Money back from estate agents?

DrJazzTap

I'm guessing that it's like getting blood from a stone? 

We're trying to get our first home and have had to walk away from two houses so far. Both were listed with the same estate agents. 
I spent twelve years working with used car salesmen, so I thought I was used to bullshitters.
Anyway house number one we had to walk away from because we found out it had a shared access path through the back garden. We were told by the estate agent that this could be fenced off when we we're being shown around the house....turns out that wasn't the case...
House number two is a tru steel construction with cavity wall insulation (we knew about the trusteel but had no idea about the wall insulation).
The bank didn't want to provide a valuation as the property could be susceptible to significant repairs in the future. When I rang up to say we were walking away, the estate agent confessed he was expecting the call and they knew all about it. The seller was prepared to knock off a few grand and pay for the wall insulation to be taken out. I was so incensed that they knew and I didn't want to waste a grand on paying for a survey to find out the house was fucked and then not being able to get a mortgage for it. 

I feel stupid about the first house but we were told the same thing by another estate agent so thought that's what it was. I know all this is a learning curve and if it could be done then the sellers would have done it. 

The second one grates me but I take comfort that we aren't going to end up lumbered with huge repair costs.  

So far we've spent about £800 on fees and that's the pisser. I know we've no chance of getting that money back, I'm just ranting really 

octatonic

Just wait until you are in negative equity due to Brexit.
That will be a real pisser.

ICBM

Weren't estate agents supposed to be in the B Ark?

LoFi

I'm confused - why have you given either of the seller's agents any money?

DrJazzTap

LoFi said:

I'm confused - why have you given either of the seller's agents any money?

Ah money for solicitors fees and to pay for valuations etc. So money not directly to the agents, but still money down the pan because of misinformation and information withheld by the estate agent. I know it's first world problems.  I've known people who have had the seller decide not to sell the day before they were due to move. 

richardhomer

@DrJazzTap - I’m happy to advise you on what may be possible. If you want to PM me your number, I would be happy to talk you through it.

octatonic

DrJazzTap said:

LoFi said:

I'm confused - why have you given either of the seller's agents any money?

Ah money for solicitors fees and to pay for valuations etc. So money not directly to the agents, but still money down the pan because of misinformation and information withheld by the estate agent. I know it's first world problems.  I've known people who have had the seller decide not to sell the day before they were due to move. 

We had 4 places valued and surveys done when we moved out of London.
The last place we actually bought- the other ones we didn't due to gazumping and issues with surveys.
This is nothing to do with agents- it is the English system is fucked up.

Scotland do it properly.

LoFi

DrJazzTap said:

LoFi said:

I'm confused - why have you given either of the seller's agents any money?

Ah money for solicitors fees and to pay for valuations etc. So money not directly to the agents, but still money down the pan because of misinformation and information withheld by the estate agent. I know it's first world problems.  I've known people who have had the seller decide not to sell the day before they were due to move. 

Ah, gotcha. I'd suggest that, unless you've got any of that in writing from seller's agents, you don't have a leg to stand on.

As others have said, the system here is flawed, and any money spent before exchange is potentially lost.

fandango

octatonic said:

Just wait until you are in negative equity due to Brexit.
That will be a real pisser.

Sorry mate, you're out of order!!! You don't need Brexit to fall into arrears/negative equity. Just ask those who lost their houses back in 1992.

Seriously, will people just stop effing blaming Brexit for every thing. I'm sick to the back teeth of people making Brexit a scapegoat of everything wrong with the world. You might disagree with the principle of people wanting their own sovereignty, but I (and many others) wish you types would just STFU with the negativity. Does you no credit, and makes you sound like a serial whinger.

octatonic

fandango said:

octatonic said:

Just wait until you are in negative equity due to Brexit.
That will be a real pisser.

Sorry mate, you're out of order!!! You don't need Brexit to fall into arrears/negative equity. Just ask those who lost their houses back in 1992.

Seriously, will people just stop effing blaming Brexit for every thing. I'm sick to the back teeth of people making Brexit a scapegoat of everything wrong with the world. You might disagree with the principle of people wanting their own sovereignty, but I (and many others) wish you types would just STFU with the negativity. Does you no credit, and makes you sound like a serial whinger.

Er... I was joking.

I'm actually banking on a reset of prices- I'm a landlord/property developer and we will be buying once things drop.
I reckon 15-20%.
Can't come soon enough actually.

I'm not out of order- I am out of the country quite soon though.
We've decided we are going to watch Brexit happen from a foreign country- mostly likely Singapore.

Serial whinger?
I haven't mentioned Brexit for at least a year.

octatonic

... but Brexit is still a bad idea.
Hopefully the abstract concept of 'sovereignty' will keep you warm at night and well fed.
But I digress...

JamesAshworth

Read this http://pstatic.powys.gov.uk/fileadmin/Docs/Estate_Agency/NTSEAT_guidance_on_property_sales_-_Sept_2015_en.pdf

midlifecrisis

If you have evidence that the agents knew about the problems then i think you do have a claim against them. ...but im no lawyer

mellowsun

 A shared access path through the back garden isn't necessarily a problem. Many blocks of Victorian terraces have this and it can be quite useful, particularly if you are having work done at the back and need access.

I guess we're lucky as in our block of 6 houses with the shared access we all get on very well (the shared access has been used for joint garden parties in the summer).

The person at the end of the block has locked access to non-residents so no herberts can just wander down and go across everyones' garden though. Also, we've all put up gates in the fencing so access can be shut or locked if needed.

We were unsure about it all when we were buying but it has actually worked out really well. If you do want to fence it off permanently you can, but you do need to get agreement from everyone, however.

shaunyshaun1234

mellowsun said:

 A shared access path through the back garden isn't necessarily a problem. Many blocks of Victorian terraces have this and it can be quite useful, particularly if you are having work done at the back and need access.

I guess we're lucky as in our block of 6 houses with the shared access we all get on very well (the shared access has been used for joint garden parties in the summer).

The person at the end of the block has locked access to non-residents so no herberts can just wander down and go across everyones' garden though. Also, we've all put up gates in the fencing so access can be shut or locked if needed.

We were unsure about it all when we were buying but it has actually worked out really well. If you do want to fence it off permanently you can, but you do need to get agreement from everyone, however.

I would agree! 

Our first house was a terrace house and a block of 5 houses had shared access. we were the end house and only one neighbour used it!