Cheesing off the real estate agents

[lizzie]

Oh dear ... we are currently renting whilst waiting for our purchase to exchange ... but I digress. Start at the beginning.

Hubby was retrenched and quickly landed a new job inland in the mines. We sold our ppor and moved up. Currently renting.

Before the move we were looking to buy - having not rented for decades and not looking forward to the propect.

We looked at a few houses, found one that was oooooookay and under pressure from hubby I put in an offer. A week later a second agent took us to look at other houses, suggested we'd offered to much (which, after some research, we agree we did - although research really hard as nothing comparable) and I wasn't keen on it from the start - so pulled out.

Agent was furious as the vendors were so excited at a "sale" - and being the "new kid" agent in a town, where the existing agent (the second agent) has been for at least two generations and doesn't take well to "new kids" had been undermining potential sales.

Anyhow - we found a property thru the second agent that we like. The one we were going to build our eco house on. We knew it's near a small airfield but, the first day we looked at it, not a plane in sight for the hour or so we were there.

The next time we looked at it a couple of bi-planes silently whooshed overhead (really cool).

The next few times we walked over it to sus our building site etc there were a couple of planes doing circuits but livable.

Today - went to the property. Price agreed on, contracts drawn up but still not exchanged as vendor o/seas and uncontactable for last three weeks.

The planes were hideous. Incessant from 7am to after 4pm.

Helicopeters. Jets. Biplanes. Cessnanas. Taking off and landing constantly ... and the block is in the flight path where they gun the motors to gain height.

Pulling out - agent seriously not happy but there is no way we could live with that.

Wonder if the delay in exchange is the universe at work ... if we'd been able to exchange when we were ready 3 weeks ago, we'd be near settling and unable to pull out.

 

[pennyk]

well, it sounds like you should see if you can cheese off a third agent!!

An airport definitely doesnt sound like what you need for an eco-friendly house... and you have to watch out.. you might build your dream house, only to be bought out when its decided that this is the perfect site for Sydneys 2nd airport!!

 

[JWR]

Just get someone else to bid on your behalf - and they won't know its you until drawing up the contract.

And the agent won't jeopardise a sale because you pissed off their colleague whom they secretly hate anyway!

 

[Aaron_C]

The real estate agent would sell anything to anyone as long as they get a commission. Why would they care?

 

[boomtown]

If you get punched in the nose by a REA nine times out of ten then you know you are on the right track.

 

[luce.rocks]

Oh no! How disappointing (for you, not the RE agent - although they're probably diaappointed too, but that's their problem).

I do hope you find another bit of land soon.

 

[MsAli]

The real estate agent would sell anything to anyone as long as they get a commission. Why would they care?

You reckon Aaron? Recently I had an agent tell me that the vendors had declined my "disgusting offer" and asked him to only come back with a "decent offer". That property is still on the market - been there for more than 2 months now. The house was falling into pieces. I didn't call that agent again!!

 

[boomtown]

Thats ok I am a " timewaster" (that property still hasn't sold) and "just want to steal it" ( hasnt sold either) i thought the last one quite complimentary.

 

[kathryn d]

Where we live in Canada, there is a church around the corner from us, that plays chimes and then dongs so you know what time it is, on the hour and half hour.
When we first moved in, we heard it all the time.
I never hear it anymore..even though it is still there.

I'm sure the planes would be the same as trains..after awhile they blend into the background.

 

[Aaron_C]

You reckon Aaron? Recently I had an agent tell me that the vendors had declined my "disgusting offer" and asked him to only come back with a "decent offer". That property is still on the market - been there for more than 2 months now. The house was falling into pieces. I didn't call that agent again!!

That's different because that's based on price. If you came back with a higher offer you'd be their best friend

 

[BayView]

Yay! another agent bashing thread - love it.

Our latest experience; we are currently trying to sell a unit of ours, and the agent's estimate in initial discussions was about $220k.

I said, "OK", let's put it out there for $225k and see how we go."

He said, "I reckon let's put it at $210k +, and you'll need an ad program for about $2k as well"

Holding in laughter, I then said, "You can for get the ad campaign; a few flyers, an ad on the internet and a sign in your office window will do. And, how are you ever going to get a sale for around $220k when you are starting them off at $210k? All that is gunna happen is you'll get 40,000 wood-ducks trying to low-ball me with offers of $200k or thereabouts?! It won't work, and there's no way we are letting it go for those figures"

He then said; "I'll get 'em up; I've got over 10 years experience and we've got various tools to get them to offer what we need..."

He then went into this self-advertising spiel, and after he'd finished I said, "Well; you certainly can talk the talk, so let's see whether you're as good as you say and can deliver"...

So, off we go, a few OFI's and fast-forward to over a month later, and yesterday I get a text from him with "An offer of $205k unconditional with 60 day settlement, and what do I think?"

WHAT DO I THINK???

My reply text was :"Don't waste my time - and yours - with an offer like that again. I told you at the start that your $210k + strategy was a dud, and look what's happened. You promised me XYZ, now go out and deliver that please".

His reply back was "I'll do my best, but it's a very tough market indeed right now."

And you agents wonder why we all get stuck into you.

