estate agent! does this really happen?

[ilovemarkb]

do they send people to view your property to make you think that there is some interest !! (but secretly they aren't really potential customers)??? surely not!!!

[rockyracoon]

I wouldn't think so. Who would pay these people for their time? Now, timewasters looking at your house is a different matter, some people register interest with no intention of buying just to be nosey.

[sidkid]

I was shown around some properties in Lanzarote a few years ago. A couple were clearly out of my price range. He said "would I mind but he needed to show people around on a regular basis to prevent the vendors moving agents"! Can only assume it happens in the UK as well.....

[ilovemarkb]

interesting !! thanks

[murraymints]

sure it does..when buying also mysterious "other" buyers seem to appear that the propery owner knows nothing about !..happened to me when buying in St Albans...once the vendor knew went mad with agent...

[Baldric]

We were viewing property not long ago, we met the agent at a village property as arranged, at the end of the viewing he asked if we would spare half an hour to go to a property just round the corner with him as he needed to keep the vendor happy and had booked us a viewing, we declined as it was not fair to the seller.

[ilovemarkb]

oh my!!! I rang my estate agents on saturday to ask if there had been any interest in my property. then yesterday they rang up twice within 5 mins to arrange 2 seperate viewings!!

[rowanwitch]

In the same way some crafty buyers send friends round to view places and put in much lower offers so the real one looks good by comparison

[donchano]

A few years ago we were selling our house using an agent that had several local branches. We didn't get any viewings at all in the first few weeks so I rang the agent and put a bit of pressure on to market the property more effectively. Lo and behold, two days later we had a viewing by a girl of about 18 who came on her own. I thought it odd for someone of that age to be interested in a 3-bedroom 2-bathroom family home, and she was clearly very uncomfortable. Two months later I happened to be walking by another branch of the same agent and happened to look through the window...and guess who I saw sitting at one of the desks?