Do I Need An Estate Agent To Sell My Home
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how can i get an estate agent to sell my house quicker ?
My house has been on the market for about 6 weeks , how can iget it to sell quicker , without selling it for nothing , we are emigrating so i need to get as much as possible for it but it seems not to be selling we have had 5 viewings but they are not in a position to proceed until they sell their homes,i am torturing the estate agent but they just say well we v sent it out , i know they cant pull people in off the streets just wanted any extra ideas , have declutterd redecorated in neutral style scrubbed until have no fingers left and does anyone recomend using a couple of estate agents..or indeed doing it them selves..?
sure wondering star its in an area called eaglescliffe and is already competitively priced for a 4 bed 164 995 as there are many in the same postcode andin the next street for upto 100k + our si slightly smaller in dimensions but i mean only a foot or two.not sure what else ot add without adding the link ...lol
put up for aution with a reserve on it there r 4 or 5 a week good luckEstate agent have sold a property to somebody else now - do i have a case against them??
I require a bit of advice about an estate agent and whether I have a case against them. This is my story:-
I made an enquiry with an estate agent about an “affordable home”. I was required to provide a £250 deposit in order to reserve this property. On 5th June 2007 I attended at the estate agents to find out more about the property. I had the £250 deposit cheque that I had been told to bring with me. I was very keen to purchase this property but the estate agent told me that they could not take the deposit cheque until they had proof we could fund the purchase. They therefore made me an appointment to see their mortgage advisor the following week. When I attended to see their mortgage advisor she confirmed to me I could obtain a mortgage for this property but that she could not take matters any further that day because something had come up a section 106 agreement on the property and she needed to find out more before she could proceed to arrange a mortgage. Whilst I was with her she told the estate agents not to take anyone else’s deposit for this property until she had clarified the position. She said as soon as she heard from the local authority or the developer she would get back to me in order that I could proceed with the purchase. She then telephoned me on Friday last week to say she still hadn’t heard anything about the s106 agreement and that she was due to be receiving an email and as soon as she received it she would be in touch. I said I was still very keen to proceed.
However, on Monday this week I was looking on the estate agents website just out of interest and I noticed that the property I had enquired about was now sold subject to contract. I immediately contacted the estate agents and they confirmed that they had sold this property to somebody else. I explained the situation and how I had spoken to their mortgage advisor on Friday who said she was waiting to hear back still. They said to me that this person who is purchasing the property did not need a mortgage and the s106 agreement did not affect them. I have contacted the estate agents and they apologised to me and said that this has occurred because of a breakdown of communication between their company. I am very concerned and upset that they have now sold this property to somebody else. As far as I was concerned as soon as their mortgage advisor had received the information I would have been able to proceed. I was able to give the £250 deposit over two weeks ago but because of the difficulties that had arisen in relation to the s106 agreement I was told to hang on to it until the position was clearer
I do not believe that I should miss out on the opportunity to purchase this property because of a lack of communication on their part. I am very keen to purchase this property and I would like to know whether there is anything that I can do or say to them so that I can proceed with the purchase. I do not believe I should lose out...Section 106 agreements are established by the planning departments of the local authority. I would call the local authority and enquire regarding the specific property you were trying to purchase. The purpose of these agreements is to ensure that there are a proportion 'affordable' homes built in new developments. If you were advised by the estate agent's mortgage adviser to get approval for a mortgage first before having your offer accepted and then the estate agent sells the property to a cash buyer - I suggest that there may have been a contravention of the s106 agreement. You need to find out exactly what the local authority agreement stipulated. If there is a dispute the same local authority's trading standards department may be able to advise you on what the next step should be.Any advice on a real estate agent starter?
