[marcia]

Well how high can the stress levels get before your brain explodes???????????? :no

Why are we surrounded by useless incompetant fools who just can't give what they promise????

Want me to start - long rant ahead be warned!

You will probably have heard the saga last week of the grandfather clock minus a packing crate now on its way to NZ - well we have yet to see if it arrives in one piece. an extreamly stressful day!

Last Friday we had arranged for our estate agent to come out, so he could meet my parents who will be dealing with the house sale (if we ever get one!!) and go through what points of interest in the house we wanted him to show people etc. Well 3 weeks ago we had reduced the house price by a further 10k as a last push to try and get a sale before we go. The estate agents said they would send out brochures to people as it would bring in more people in the reduced price bracket - 3 weeks go past no contact no viewings nothing - so Kev happened to be passing the estate agents Fri afternoon before the chap was due at tea time - he called in to see how many people they had actually mailed the brochure to after the price drop - reply ermmmmmmmm nobody it seems to have been overlooked!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So when the guy came that night Kev just didn't know what to say to him - just over a week to go and they can't be trusted - if you are not on their backs all the time your file just gets forgotten - they want money for doing b all!!

Well we discussed things over the weekend, got another agent out on Monday - I wouldn't have anything to do with them - told them they are all useless. Anyway they said they understood and were sure they could sell our property (yeah heard that one before!!!!) last night we discussed things again and decided if we could get the existing agents to reduce the fees we would give them a second chance - thinking it would be too hard to try and sort things with a new agent before we go. So kev rang the chap this morning at 9.30 he said he was tied up but would get back to him - so you have an unhappy client, how long do you leave him before you ring back??????
SIX AND A HALF HOURS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! As I'm sure you can imagine Kev was not best pleased when the guy rang back at 4 o'clock and basically they have sacked themselves!!!!!!!!

However - dilema time - they had arranged a viewing for this evening!! We didn't cancel - the couple who came were the very first couple who viewed the property way back in May, said at the time it was overpriced, the price has now been reduced by £55K, they have sold their house and are very very interested in ours!!!!!!!! We told them the problems we were having with the agents and that we may be changing, but did not want to be subject to duplicate fees as the existing agents are the ones that introduced them they may have a claim on the agents fees?????????????

So what do we do now?? We don't have time to wait and see if they put in an offer, if we are changing agents they need to be coming tomorrow to try and get a copy of the brochure for us to approve before we fly on Monday!

To add to all this we have vodafone ringing on a regular basis wanting to offer us incentives not to cancel the contract, the bank should have closed the business account last week and transfered the funds to our current account so I can move it all to london to be ready to transfer to NZ - as of today it still hasn't been done, I rang them at lunchtime and they still haven't rung me back???????? I am waiting to see if NTL perform as promised on Friday and disconnect the line and pick up the boxes from my parents (i have heard horror stories about them so don't hold out much hope!!)

Tomorrow I have set the day a side to complete Kevs accounts and vat return, but it looks like it may be spent chasing up all these useless people!!!!

Heck this rollercoaster is pretty rough at the moment!!!! :(

But wouldn't change our decision to go despite all the problems we have had to go through!!!!

Roll on Monday morning - New Zealand here we come!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Jameelka]

Gosh you are having mega problems, but just think this time next week you'll be here!
Think u need a stiff drink and then bed!
At least your parents are around with the house sale, will make life alot easier. We rely on neighbours!
We are on our 3rd or 4th estate agents, such along time can't remember! and hopefully will be sorted soon, but one lot we had never sent anyone around at all!
Thank goodness buying/selling over here is alot quicker and easier.
Hope tomorrow is abit easier Marcia, your coming to an end now with the paper work so just keep looking forward!
Night!

[Avalon]

Marcia,

Thinking of you - cos I really just have nothing helpful to offer except this:

http://img364.imageshack.us/img364/2414/hugs1xe9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[Debbie]

We had a very similar situation. We sacked the incompetant agent but found we were tide to them for 7 days post notice. They also 'owned' all the introductions they had made.
We did sell to a couple they had introduced and it worked out no problem but a word of warning;
Get your soon to be ex-agent to give you and your new agent a list of the surnames and post codes of all clients they are stacking a claim to before the close of their contract with you. That way everyone knows where the £ is going when you sell. We told the new agent and the sacked agent that the house was to stay on the market and open for viewing until we had a contract. It motivated the old agent to get a move on when the couple they introduced finally put in an offer as they had no control over stopping further viewings. I think it worked out to be the best thing we did regarding the house sale. For the only time in the process I felt in control. The first agent suddenly become very motivated to close on the viewings they had arranged and suddenly found other people to view, (ha,ha). The new agent new they had a target to hit as far as price and time scale and did some work as well.
Hope it all comes together for you.
Debbie

[MB]

Poor you! We really hope things work out for you soon. They very probably will.

I must say that, in discussions I have had with folks about property buying and selling, I have made the point that many Brits' one big ENZ forum beef is with the process of doing buying and selling in England.
Much of this seems to me to have to do with three big factors: the legal mechanisms whereby few deals seem certain until the eleventh hour; agents not being proactive; and (this is more my perception than what others specifically complain about) buyers/sellers themselves either agonizing over relative trifles or acting a wee bit too manipulatively. As far as the very last of these goes, I do understand that it's very, very hard not to get into the swing of all the wheeling and dealing that goes on... that often people are better off being manipulative than just wringing their hands and getting trampled on. But at that point it all becomes a systemic problem, and that I think is probably the bigger challenge. But wouldn't it benefit everyone if at least the formal parts of the process were made cleaner and simpler?

