Showing posts with label property market. Show all posts
Showing posts with label property market. Show all posts

Friday, 26 September 2008

The Gazzunderers have it!

Well, the bastards exchanged and completed today. I'm so relieved and pleased for the clients, but part of me didn't want them to have it. They have won. They have got what they set out to do. They have their bargain and screw everyone else.
Again though i can't believe the cheek of the woman. After it had completed she got her solicitor to ask us if we would deliver the keys to her solicitor's office. No way! So the father came in to collect them - all smiling, no mention of what happened. Oh how i hate them!

Thursday, 25 September 2008

The ultimate guzzunder continued...

The bastards have asked for another 5% reduction siting 'financial advice'. Had to bite my lip again. Rang the clients who can't believe the cheek of these people. We said no way to them and said exchange and complete tomorrow at the agreed price or the sale is off. Not a threat, just fact. Email back from them saying they would proceed, worded as if they're doing us a favour. I really want to tell them to f*** off now regardless, but the client wants the money as soon as possible. Watch this space to see what happens tomorrow.

Monday, 22 September 2008

The ultimate gazzunder.

As an estate agent times are very difficult at the moment what with a lack of sales, prices falling and a general lack of confidence in the property market. However you try to do the best for your client and keep smiling.

I always try to see the best in people and like to think that i am professional and honourable with my dealings with both vendors and purchasers. I pride myself in remaining calm and respectful even in the most stressful and trying of cicumstances. However today i nearly lost it. Let me explain.

We are selling a vacant bungalow for an aged client who has gone to New Zealand to be with her sister. Her property is her only asset and it needs to be sold to pay for her care and nursing fees. She gets no financial assistance and must provide for herself.

Several weeks ago we accepted a very low offer from a purchaser on the understanding that the sale would proceed very quickly. This they agreed to do. After a few annoying delays (i won't go into the details, but they really dragged their feet) we were informed by their solicitors that they were ready and exchange would take place at the end of the week. The day before exchange of contracts was due the buyers demanded a 15% reduction (citing the fall in property prices) or they would withdraw from the sale. This equated to a reduction in price of £55,500! An enormous sum.

Our clients were understandibly furious at the timing of the demand and really wanted to call their bluff, but because they needed to sell suggested a reduction of 10%. After a bit of negotiation we got the sellers and buyers to agree a 12.5% reduction as long as contracts were exchanged very quickly and confirmed to all parties accordingly.

This morning we get an email from the buyers saying that they will not now agree 12.5% but insistant on the original 15% reduction. It was take it or leave it or they would withdraw and proceed with an alternative property. After much soul searching the clients have agreed to this further reduction. We hope to exchange at the end of this week. Then the buyers had the cheek to ask if they could have access to do some re-decoration between exchange and completion. Of course we said no way.

I personally feel awful about the whole affair. Our poor client has been taken advantage of by a very unscrupulous buyer with no conscience or scruples. They are totally dishonourable and contemptable, but what they have done under the English system of house purchase is not illegal. So, unfortunately it is the system that ultimately is to blame. There should be something in place to stop this happening - but what.

One thing is for certain, these horrible people have undermined my faith in business morality and made me a harder and more sceptical person than i care to be. Bastards.