I work at a real estate company and what I do is help clients get in contact with buyers agents so that they can be helped thru out the whole process of their home search. The reason whey I got this job was because I want to become a real estate agent in a about 6 months and I thought working for this company would school me on real estate I recently had a baby so this is motivating me more than ever! I know you have to put in tons and tons of hours and im willing to do that in order to give everything that my son needs and I also want to help people with the great commitment to buying or selling their home! But I want to know if its hard at the beginning like how do you have money come in while you don’t have an income every 2 weeks should I start as part time? Give me any advice you have also any good motivating good books to read! One of my co-workers told me I should do something else because I need to have a really nice car and a lot of money to hold me until I have my first commission check is this true> and around how much money should I save?
do you make even a little money working at this RE firm? Eventually, once you get a RE license, you'll make as much money as you put in the effort, but that's a few years down the road. Your on-the-job-education/training will give you experience, but unless you have other income to tide you over, it will be tough to put in hours for free. I would not be listening to any co-worker, they know you will be competition down the road. If you are set on your goals, don't let anyone stop you, or discourage your choice. Take a community college RE course, if you can--it's not necessary to do so, but educating yourself in RE laws, practices, etc., in your area/state will help you. Save as much $ as you can, but not at the expense of your little one, they come first (but you already knew that). And finally, ask around and learn about lease/options--so few realtors like this L/O method, but it's a good way to sell houses in a down market. If an agent will explain this method to you, they will be one to learn from. Anyway, good luck!A QUESTION RE BANKRUPTCY AND OUR CURRENT HOME WHICH IS STILL ON THE MARKET.?
I wonder if someone can give me a bit of advice please? Me and my hubby are definitely going bankrupt and have already found a private let house to move into soon. Thing is, we still have our current house and we have tried to sell on the market for about 10 months with the current estate agent, and to be honest, they have hardly done anything to sell our home. We have had 4 viewings and 2 were private investors, and they offered us about 80% of the price we were asking. I swear that all the people have been red herrings, as they each came just a few days after each time we complained about getting no viewings, and the 2 private investors fully admitted that they have bought about 40 or 50 properties via that estate agent. So I reckon they put them up to it: feigning interest.
One viewer (not a private investor) came around, made no eye contact with me, spent no more than 3 minutes in the house, asked absolutely NOTHING about the house, and then said to the estate agent (supposedly,) that he 'didn't like the position' of the property. Hello! He KNEW the position before he viewed. So I smelt a rat there and I wonder if ANY of the viewings were actually genuinely interested parties...
They boast that they have sent our details to 500 different 'interested parties' in the past 10 months, but 460 of them were by email, and they sent our home details along with some another 100-150 odd homes. They have hardly pushed our house at all and have only put it in the front window 3 times for about 2 days at a time, in the ten months, and that was when we asked them to, and it goes in the local paper once every 6 weeks with 200 other homes.
Upshot is, we do NOT want to pay them the £350 cancellation fee, as I really feel they have done nothing to earn it and so when we go bankrupt, will this fee be automatically dissolved? Or will we need to say we are pulling the house off the market with them, so we can get a bill? What I am trying to say is: will we need a 'bill' from them for £350 so it can be bankrupted along with our other debts? Or shall we tell the receiver about the impending bill, and he can write to them telling them we are bankrupt and they won't get their money? They so do not deserve it, and what's more, we cannot afford £350. We are so skint that it's not funny, and we will be bankrupt of course.
Another thing we thought, is if we go bankrupt, and the house is repossessed (which it will be,) we won't actually be cancelling the agreement, (by taking it off the market with them...) So maybe we can get round paying the £350 because we have not taken it off the market with them. I am sure we only have to pay if we do.. I don't know if there is anything in the smallprint though that says we still have to pay if we get repossessed. I guess I better check. But I think that absolutely every bit of everything owing is dissolved when you file for bankruptcy. Can anyone advise please?
Just wanted to answer to CEI: If we had been offered the...I don't think you should have to pay if they have not sold the house for you! 4 viewers - (obviously all fake;) in nearly a year, is a disgrace. They don't deserve a penny. Ask citizens advice and see what they say. OR If it were me I would ring them and say that you want to pull it off the market and if they DO insist in a fee, then tell them to send you a bill and give it to the receivers: they will bankrupt that bill too.
I also don't understand what the person above is on about re: bankruptcy. It wipes EVERYTHING out and you don't end up 'still having to pay the money...' Although, if they see you have surplus income (which it sounds like you don't) you can be asked to pay a small token amount to each creditor for the year that you are in the bankruptcy, that is rare though ...