Now our only property dealings have been on W.Coast US and in NZ, and we have been very lucky to have had very smooth paths through them. But I do sense that W.Coast US and NZ processes are just more straightforward and robust than English ones: deals seem to be more or less sealed much earlier, and the legal side seems less elaborate.

I am sure that the English system has benefits, such as the ability to get out of a dodgy deal at the last minute, but in my wife's words when she reads about English deals on the forum, "Does it have to be that complicated, people?" (Please understand that she isn't sneering at individual members: more that she's being sympathetic with them but baffled at the overall system).

Anyway, maybe poor Marcia's thread isn't the place for this, but if anyone wants to outline other benefits of the English system, by all means do so. I could well be missing something(s) valuable.

[jubjub]

Marcia, big hugs. I don't know what best to say as I have no clue about English estate agency (just scottish!) but my blood would be boiling at this point, they really dont appear to have your interests in mind at all. How do they expect to earn their commission if they dont get off their butts and do something???

Leave Kev to deal with the agents, you get onto the bank and give them what for, split the nasty jobs!

I dont envy you this situation particularly at this point in time when you are at your most stressed.

[MB]

Marcia - just in case it wasn't crystal clear, the comments I made above were very general. Reading your plight just made me waffle on a bit about impressions I have accrued about the English system, from personal contacts and from the forum, over a couple of years. Hope that's obvious. :)

All the best as you sort things out! Here's to NZ!

[katandbob]

???????? I am waiting to see if NTL perform as promised on Friday and disconnect the line and pick up the boxes from my parents (i have heard horror stories about them so don't hold out much hope!!)



Roll on Monday morning - New Zealand here we come!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Hey Marcia - they still havent picked up ours from Robs parents - and we canceled in October 05!!!!!!! :laugh



Roll on Monday morning - New Zealand here we come!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :raebanana :raebanana happy travels mate - would love to be waiting at the arrivals gate - but will look for Dinys pictures which she will no doubt upload while your all crashed out in bed ;)

All the best and I have my fingers xd for a speedy smooth house sale

Kat....PS tell Kev to look at my blog at our firework night out.

[Marie P]

OOOOOOHHHH Marcia ....big hugs to you and Kev ......

Hope you get sorted soon ,get on that plane and let out a great big sigh of relief .

Thinking of you all ,

Marie x

[Kim39]

Jeeze lass you are having it rough. Don't think anything said by folks on here will make things easier, but rest assured am sure when your on that flight on monday the last few weeks, months will feel very far away.

Oh yes, just don't forget my package or your stress levels and problems will be double:laugh

Kim

[StevieD]

Bloomin' nora Marcia, how are you coping with all this?!! All I can say, in the time honoured tradition is say "calm down, calm down" :laugh

You have had a torrid time with the house, just hope your luck changes, maybe this viewer will deliver for you, can't offer any advice on your dilemma though. I think a bit of straight forward Yorkshire discussion is in order. (p.s. not wishing to rub noses, but our agent seems to be delivering lately, got another 2 viewers this Thursday - don't know what's going on after waiting so long with so few viewers)

As for Vodafone harassing you, you can send them a letter but it seems a bit pointless seeing as you leaving the country on Monday!!

However, if they do call again, tell them this : -

continued harassment of me by telephone puts you in breach of Section 40 of the Administration of Justice Act 1970, and the Protection from Harassment Act 1997." -

[Moorf]

Just think... you're leaving the incompetent beggars behind next week :cool: <----- rose tinted specs ;)

[marcia]

Thanks guys for the thoughts and good wishes - start of a new day now - (miserable and rainy though - we have been having lovely weather the last week or so!) see how things go today - PMA - positive mental attitude - its going to be a wonderful day (I hope!!! :D )

[Lupin]

What a nightmare!

tbh if I was in your shoes the potential offer would be worth sticking with the useless agents to see if it comes off. Path of least resistance and all that :) Really hope you get an offer and can lose this stress asap!

[marcia]

Well quick update - the couple came back around this morning to see who they need to put in the offer with. :uhoh

They have offered the asking price of £239,950 plus £1000 for fixtures and fittings, and we have accepted it. Means we have to stick with the incompetent agents for now, but we have instructed them to continue marketing the property, until the papers are signed, and if the sale falls through we still intend to sack them and change agents!!

So this morning has been spent on the phone to both the agents, and the solicitors to try and get the ball rolling as fast as possible.

The buyers want to be in before christmas, we are the 4th house in the chain, and the first ones are first time buyers so fingers crossed it will all go through and we can start looking for our dream plot instead of a 'it'll do for now' spot!!

We need the strength of the forums positive vibes now to ensure things run smoothly, and I'd better go and do these flippin accounts of kevs!!!!! :exit

[StevieD]

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{ POSITIVE VIBES }}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

Good luck guys, just one less bit of pressure land one step nearer to NZ.

Steve and Jan xx

[Trigirl]

sounds like its all happening at last marcia!!!

[gil]

Everything crossed for the sale Marcia,
Have a safe trip and take care,
Lots of love,
Gil
x

[kiwidebs]

Hi Marcia

I think this must fall into the 'that which doesn't kill you makes you stronger' catagory. And boy must you guys be getting strong!! Good luck with the house sale - got my fingers crossed for you.

Debs

[Marie P]

Everything crossed for you guys !

Marie x

[Kim39]

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{more vibes from TA lass}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

Hang in there girl, maybe this is coming to an end for you and Kev.

Kim

[Hannah]

Marcia....I'm sitting here dreading mid January when it's my time (and my house is still up for sale!!!!). Thinking of renting if no sale by Dec.


AHHHHH, but at least i'm not with NTL - that's a good thing!

Hope it all settles soon. You wait till you see that blue sky in NZ!!!!!!! It'll all be worth it!

hannah