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The Stigma of the Estate Agent – A Common Complaint

12th Sep 2013
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You’d think they were horrible war criminals wouldn’t you? Those people, the estate agents (also known as realtors in the U.S.) make a horrible impression and then try and sell you a disgusting rundown house that will presumably explode the day you move in.

Another ghoulish estate agent tactic, supposedly, is selling a house in which a slew of murders took place – without mentioning it to the seller. It’s not particularly useful to point out that ghosts don’t exist, or maybe it is, but a haunted mansion is unlikely to be what you end up with. Estate agents aren’t monsters, although some of them may be a little bit on the sly side. Monsters they are not.

It’s just not the case – there are a whole host of estate agents that are not only friendly and reliable, but also honest!

So where does this stigma come from? And why is it so prevalent in today’s society?

Lack Of Regulation

Well, you might think of estate agents as cowboys, in the sense that they go around doing whatever the hell they want, but they’re not. It’s just not true… Anymore.

Yes, there was once a time when regulation was very lax, and this is probably where a lot of the stigma comes from. If there is one thing that reassures you, it will probably be the National Association of Estate Agents.

This is where the rules are made, there are sometimes different rules for different areas – but it’s a very common misconception that estate agents are making up their own rules as they go along. They are in fact bound by stringent rules and guidelines.

Numbers

These days’ estate agents are big business. It ranges from small residential communities to a huge amount of different corporations – all of whom require property brokers.

This focus on money and business is probably where some of the stigma of estate agents comes from too. After all, they are trying to make a living and are actively interested in facilitating a property purchase on your behalf. They aren’t there to make sure you’re happy in your new home or office, but they do have a vested interest in their customers’ satisfaction – and we shouldn’t forget that the relevant authorities would adequately deal with any shortcomings.

It’s not just numbers in terms of money that puts people off estate agents; it’s also due to the amount of locations they are in. It seems that most streets will feature an estate agents at some point. Seeing them in your face might create an atmosphere of hard selling to the consumer – this isn’t anyone’s fault. Buying a property is the single most expensive transaction that any of us are likely to make, and being encouraged through advertising or windows with pictures of houses in them will undeniably create a sense of unease in the mind – only when you don’t want to buy a property of course.

Also, different locations have differing amounts of estate agents – which may add to the pressure you might feel when walking past them. The more residential the area, the more likely it is that people are looking to buy houses – and therefore the more estate agents will open for business.

The important thing to remember is that they can’t make you buy a house, and you shouldn’t feel pressured by any kind of advertisements – just remember where they are for when you want to make a purchase.

Lack Of Communication

This is a very common complaint. Estate agents have garnered a notorious reputation for being difficult to get a hold of. This can be absolutely detrimental for your property purchase at times, but the reality is it will probably just mildly inconvenience you.

The common time for this type of complaint to come up is when you’re doing viewings. It’s quite hard to find a good flat or house, so quite naturally you want to squeeze in viewings efficiently around your already busy life. The problem is, whereas you might be doing one viewing in the evening or taking an extended lunch break to have a look around a potential property – an estate agent will be doing many in a day.

It’s a logistical nightmare, organising all these viewings is one thing. But an estate agent has to travel from property to property for large portions of the day. This is one thing; delays due to traffic are unforeseeable. In addition to this, the estate agent themselves will be dutifully bound to fulfilling a full and complete viewing before leaving for their next appointment.

As house purchases are typically long drawn out affairs, there is significant ‘umming’ and ‘ahhing’ as well as a lot of questions during a house viewing – and these take time to take care of. As a result, in an estate agents day-to-day life – it’s natural for things to run a little bit late.

So don’t vent your anger at the estate agent, after answering all of your questions he may very well be late for his next appointment. This is a courtesy to you, so if they’re a little late to the viewing, try to turn a blind eye.

All In All

So there you have a rundown of some of the reasons why people have a stigma towards estate agents. But if you’ve got a heart, at least you will now understand some of the origins of this stigma. There are plenty of reasons I haven’t discussed, but listing every complaint would take forever to deal with and I’ve focussed on the popular ones here.

A small rundown that might make you look differently at an estate agents in future. Of course, there are saints and sinners in every profession – but be aware that little gripes you might have will often be able to be dealt with, so there’s no real reason for this stigma.

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Replies (6)

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PJ
By paulgrca.net
12th Sep 2013 12:26

The clue is in the name of this website

Not very sensible to be telling accountants that they need an accountant!

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Man of Kent
By Kent accountant
12th Sep 2013 13:14

SPAM, SPAM, SPAM, SPAM, SPAM, SPAM, SPAM, SPAM. SPAM, SPAM, SPAM, SPAM...

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By User deleted
12th Sep 2013 14:04

... SPAAAAAAAAM ...

... lovely SPAM :o)

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Man of Kent
By Kent accountant
12th Sep 2013 14:12

I've started humming the tune

Lobster thermidor and SPAM, mmm

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Routemaster image
By tom123
13th Sep 2013 21:52

Shame, because I hate doing my own finances

Pity this seems to be spam, because I was looking for some tips.

Spending every day looking after someone else's money and business means I don't to my own particularly effectively, for example I have had the same current account since 18, and never bother to research my car insurance.

I know there are things I could do - I just need to psych myself up for it.

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By Jaxon Smith
28th May 2014 06:04

real estate

A reliable blog always comes-up with new and exciting information and while reading I have feel that this blog is really have all those quality that characterize a blog to be a best one.

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