Worth our weight in gold?

July 12, 2015 by Rob Kahl

TI have agreed a sale on a property this week and the vendors by their own admission are very particular and detailed.

Very kindly they have offered to swap telephone numbers with the purchasers so they can discuss things like dates, fixtures and fittings and other points that they didn’t want to trouble me with.

This is a very tempting offer from my part and I can see the logic from the vendors point of view. When the initial viewing took place they got on very well with the buyers ad even during the negotiations on price it was all very amicable, but, there are 2 main reasons why I suggested politely obviously to the vendor that this may not be a good idea.

The first one is easy. It’s my job! As an estate agent it is not enough to just take pretty pictures, put the details on rightmove and find a buyer. Quite rightly we are expected to see the sale through to fruition and assist right up to and even beyond the point when the keys are handed over on completion. This means that if there are any points that need clarification or more appointments to be made or if the vendors need to ask whether they should leave the curtains, then that is what I am here for.

I will also chase up things like surveyors, mortgage brokers and of course solicitors. I usually chase everything at least once a week and keep all of the parties up to date with progress. When you first agree a sale it can go a little quiet as all of the work is done behind the scenes by solicitors and the mortgage companies, so it is vitally important to give everybody the confidence that everything is moving in the right direction.

The other reason is a little more difficult to explain and nobody thinks that it will happen to them. Whilst you think that you have found a new best friend in a buyer or seller during the extremely stressful period before you actually move, people can change! 

There are lots of examples where people have got along swimmingly, the transaction has gone through without a problem and people have become firm friends afterwards and gifts have even been exchanged. These are the examples used by the on-line agents trying to do away with the traditional high street estate agents.

Unfortunately, though there are lots of other examples that are completely the opposite. It seems like everyone has a horror story from their move and whilst everyone would like to stay friends when it comes to negotiating on things like dates and light fittings, it is very easy to fall out.

Both parties are obviously trying to do whats best for themselves and their families first and it may mean that they or the other party may have to compromise on something that they really didn’t want to and that can leave a very sour taste in a lot of peoples mouths. If that has happened, do you really want to hand over the keys yourself and wish your new buyer all the best?

When I mentioned to friends that this was the topic of my latest blog the flood gates opened. One guy I know who moved in to a house in Rayleigh was asked to pay an additional £500 for a tree in the front garden. When he refused, the neighbours saw the original vendor trying to dig the thing up until after 2 days of trying he gave up and ended up leaving it. It has now been ripped up for a drive way.

Another chap was arguing over blinds that he was asked to pay for. He again refused and the sale very nearly fell through as they argued the point. Consider that the blinds were worth about £250 and the house was worth about £500,000! Eventually the vendor took down the blinds and it wasn’t until a couple of years later when the guy was clearing out the loft that he found the blinds tucked in the far corner, they had even been cut up so he couldn’t even use them.

In these sort of situations, this is where we should come in. Hopefully we can bring a level of perspective. Is it really worth jeopardising the house sale over a £250 set of blinds or a tree? That can go for both sides, are you really going to start again and try to find another house to buy because you can’t move on the exact date you want?

As an estate agent we are paid to negotiate and that may not be just the price. It could be for fixtures & fittings or dates or anything. I once had to negotiate to include a car that was on bricks on the front drive of a property that the buyer wanted!

So the moral of the story is, use us but try not to abuse us. Estate agents serve a valuable purpose to facilitate the smooth transaction of your property and the transaction is made all the smoother if it dealt with in a professional manner.

This article is by Rob at Scott & Stapleton
Tel: 01702 471155