Foxtons estate agents - do avoid them

You are probably describing every estate agent in the country and the moral is to use your brain when you deal with any of them.

In message , " snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.co.uk" writes

Let me get this right. You couldnt sell it, but they could.

What did you expect?

Compensation? For what?

House selling is close to a pure market, i.e. willing buyer and seller. They got the buyer. You accepted because you had to sell, which isnt the estate agents problem.

For failing to find a buyer who offered the price they had previously indicated they would easily be able to obtain, of course. In other words for deliberately leading him on, and taking advantage of his vulnerable position.

'easily'? where did he say that?

Yes, he does appear that way.

Between the lines, old chap. Give those bifocals a bit of a buff-up.

Foxtons are well known for giving higher valuations than other estate agents and then making more effort at marketing the property.

There's still got to be a big enough mug out there though for them to be able to find a buyer.

You beat me to it :)

"Cockroaches in suits" comes to mind when I think of estate agents.

I'm not having a go at you personally but do remember that Foxtons load prices, it helps them gain business, they lead some sellers up the garden path with unrealistic expectations.

You mean greed?

I can vouch for that, or at least the first part. I recently sold my house, and asked about 5 estate agents to estimate its value first. Foxtons gave by far the highest estimate, and a figure which in fact turned out to be way more than we got for it. Most of the other agents guessed reasonably close to the figure we finally accepted, which I am reasonably confident was a fair price.

We didn't use Foxtons precisely because we thought they must be up to something if they were so far out with their valuation.

As for 'making more effort at marketing the property', I have my doubts about that. While our house was on the market we were (not surprisingly) trying to buy a house as well, and we had the devil's own job trying to get anyone at Foxtons to return our calls when we said we were interested in viewing a property. And anyway, no matter how much effort they make marketing the property, I doubt that there are many people who would actually offer 20+% over the market value.

Adam

The trouble is that there's a lot of gullible people out there who are flattered by these techniques. They're societies sheep, who just love to be lead by these kind of people. It goes back to a Britain of 50+ years ago when the lower classes were highly respectful to those wearing suits.

Daytona

I suppose you did not see the TV programme about Foxtons where they convinced a poor old man to sell his property at well under its market value. Of course Foxtons were getting their commission and a sweetener from the buyer. So who is the greedy one?

Are you an Estate Agent?

In that case it is the agent and definately not the seller but in the case of the OP it is the agent and the seller who *may* be accused of greed.

Ohh.... how dare you! No way! I demand an apology :)

I did see that programme, most of it concerned the (mis)dealings of Foxtons but the backhander deal you refer to actually involved some other chain of agents called 'Chard' :-

Oh yeah it was another estate agent. By the way, Foxtons also have a supect relationship with a firm of solicitors called Healys in London. They push their customers to use them for the conveyancing.

Virgils Ghost wrote:

Lol, one also wonders whether they are on friendly terms with a 'special' firm of loan sharks and dubious bailiffs ;)

And the problem with greed is ?