You are completely freed of it after a year, so I do not know what people are going on about. maybe they are thinking of an IVA.
Finally, I understand about the 80% thing and why you didn't take it.... To the above two people who said she should've taken it: ALL it would have done is got rid of the house, and paid off the mortgage (as she said in the additional details.) All the debt would have still been there. So bankruptcy is the only option.
Apart from that, she isn't asking for opinions on this: just the 'fees for estate agent' thing, so why even go on about that?What "Certificates" do I require for the new "Home information Packs" Starting in June?
I am thinking of selling my house in the near future, I want to know what documentation/certificates I will need so that I can assemble an "Information Package" that I can hand over to the Estate Agent when I put the property on the market, thus save some time and money.
The only info which you can reasonably provide would be guarantees on things like double glazing and records of boiler maintenance.As the previous answerer has said, most of the stuff in the pack is technical.
I am in a HIP trial area and I have to tell you that no one has yet asked to see my HIP - not even the guy who is buying my property - solicitors prefer I thyink to do their own searches in order to protect their clients.What would you do in my situation?
I am buying a new house. I have saved the deposit for the mortgage and the offer was placed on the property on the 29th of August of this year. Since then, there has been a heap of complications. Firstly, the estate agents were being irrational about selling home insurance which went on for months. Second, the vendors were slow about replacing a lock on the property that prevented access to the garage for me to see. In November, I recieved a letter from my solicitor stating that the power of attorney had only just been registered and could take up to 11 weeks to register, so I had to extend my mortgage offer to the 21st.
I was willing to wait, but there have been complications in the meantime. I live with my Parents at the moment and we haven't been getting along all that great. My Mom keeps picking arguments with me and siding my Family off against me and using the "if you don't like it" get out card when she knows I can't. I have been feeling really down and out about everything and I just can't take all this. I really need advice.
I can't just move out and get a contract on a place, knowing I may potentially be moving into a new property in January. Thoughts?
Have you tried talking to your mom about this and asking her what's going on? She may be sad that you're moving out, and having trouble dealing with it. it would be bad enough that you're going, but since the process has been dragging on, the dread of you going has probably been eating at her and maybe she just wants to get it over with already. Maybe if you two could spend some time having a quiet talk, it would help. As far as getting another place, there are places that rent by the month, or maybe there's a friend you can move in with for the time being?No Communication From Executor?
A year ago my wife's uncle died. The deceased gentleman who was a widower had on many occasions advised my wife and her brothers that they were included in his will. One of her brothers has seen a will which I understand left all in equal shares between my wife her brothers and two of their cousins, a brother and sister one of whom is the executor.
There was concern in this side of the family when the gentleman entered a nursing home and his house was sold without my wife or brothers being advised even though they all used to visit him regularly and help with his house work. The executor had arranged the nursing home and moved the gentleman a hundred miles away. The first my wife and her brothers knew of this was when they drove up to see an estate agent's sold sign in the garden.
Following this it is really no surprise to find that one year later my wife and her brothers have not been contacted by the executor in connection with their entitlement under the will. It seems impossible now that we will avoid a total rift in the family. My wife is enormously hurt by this and keen to understand exactly what has happened.
Either:-
(a) My wife and brothers have in her uncle's lifetime been removed from the gentleman's will and the executor has acted properly or
(b) The executor has ignored the will and split the estate between himself and his sister.
I would be very grateful of any advice that anybody can give but am unsure on the following points, the answers to which I feel we need to know:-
1. A 'probated will' is a public document. If the will has never been probated - how could we obtain a copy of the last will short of asking the executor for a copy?
2. If a will exists surely it is an offence for the executor to not have this probated?
2. If a will exists surely it is a criminal offence for the executor to decide to not distribute assets to entitled beneficiaries and keep them between himself and his sister?
3. As we do not have a copy of this will, how do we know if any 'criminal act' or at the very least 'breach of trust' has occurred?
The whole situation here is totally unsatisfactory. Does anybody have any suggestions as to how we should go about establishing what has happened and whether my wife and her brothers would at this stage have any claim against the executor?
Thanks.
First, you are making some assumptions that are probably not true.
