before politely declining. Was I out of order? No, nothing wrong in your decision, no point in wasting time if you already know your answer. OTOH, does his (and your GF's) reaction suggest they may have felt you might have been slightly impolite in the way you went about it? In my experience people we get on with are generally easier to do deals with - and they are more likely to come back and offer more deals. So, for example, 'sorry I know I'm not going to take this one so it wouldn't be fair to waste more of your time' costs nothing and would be seen as decisive and polite. Failure to acknowledge he'd spent time coming out might be construed as slightly impolite. (Either way you can vent your feelings by slagging him off on an internet forum afterwards ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the-wife's-knickers Posted June 30, 2010 Author Share Posted June 30, 2010 No, nothing wrong in your decision, no point in wasting time if you already know your answer. OTOH, does his (and your GF's) reaction suggest they may have felt you might have been slightly impolite in the way you went about it? In my experience people we get on with are generally easier to do deals with - and they are more likely to come back and offer more deals. So, for example, 'sorry I know I'm not going to take this one so it wouldn't be fair to waste more of your time' costs nothing and would be seen as decisive and polite. Failure to acknowledge he'd spent time coming out might be construed as slightly impolite. (Either way you can vent your feelings by slagging him off on an internet forum afterwards ) I dont think I had much of a chance to be polite or otherwise. His cheery smile wiped from his face after my first sentence and he then accused me of wasting his time. I should have added there was a fair amount of huffing and puffing and pulled faces on his part. I have been in many confrontations in my life and dont really think this was one of them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.