The Masked Tulip Posted September 27, 2010 Share Posted September 27, 2010 AN ESTATE agent told a west Cumbrian family it would no longer sell their home unless they dropped the price – then sent them a bill for nearly £500.Shaun and Katrina Ritchie, of Derwent Bank, in Seaton, Workington, are furious. They say they are being asked to pay for a service they have not had and are now threatening to take the case to the national watchdog. The couple put their three-bedroomed semi on the market with the Cumberland Estate Agency for £155,000 in 2008. They have since dropped the price to £145,000. Earlier this month the Cumberland recommended they cut it again to between £135,000 and £139,950. When they refused, the firm said it would no longer market the property. The estate agent then sent an invoice for £360 for preparation of a home information pack (HIP) plus a £117.50 administration fee. Mr Ritchie, 41, a railwayman, said: “We always knew we had to pay for the HIP but only when the house was sold. They’re asking me to pay for a service I haven’t had. Full story: http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/cumbrian-estate-agent-sends-bill-to-family-after-they-refuse-to-drop-house-price-1.762426?referrerPath=home Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timm Posted September 27, 2010 Share Posted September 27, 2010 That's the way you do it. Nick Elgey, managing director of the Cumberland Estate Agency, has promised to investigate. He said: “We are constantly reviewing stock. We have some that has been on the market for more than two years. “We are trying to work with sellers to make sure they are in tune with the market place. We regularly review prices to see if there is a better chance of a sale and we have been parting company with some stock. “People have the opportunity to go to other estate agents if they are not in agreement with what we believe is an appropriate price. The market is a buyers’ market and is extremely price sensitive.” Official figures from the Land Registry show that house prices in Cumbria have fallen by 9.7 per cent since the market peaked in May 2008. Mr Elgey says there has been an influx of properties onto the market since HIPs were abolished in May. This, coupled, with uncertainty about government spending cuts, is also depressing the market. He added: “We are in for a challenging autumn. People don’t know yet what the impact of the austerity measures and spending cuts is going to do them. That is having a numbing effect. “What you can say is that any property will sell in any market – at the right price.” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wealthy Posted September 27, 2010 Share Posted September 27, 2010 props to the Cumberland Estate Agency Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Monk Posted September 27, 2010 Share Posted September 27, 2010 They know, you know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Masked Tulip Posted September 27, 2010 Author Share Posted September 27, 2010 They know, you know I think they are watching me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wealthy Posted September 27, 2010 Share Posted September 27, 2010 http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-12619620.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_w_ Posted September 27, 2010 Share Posted September 27, 2010 Mr Ritchie, 41, a railwayman, said: “We always knew we had to pay for the HIP but only when the house was sold. Ooohh! Now we learn that estate agents were not passing on HIP costs until completion!!! What a predicament! I wonder how many other estate agents tried to give unreasonable sellers a free ride this way and how long it went on for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest_James Toney_* Posted September 27, 2010 Share Posted September 27, 2010 (edited) I know Cumbria well, and they are coming down there, although i do not know this area well, but i would think it is only worth 75k good news all the same though, good find MT Edited September 27, 2010 by James Toney Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Ayatollah Buggeri Posted September 27, 2010 Share Posted September 27, 2010 If the ombudsman sides with the seller on this one, then I guess the result will be that EAs start to charge their fees up front, or at least insert clauses into contracts giving them the right to do so if a seller rejects their advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest_James Toney_* Posted September 27, 2010 Share Posted September 27, 2010 If the ombudsman sides with the seller on this one, then I guess the result will be that EAs start to charge their fees up front, or at least insert clauses into contracts giving them the right to do so if a seller rejects their advice. yes this will be great news if the estate agen charged if the seller rejects their advice,, maybe it could be a start for EA to start pricing sensible Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonriver Posted September 27, 2010 Share Posted September 27, 2010 Interesting article MT. Estate agents will just have to become tougher with these sellers who are asking too much for their properties, if they hope to carry on making a living out of selling property. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Monk Posted September 27, 2010 Share Posted September 27, 2010 If an estate agent sent me this bill, I would simply send it back to him, after having used it to deal with that day's excrement, of course! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Masked Tulip Posted September 27, 2010 Author Share Posted September 27, 2010 Interesting article MT. Estate agents will just have to become tougher with these sellers who are asking too much for their properties, if they hope to carry on making a living out of selling property. I suspect a problem that a large number of EAs will have is that they have simply, sometimes ludicrously, over-valued property in order to appeal to the vanity and greed of sellers to get the property on their books in the first place. How they go about going back to those sellers and getting them to drop the asking price by anything, let alone by a substantial amount, is an interesting dilemma for them. I suspect however that many EAs are still in denial about the housing market. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Monk Posted September 27, 2010 Share Posted September 27, 2010 When I come to power, I am going to abolish estate agents and make it the Law that all houses have to be sold on eBay without reserve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Masked Tulip Posted September 27, 2010 Author Share Posted September 27, 2010 When I come to power, I am going to abolish estate agents and make it the Law that all houses have to be sold on eBay without reserve. Actually, anyone check house sales on ebay lately? How is that doing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pent Up Posted September 27, 2010 Share Posted September 27, 2010 When I come to power, I am going to abolish estate agents and make it the Law that all houses have to be sold on eBay without reserve. Can you ban mortgages too please? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim123 Posted September 27, 2010 Share Posted September 27, 2010 Full story: http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/cumbrian-estate-agent-sends-bill-to-family-after-they-refuse-to-drop-house-price-1.762426?referrerPath=home Almost certainly the contract said something like, on completion or after 6 months whichever is the sooner. No EA's will have contract that pay for the HIP for houses that don't sell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim123 Posted September 27, 2010 Share Posted September 27, 2010 http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-12619620.html Is it extra for the carpet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giordano Bruno Posted September 27, 2010 Share Posted September 27, 2010 When I come to power, I am going to abolish estate agents and make it the Law that all houses have to be sold on eBay without reserve.I wonder if that will be before or after I come to power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happy_renting Posted September 27, 2010 Share Posted September 27, 2010 (edited) It all boils down to the contract between the EA and the would-be seller. I bet it is crystal clear in the contract, when and if the seller should pay for the HIP. Edit: One thought though, I wonder what obligation the contract places on the EA to actively market the property. Edited September 27, 2010 by happy_renting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lulu Posted September 27, 2010 Share Posted September 27, 2010 I know Cumbria well, and they are coming down there, although i do not know this area well, but i would think it is only worth 75k good news all the same though, good find MT I know Cumbria too and yes something around 75K for Seaton is probably being overly generous. There are alot of very nice properties in the area that command a premium - this does not look like it is one of them.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diver Dan Posted September 27, 2010 Share Posted September 27, 2010 I notice in the article that the hapless vendors claim to have spent £4000 on kitchen equipment. From the look of the picture on Rightmove, I'm struggling to see where all the money went. Besides, "equipment" sounds like things that put in to make the place look nice and then taken away when the family move out. From the picture, they must have put all the expensive "equipment" inside those poor quality looking cupboards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayo Posted September 27, 2010 Share Posted September 27, 2010 It all boils down to the contract between the EA and the would-be seller. I bet it is crystal clear in the contract, when and if the seller should pay for the HIP. Edit: One thought though, I wonder what obligation the contract places on the EA to actively market the property. The agent values the house before taking it on, so it is up to them to decide if it will fly. If they think the owner is being unrealistic, they should invite them to find someone else prepared to put it on the market. Having put it on the market, only for it not to sell, and then blaming the seller is sour grapes. Hopefully they won't have a leg to stand on, but agents are usually teflon coated... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monks Posted September 28, 2010 Share Posted September 28, 2010 Actually, anyone check house sales on ebay lately? How is that doing? How does the postage work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahBell Posted September 28, 2010 Share Posted September 28, 2010 Furious? That'll be the anger then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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