Nothing that a person owns is legally a part of his estate until the day he dies. Lets say I have $40 million dollars in my bank account in January and a will that says half goes to you and half goes to Notre Dame University. In April, I give a $30 million dollar gift to Notre Dame University. When I die in June, you get $5 million and so does Notre Dame University. Nothing illegal or "bad" has happened. You may not like it, but the estate does exist until I die -- so legally, the estate never had $40 million...it only ever had $10 million.
The serious error that you have made is thinking that something is "yours" before the man died. If he had less than $250,000 to his name, it is entirely possible that it was all spent carrying for him in his last years and months. If you were not actually helping to take care of him, your complaint rings rather hollow.
That said, yes, a will is public. Look up the county in the state in which he died. Find the clerk of the court (usually) that handles probate and call them for instructions on how to look it up and how to get a copy of the filings. In general, a general statement, a copy of the will, and an estimated asset list must be registered with the court withing 90 days or so of dealth. Closing of probate with the final statement and distribution usually takes between 6 to 18 months in all but the largest of estates.
Executors are generally required to notify anyone who is mentioned in the will or "at law" as an heir within 30 days of being accepted by the court as executor. I think the odds are very high that your wife is not an heir in the will that was filed with the court as his last will and testatment.PLEASE, Can you help me find the best website TO PRIVATELY ADVERTISE MY HOUSE FOR SALE in SCOTLAND..?
Hello - I'm in need of selling my house and not keen at all to pay an estate agent to do something I'm able and willing to do myself. Im asking for anyone with experience of privately selling their own home in the United Kingdom, and especially in Scotland to get intouch sahring with me as much info as possible about their experience. Specifically where did they advertise it online? I'm aware I have to purchase a HIPS, and I'm more than capable writing a detailed description of the house and taking great photographs to show it off for potential buyers to peruse online (as I'm a photographer) and I can manage the dressing/presenting of the house to viewers, take telephone and email enquiries. I have a great solicitor and will do everyhting above board, but I simply don't feel that an estate agent will work anywhere near as hard as I will at selling my house to for the best price these days. I ahve had a few evaluations from local estate agents and they come across as really greedy to sell it no matter how cheaply as many of then take a set fee regardless of the final sale price. And for what? They seem to be (with respect) a bunch of lazy know it alls. Any estate agents reading this please don't be offended, as no offence is meant. But you come into my home and tell me what to do with the biggest material asset in my life, and you do it a bullying aloof manner. So I'd rather sweat and do whatever it takes; working hard for myself rather than sit back and allow an estae agent to take a chunk of money that I have worked extremely hard to earn. - I'm an intelliegent person and I am simply keen as punch to make my own private sale and hopefully be a small part of the solution to get rid of these greedy estate agents from the streets. They've made millions from selling our house for too long. Enough! - My home is bright, clean, fresh, welcoming, cosy, exc location, tree lined street, etc so I know it will go like 'snow off a dyke' with a little decent exposure in the world of online advertising. I dont need useless glossy brochures, and I DONT NEED TO PAY ESTATE AGENTS TWICE THE ACTUAL GOING RATE FOR MY HIPS EITHER. My house will sell if I can just get one buyer... lol Obviously! Can you dear yahoo-er help me here? Best regards to all who've had the patience to read my question to the end. Cheers!!!!
I totally agree about estate agent fees etc they are a rip off but then again they take care of what you are looking for. Advertising, contacts, introductions.
Yes you can sell yourself but it isnt easy. There are a lot of sites where you can advertise for a fee. look for any FSBO sites. Use Gumtree and anyother place you can find. Ebay isnt a bad suggestion either but make sure you say the listing is for people to show interest only etc.
Ads in local paper, perhaps get the local reporter to do a little story on the whole exercise which will get you more publicity. Good Luck with the whole thing I hope you have a successful outcome.
xShould I make a complaint?
I have been dealing through an estate agent for my mortgage.
He explained that I would need to take out home insurance but didn't explain that it would have to be through the estate agent.
As the weeks have gone on, he keeps calling me and asking me to book an appointment to see him to discuss home insurance. Eventually, I caved in and booked an appointment today.
