Your experience with ED Estate Agents? 2015 /2016 ?

[Cats_pyjamas]

We?re thinking of selling sometime this year and would like recent, honest accounts of ED estate agents.

Naturally want to deal with people that give us buyers' feedback, are humans not robots and will have excellent ability to put a positive spin on every aspect of the house, BUT truthfully we also need to sell our place for as much ? as we can get.

I know there are some reviews on the forum already but as any company can change (good or bad) I?m particularly interested in those that had experiences in the last 5 months or so. Thanks

[rosedee]

I've previously recommended No Flies estate agent - 4 months ago when I said how good they were in managing a complicated chain. That chain collapsed and I am now about to exchange (I hope)in another chain involving 5 properties.

I still recommend them very highly and wouldn't hesitate to use them again. I haven't been able to say that about any of the other estate agents I've used over the years! Both Brendan and Tony have continued to be easily accessible, excellent at communications, efficient, proactive and personable. In addition they have been very supportive in a sale that has, and continues to be, be very stressful.

[tess_dulwich]

Another huge recommendation for NoFlies from me. We needed a quick sale and they managed to get the flat on the market at short notice with viewings arranged for the next day. They provided objective and prompt advice and have extensive knowledge of the market.

They've been extremely helpful throughout the whole process, have continually gone out of their way to help with all our queries and communication has been excellent. As an added bonus they?re both really lovely and genuine people and we were so relieved that we didn?t have to deal with a big agency.

[Loz]

Yet another huge recommendation for Brendan and Tony over at No-Flies estate agents. We sold back in October and they were fantastic in helping us sell our property. We first put it on the market last year, but then we decided to take it off due to the huge number of houses on the market at the time. This was no problem for Brendan, who understood our reasoning and supported us.

When we did come back to the market this year, Brendan was great in getting potential buyers in and keeping a great line of communications between us and the buyer all through the negotiations and conveyancing process. Throughout the process there was great advice and no pressure. Really recommend them.

[Cats_pyjamas]

Wow, lots of good reviews.

My fears about No Flies though are that they don't get a lot of viewings, or that they don't get you a very high price. Anyone care to challenge me?

[rosedee]

My house had something like 10 viewings in the first week and was under offer within 10 days, despite a BH w/e in the middle.

I was very happy with the value they put on it, the price it was marketed at and the offer I accepted! It seems to me that they are pretty realistic in their recommendations, which they backup with a detailed analysis of the market. At the same time, they took my opinion into account and would have followed my instruction if I'd wanted it to go on at a higher price.

Personally, I don't like the estate agents who indicate they will get you a higher price In order to get your business, but then can't sell it for that price.

[Loz]

No shortage of viewings and they got me a very good price. Also, you'll get a few more thousand in your pocket automatically with No-Flies as their fees are *much* lower than others!

Most people do their searches these days on Rightmove or similar and No-Flies list with these websites. There are more than 10 estate agents on Lordship Lane alone, so anyone telling you that having an office there gives you some sort of competitive advantage is pulling your leg.

[Lazero]

Not to make this too much like a No Flies love-in, but I'd completely echo the above comments. It's outside your 4 month time frame, but I sold through them just over a year ago, after having a failed experience with another estate agent. They got just as many viewings as the Lordship lane estate agent, and got a better price (of course 3 months had passed so prices had gone up, but they had done better than I'd expected).

I bought my new place in ED as well so I also had the buyer's experience. I completely agree that the high street office doesn't seem to matter anymore. I set up my area alerts on Rightmove and Zoopla and just contacted the number on there. I even saw places through national online-only places (e.g. Purple Bricks) and they weren't materially worse. But No Flies have a much better balance as they have local knowledge and are based here.

[yeknomyeknom]

I would very much recommend you do not use Roy Brooks.

[DovertheRoad]

No Flies and Winkworth in SE15 and SE22. For Dulwich Village and borders I'd probably use Knight Frank or Harvey & Wheeler ... as different market above the ?1.2M mark...

[Giacomelli]

Ok to give you a perspective on one of the high st ones. Recently used Haart and very happy... They seemed to have a monopoly on my street (loads of annoying sold signs in last 3 months) which was one of the reasons I used them. If they were taking a couple to view one of the properties nearby then they would go to mine too. I am sure they all do this. Yes they may have a bit of a pitch, but I work in sales too and they got my place sold at a price I was happy with. From being a house hunter too, I would say that a lot of the success is down to you being flexible. I said yes to every viewing even if my toddler had previously trashed the place in the morning and there was no way I could tidy up (being at work). The future is probably in online agents but as a viewer I found them incredibly frustrating (one telling me an offer had been accepted when it hadn't).

Haart always gave me feedback after every viewing positives and negatives and I didn't need to wait long to sell.... Having a chain that was initially 9 people long with a divorce in the middle somewhere (not us!) was NOT helpful

Not at the end yet... Moving tomorrow.

Good luck and pm me if you want further info.

[Simon Cyrene]

Very much in the same spirit as "yeknomyeknom" I thoroughly recommend that you do not use Acorn under any circumstances whatsoever.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED !!!

[Ladharrbeinn]

Same story from me - we've just sold our house with No Flies. Choosing them was a no brainer - they sold the house next door (Landells Road) and achieved the highest price ever achieved in the road. That, plus their fixed fee was significantly below the other agents.