Gotta go; I have to text him the bad news that he has to re-do the ad for $225k. He will be pissed, because now he will REALLY have to work hard, and I reckon he now realises that he is not going to sell the unit.

 

[Belbo]

Where we live in Canada, there is a church around the corner from us, that plays chimes and then dongs so you know what time it is, on the hour and half hour.
When we first moved in, we heard it all the time.
I never hear it anymore..even though it is still there.

I'm sure the planes would be the same as trains..after awhile they blend into the background.

Exactly. If Lizzie would only take up plane-spotting she'd be in heaven!

 

[Macca]

Hi Lizzie,

Pleased for you that you found out now

I would think that the fact that it is under a flight path should be part of the land details from the council.

PSCC notifies everyone that aircraft noise is a problem in the area and should be checked for each property before purchase.

If the council in the area is not doing this then they will likely be sued and will probably lose, PSCC lost a case over the Swan Bay area even though they had huge signs along the road leading into Swan Bay stating aircraft overfly this area.

 

[Andrew_A]

Exactly. If Lizzie would only take up plane-spotting she'd be in heaven!

Interesting point as you never know what some people will like.. recently I noted a property had an issue with flight path noise and was told that was great as one of the partners was an avid plane spotter

 

[Andrew_A]

Yay! another agent bashing thread - love it.

Our latest experience; we are currently trying to sell a unit of ours, and the agent's estimate in initial discussions was about $220k.

I said, "OK", let's put it out there for $225k and see how we go."

He said, "I reckon let's put it at $210k +, and you'll need an ad program for about $2k as well"

Holding in laughter, I then said, "You can for get the ad campaign; a few flyers, an ad on the internet and a sign in your office window will do. And, how are you ever going to get a sale for around $220k when you are starting them off at $210k? All that is gunna happen is you'll get 40,000 wood-ducks trying to low-ball me with offers of $200k or thereabouts?! It won't work, and there's no way we are letting it go for those figures"

He then said; "I'll get 'em up; I've got over 10 years experience and we've got various tools to get them to offer what we need..."

He then went into this self-advertising spiel, and after he'd finished I said, "Well; you certainly can talk the talk, so let's see whether you're as good as you say and can deliver"...

So, off we go, a few OFI's and fast-forward to over a month later, and yesterday I get a text from him with "An offer of $205k unconditional with 60 day settlement, and what do I think?"

WHAT DO I THINK???

My reply text was :"Don't waste my time - and yours - with an offer like that again. I told you at the start that your $210k + strategy was a dud, and look what's happened. You promised me XYZ, now go out and deliver that please".

His reply back was "I'll do my best, but it's a very tough market indeed right now."

And you agents wonder why we all get stuck into you.

Gotta go; I have to text him the bad news that he has to re-do the ad for $225k. He will be pissed, because now he will REALLY have to work hard, and I reckon he now realises that he is not going to sell the unit.

And worse still you would have annoyed genuine buyers and lost the new to market advantage with this property, terrible initial strategy 210+ in a slow market, you were spot on. Would love to know what 'various tools' he was using to get a buyer to offer more

 

[lizzie]

I would think that the fact that it is under a flight path should be part of the land details from the council.

It's not under the official flight path - and we did do all the flight path/noise investigations - it is actually to the side of the flight path by about 1km ... but the planes all seem to turn left and head straight up our block as they are gaining altitude.

I used to live on a train line and agree - after a few weeks you don't hear them - but yesterday they were so loud you couldn't hold a conversation - and going all day from 7am to after 4pm.

Really disappointed as the dozen other times I'd been out to the block, there had been planes but nothing like that - which does make one wonder, what will happen if the airport gets busier.

 

[DaveM]

Would love to know what 'various tools' he was using to get a buyer to offer more

Him, his principal, his fellow agents. Various tools

 

[laurieload]

What à shame about thé flight path. And Stuff thé agent they Will be your best friend again when you find something else. (Et please forgive this french iPad Who wants to correct everything in français !)

 

[lizzie]

Do have our eye on another 10 acres place - one that I initially rejected when we first moved up because it has a MAJOR reno job on it and a few hundred meters of dirt road frontage ... but after being here for a while, and looking around, unless one has a few or several spare mil floating around, it will be the type of property we'd be buying anyhow.

So - looks like reno again. Built around 1930's ... minor reno in the 60's looking at the still-existing bathrooms ... major reno in the early 1980's (bricked in exterior, brown aluminium windows, concrete tiles) ...

Might be gutting and extending this one.

Have to check with conveyancer tomorrow - agent thinks we exchanged on Thurs - conveyancer told me on Friday afternoon we hadn't - hoping we either didn't exchange of have 5 days cooling off in play.

Really disappointed as the initial block was perfect in every other way.

 

[marty998]

I used to live on a train line and agree - after a few weeks you don't hear them - but yesterday they were so loud you couldn't hold a conversation - and going all day from 7am to after 4pm.

I don't know how you got used to it. I live 250m away with line of sight to the train line and in 18 months never got used to the sweet soothing melody of a 3am freight train.

Finally bit the bullet and got my windows double glazed last Thursday. Pure bliss that first night without ear plugs shoved halfway through my brain.

I do have a bit of a chuckle whenever I see an ad that says "put the car away, close to transport/train line". The poor buggers who are sold on that idea.