It just so happens that I also went to see my solicitor today, and she referred me to a clause in the mortgage offer stating that I was not obligated to get home insurance through the estate agents and could get my own home insurance.
When I told him this, he tried to worm around it and even went so far as to say "solicitors are not qualified accountants".
In the end I literally marched into the estate agents and made it absolutely clear that I had NO intention of taking out home insurance with their firm (because it was obvious I was going to be paying commission which they wanted).
Now he has called me again to send me a disclaimer to sign stating that the estate agent have no obligation with regards to the insurance.. but why should I sign a document when it no longer has anything to do with the estate agent. The matter is now between myself, my solicitor and their solicitor!
I feel like I have been hounded and nearly tricked into buying products where I would have to pay commission under the premise that it is "mandatory!" to go through the estate agent when it was not.
Also he tried to sell me other products that I didn't need and also insinuated that it was "mandatory!".
Thoughts?
Just to make it clear, I am aware I NEED home insurance but he led me to believe I would have to buy it THROUGH THEM which was not true and hounded me.
Not only would I complain to the Headquarters of the Estate Agent, I would also find somebody else to find me a mortgage.
If you mean a mortgage and not finding somewhere else to live, why not contact an Independent Financial Adviser. They don't get commission on products they sell, just a standard finders fee which is the same amount.
Good luck.
KD
No you have not got to have an estate agent to sell your home but i think you can use a chartered surveyor as well.
By having either of them it can widen the sale of your home and such as the estate agent can take a lot of work off your hands and make it easier. I understand that an estate agent will charge you so much to sell your home. You would have to ask which ever one you use what they would charge you or how they go about it.
the runner 1987
This is a good post, as more and more people are trying to DIY. Well, the answer to this seems to be maybe. If you try to sell it yourself, you will still have to talk to lawyers about closing costs and paperwork. You will also not be able to reach the amount of people that you could with an agent.
Now, if you are feeling like you can do everything, then you could use the money you would pay the estate agent and get out there and advertise. There are great online sites that you can use to put ads as well as local newspapers.
The more places you can get your listing, the better chance you have of getting the right price for your house.
good luck!
steve
I understand your point Steve, but I have a different opinion on this post.
While you can promote your own house for sale, the type of people you will be reaching may be not good enough to make a good sale. If you use a real estate agent, you will sell the house for a higher price and sell it more quickly. This is because most estate agents work on commission, so they get paid when they make a sale. They are just as eager as you to sell your property for a high price, since their pay will increase too.
You may want to try a little self promotion before you decide to hire an agent. If you get a lot of offers, then continue on with your DIy efforts. If not, get an agent on the job.
-cass
Wow that is some really great suggestions from everyone who replied. I am amazed how much replies came back. I tell you this forum on here is just amazing.
So what I think I will do is get me a forsale sign and see what happens and in the meantime I shall see what a charted surveyor can tell me and I will be talking to a couple of the major high street estate agents as well. I may as well get the full story and get it right.
Thank you to everyone again.
Fred
Fred
Good for you: nowadays with all the auctioning, trade and sales websites available, there's no reason why people can't take their sales into their own hands.. just keep it legal! Going through lawyers is a great idea
Its called 'cutting out the middle man"! Good luck!
Be careful! Estate agents spend a lot of time studying to do what they do and years getting the experience they need to become good at it! If you think you can just do it yourself without any background in real estate, then I think you might be landing yourself in trouble! There are contracts, legal agreements, laws, ethics and all sorts of red-tape, no-go, fine-print things to worry about. You don't want to put your best asset (property) at risk because of a DIY effort... At least ask the advice of a lawyer. They might be able to guide you in terms of the legalities of the situation.
Just reading the above posts and that is most intersting indeed. I knew there was a load paper work with selling a house but all the small print, red tape and the very, very small print that you need x-ray vision to read.
I shall bear that one in mind if I ever come to sell a home or buy one. Think I will stick with a major estate agent. Knowing my luck I would end up giving it all away for a £1.00 or something silly and like you say about small print it would be hidden in there some where.
Great advice there Coolseeker, many thanks.
Oliver
Oliver