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| filthfromfingers |
I have found something more frustrating than looking for a subbie.
House hunting.
Or to be more precise, dealing with estate agents. This makes the fakes and players on CollarMe look like child's play.
I say: I want a three bedroom detached or link detached house, with garage. They send me: a four bedroom semi detached house with parking for two cars. "But its in your budget"
I say: I want a modern property that is ready to move in to. They send me: a "character" property where none of the walls, doors, floors or ceilings are straight and if you want to do anything more than open the curtains in the morning you need permission from the secretary of state and the electrics can't cope with more than two things plugged in at the same time. "But its in your budget".
I say: I want a property in a Virgin Media enabled street. They send me: a property in the middle of a small village, where BT are still providing phone lines from poles and broadband is something they talk about in the pub in the same way as colour tellies. "But its in your budget".
I say: I want a property in this town. They send me: a property in the middle of a small village... (see above). "But its in your budget".
I say: I want a three bedroom house so I can use bedroom two for a home office. They send me: a three bedroom house with a downstairs study. "It has an office downstairs and is in your budget". Yes - and what do I use bedroom two for?
I say: My budget is X They send me a property that is 25k over X. "They will accept an offer".
It seems to me that Estate Agents only hear two things. 1. How much you want to spend. 2. How many bedrooms you want, and that is treated as the minimum. They seem unable to comprehend that because my budget would buy a 4 bed that I don't want to buy one.
It would seem that estate agents are like subbies in a way. They need training. They need to know what I want. Yet, unlike subbies (or fakes on CollarMe) I can't tell them to sod off, because there is a chance that one of them might actually find me a property that I want. It will be a complete miracle of course, and they will do it by accident of course, but while that chance is there, I must tolerate them sending me properties that I put straight in the bin.
Still makes me want to bang my head against a wall, as I don't have a subbie to take it out on.
Of course if I did have a subbie I would just tell them to do it, as I only have to train one person what I want.
There is an idea - submissive house hunters. Show me a house I don't like, bend over and get a spanking!
Grrrrr
S
| 26 Jul 10, 10:04 PM epona74 UK(SL), 7 yrs |
Hah, I remember that... 25yo professional looking for a 3bed house with parking. They sent me a flat in a retirement village (must be over 55 to move in)-but it's in your budget! Bastards! LOL Two roads diverged in a wood and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference. (R. Frost) | |
| 26 Jul 10, 10:04 PM Kinky_Vidushaka UK(SW), 3 yrs  |
What do you call 20,000 estate agents at the bottom of the sea?
A good start. It's a well known fact that almost all estate agents cannot tell the truth even if paid to. They are the same as politicians. There is a fine line between sanity and insanity. I have a foot firmly planted either side of that line | |
| 26 Jul 10, 10:16 PM Iphis_me UK(E), 4 yrs |
You are only at the beginning of the process. Once you've found somewhere you want to buy then you get the fun of surveys, solicitors, etc - I spent 4 months house hunting, eventually found the place I want to buy and am now caught in the next stage of the frustration. Can't wait until I've exchanged, then I'll believe it will actually happen. Oh and yes estate agents are a nightmare. I was looking only in a very small area, for specific reasons, and I kept explaining this to estate agents and they kept trying to show me places that weren't in the area I want. Nightmare! "The unexamined life is not worth living" - Socrates | |
| 26 Jul 10, 10:22 PM Kinky_Vidushaka UK(SW), 3 yrs |
You could just tell them that if you receive details of just one place that is NOT what you are looking for then they have lost your custom, and your cash will go to a competitor. They will soon open their ears and listen intently, as they would not like to lose their 1% fee for selling somewhere. There is a fine line between sanity and insanity. I have a foot firmly planted either side of that line | |
| 26 Jul 10, 10:27 PM filthfromfingers UK(RG), 4 yrs |
I would love to do that. However the town I wish to move in to only has three estate agents, so I would quickly run out of agents. Plus, I have no control over who is selling the house that I want to buy. They aren't paid by me, but by the vendor. If I don't buy it, they don't care, cos someone else will. S -- To err is human but to really fowl things up requires a computer - anon | |
| 27 Jul 10, 6:49 AM sparkysbabe 8 yrs |
You could always have a look on rightmove.co.uk where most properties are put these days, there might always be an estate agent who has a property on there that is still out of area....just an idea. house hunting for rented properties with estate agents is just as much fun, they send you to houses that you have no hope of fitting into with all the kids and clutter that needs moving, they just want people through the doors to justify their fees! good luck! minxi | |
| 27 Jul 10, 12:43 PM filthfromfingers UK(RG), 4 yrs |
Been on Rightmove for the last 18 months, with the alerts etc. This move has been well researched. The reason for contacting the agents is to try and get ahead of anything going on Rightmove. I did a viewing three weeks ago where the earliest I could get in was five days after it went on Rightmove because of the interest. The information I have is that most agents will call their "preferred" buyers before it goes on Rightmove, and I want to be on that list. Been there with the rental properties helping a friend last year. She got just as frustrated. S -- To err is human but to really fowl things up requires a computer - anon |
