Did anyone see it???? I was gobsmacked. I could not believe what they were getting up to. When it started by the investigator going to rival agents to pick up details i just thought that was fair play to check out the competition and was wondering what the fuss would be about. I was totally unprepared for what followed. If i was a developer and agents were willing to get me a deal i guess id be up for some easy cash but to see what sums were involved and by how much the vendors were being duped for - unbloodybelievable!

Excellent programme. I dont mind paying the licence fee for things like that.

My girlfriend works in conveyancing selling new build properties acting for clients buying from developers and she sees some dodgy dealing - with specific developers more than other but even she was suprised by some of what she saw.

I have certainly heard of estate agents not passing on offers etc when it'd upset a chain or with holding info to get a sale through in a certain time frame to suite their targets/mont ends etc.

Ned.

I never had a particulary high regard for this profession but even I was surprised at the level of dishonesty and corruption.

I hope the "old boy" gets compensation for being shafted by these thieves.

One step towards regulation.

I would suggest employment agencies as a source of some good content for future BBC documentaries too.

- Jim

"whistleblower" I think that this one programme will finish estate agents wholesale, i'm seeing more and more private adds in local papers to sell property lately and this programme will just boost this IMO.

Six years ago, my mother in law needed a quick sale on her house due to relocation and ended up selling it well below the market value. When the sale had been agreed, she bumped into a chap who had viewed it and got talking to him.

It transpired that he had made an offer to the estate agents just below the asking price, buth they told him that it hadn't been accepted when in reality, they never passed the offer on to her.

They approached the estate agents who didn't want to know so they got trading standards involved. They found that an associate of the estate agents had bought the house and re-sold it at a much higher price immediately. They accepted that they hadn't passed offers on and said that he was the only person interested, in exchange for a cut of the profit, and were fined, but as there is no estate agent association, they couldn't be strook off and are still in business!

This shows the dark underside of capitalism. Give someone lots of competition with high financial insentives and they will develop unscrupiolous methods of winning. Those who act legally will lose and their business will dwindle. Even with more regulation this will go on.

Estate agents act as cartels keeping buyer and seller apart. With this kind of secrecey they can do all sorts and charge you a pretty sum for the privalage. They are better at advertising your house than you are and have hoards of people asking for house details, something you'd be hard pressed to match but if you can sell your house yourself then you are better off all round.

Remember that you can talk to your seller. You do know where they live! The agent may protest but so what.

Friends of mine had a siomilar experience to John Taylors story some 10+ years ago - they found out a higher offer had been withheld - they sued the estate agent to get the money that was the difference between the selling price and the offer that was never relayed.

The other thing that pisses my girlfriend off is estate agents that try to tell the customer what the solicitors do and that they're holding up the sale - estate agents have no idea about the legal work but always pass the blame for holdups onto the solicitors. The classic phone call from an estate agent offering flowers or bottle of wine to speed things up - they never arrive. Its all such a load of b*llocks.

it was funny when we bought our house though, knowing what tits the estate agents were being when they give us all the talk and then us telling them they're talking rubbish.

Ned.

[Edited on 22/3/06 by ned]

Didn't supprise me one bit. I never trusted the ones that I have had to deal with. For example, when you have gone to buy a house, how come there is always another party that is interested and in the process of making an offer.
I have stormed into offices before when selling and told them that they are working for me and to do as I instruct them. Sure they are not al bad, but I wouldn't trust them as far as I could throw them.

i had a bad experience when buying my self build plot, an old boy told me about it and i went to have a look but no signs were up so i hunted round to find the agent and made an offer which i was told was rejected after which i spoke to some of the neighbours and found out that the owner had moved to manchester and after tracking him down found out that he knew nothing about it
turned out that the agent was sitting on it for a builder mate of his to get it for peanuts then get a backhander and the commision from selling the new houses that were going to be built on the site, and the cheeky bastard complained that his client had breached the contract by selling the plot to me behind his back!!!!

As far as I'm concerned, estate agents come into the same category as:

car salesmen
IT employment agencies
most telephone help desk operatives
main dealer car service departments
<insert your favourite PITA here>

Wait 'til the revolution...

DJ

I rate EA's lower than used car salesmen. At least used car salesman have to pay out some money, before they get more back in (if they can resell the car). Estate agents don't even have to take that chance.

Cheers

Fred WB

but they're still not as low as "Solicitors" the amount of much corruption in this country doesn't surprise me,
just look at the mason's and the old schoolboy network,corruption is obviously worse the higher up the social ladder
more money, more power, just look at MPs well at least till they've burnt their fingers and get ousted by their own
the country is full of clicky groups and dodgy dealings, it always has been and always will be ...

I forgot to put members of parliament on my list... somewhere near the top.

DJ

At least politicians have the decency to shaft you behind your back. EA's do it to your face!