Bloody Estate Agent

[2old4this]

Me & the mrs viewed the house and we liked it and offered full asking price now the Estate Agent asking us who buying our house so i told him i was selling it privately so he wants me to bring in my house buyer, so i make a phone call to the Estate Agent to tell him in morning i bring in the buyer. after a couple of hour i get a phone call that they have found a buyer for the house the person lives in a rented place so he gets the house
Spoke to the seller about it she says she is a first time seller and has no experience and is going by the Estate Agent

The guy at JNP in wycombe is a **** i will never put any property for sale through them

[Rob]

All too common. Bottom line estate agents will recommend to sellers they accept the best offer. In many cases the best offer is the person most able to proceed to purchase. Someone renting has nothing to sell so is in a better place to purchase than someone who has to sell.

Ultimately remember the estate agent is commissioned to sell the house and act for the seller, not the purchaser.

[Gareth]

I have a serious disliking of estate agents... like Rob says, the situation you describe is all too common unfortunately.

I much prefer the way things are done in Scotland... whereby once an offer is accepted and both parties are satisfied, a letter holding the bargain as concluded is issued and there is then a binding contract between seller and buyer. It takes a little longer to agree on conditions than in England/Wales but at least you know exactly where you stand, and it stops people from accepting offers from other parties and gazumping from taking place.

Not much consolation for you, 2old4this, as I presume you're not buying in Scotland.

[Rob]

The Scottish system wouldn't have helped here. The sale hadn't reached the stage that there was an accepted offer.

[Kliro]

You could always offer above asking, though I can see how much you wouldnt want to do that.