In the end, though, the thing that was far more valuable to us was the service and reassurance given by Tony through the whole sale and conveyancing process. He replied to emails in the evenings and at weekends, kept us fully informed of all the viewings and so on - all ran like very precise clockwork.

After we'd accepted the offer we found our buyers were, let's say, "pedantic", and it took almost 5 months to get from offer to exchange. However Tony put in huge amounts of time and effort managing the whole process and keeping both sides on track - I'm sure it would have fallen through without his calm influence.

Basically with No Flies you are dealing with calm, reasonable and very experienced adults. By comparison some of the other agents we had round seemed like they should be working in a phone shop - all big watches and sharp suits.

Probably if you want to try to - as a wild example plucked from thin air - sell a converted garage on Barry Road for ?800,000, you are better off with Foxtons, but back in the real world, I'd recommend No Flies every time...

[pr5ined]

Thought I would chip in with our experience of using KFH on the high street in ED! We met the whole team including Paul, Kylie, Charlene and Stephen before selling our property. Kylie was the agent responsible for our sale which did drag on for no reason on the agent;she was always available to speak about what was going on with our sale and managed the sale through despite a few hiccups. A really positive experience and we also saw that Charlene and Paul were fully upto date when Kylie was not available or on holiday to speak to.

We achieved a good price and they did get buyers through the door to view. Their vetting process was great too and they made sure we didnt get any timewaster buyers. They have a good vibe over there and are not pushy when it comes to sales!

Would have no hesitation in using Kylie and the team again.

[DovertheRoad]

...best regards, Kylie.

[pr5ined]

Sorry Mr Troll...It's not Kylie...would be pretty stupid for an estate agent to write their own posts.

[Rosedeb]

We recently sold our house using Pickwick estates in Dulwich Expensive property of 6 figure sum. We made the mistake of thinking we needed one of the bigger national firms ...better exposure we thought. A mistake. Pickwick showed around genuine buyers...the others voyeurs...just to keep up the viewing numbers. We had 3 offers from Pickwick and 1 from the other agent. We felt that the whole experience was much more positive with Liz and she practised ethically and in our interest. I wouldn't bother with any other agent in Dulwich and Honor oak. We felt that Liz went the extra mile for us ....clearly knew the area and was extremely knowledgable about local conditions and prices

[P.O.U.S.theWonderCat]

Interesting. As a buyer, I decided not to touch Pickwick with a barge pole when they were rude and condescending to us. They either had a poor understanding of their own market or decided we were chumps who would believe their overinflated claims about the market just because we were non-local buyers. There are other similar complaints on the net (including on this forum if I recall correctly).

[Rosedeb]

You've clearly never used them. Sure you are not another agent?

[Misscvsworn]

Not sure if this will help from a buyers perspective, but we offered and had accepted on 3 properties and all fell through before we finally found our place through Pedder and I can definitely recommend the Forest Hill branch. Attentive in person and on the phone. Kept continuous communication at all times and helpful once the sale had gone though. Daniel was the guy we dealt with.

KFH in ED arranged our first offer and I have to say, they weren't the best. I had to chase on the phone a lot and felt I was forever placed on hold. We were trying to buy the property for 4 months and then were let down, not so gently. Hope this helps.

[P.O.U.S.theWonderCat]

Heh. Are you sure you aren't a Pickwick agent, Rosedeb? A bit hard to countenance why you would take exception to my comment otherwise.

FWIW OP, considering Rosedeb is suggesting I'm a liar, the most recent one thread about Pickwick is here. Feel free to disregard my contribution to it if you wish, but I'm clearly not the only buyer they have put off with their behaviour.

http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?30,1653898,1653898#msg-1653898

We were so annoyed with their behaviour we put them in the Foxton's and KFH basket when it came to viewing properties and didn't bother.

[AnouskaTamony]

We had a great experience with KFH. Charlene McGarry in particular was friendly, polite and proactive.

Anouska

[lj57]

I'm sure the OP has long since sold, but I thought this was the most appropriate place for another glowing recommendation for No Flies. We've just sold through them, and their service has been excellent. Both Brendan and Tony know their stuff and are very responsive - they'd reply to emails to arrange viewings at the weekends and evenings. We got lots of viewings and were very happy with the price achieved too. They also managed a complicated process between offer and exchange with patience, sensible advice and humour. I found them through recommendations on here, and really can't recommend them highly enough.

[wanjieru]

Experience with Estate Agents - Gareth James - my and my tenants' none too happy experience

Just when I thought it could get no worse - just when I thought I had experienced the worst in Estate Agents East Dulwich and Peckham had to offer in letting my property, I discovered Gareth James.

Uncoordinated, staff going on holiday without warning, and without backup, not carrying out instructions, not informing me about taken deposits, not undertaking gas and other certificates when instructed (twice) and then to cap it all, despite clear instructions to the contrary, telling the new tenants to pay them for a second month and not me. They have failed to let me have their complaints policy .....

There need to be much tighter controls and monitoring of these businesses.

[Gardenlover]

Family home in SE22 is going on the market this Spring and would appreciate up to date recommendations for Estate Agents. Any and all feedback welcome. Im particularly interested in those that can share experience, good or bad, in the last 6 months. Thank you.