# Estate Agents Minefield



## AuMargaret (Feb 3, 2015)

Hola

I live in Chiclana, Andalucia.

Can anyone recommend a GOOD estate agent please? An English speaker is preferred.

So far as I can tell they just stick your property onto the internet and WAIT ! There does not seem to be anything like "marketing" or writing good property descriptions to get somebody interested in your house. Even the photos on their websites are horrible.
They don't even seem to be too keen to come to the house to give an appraisal.

Also, what could one expect to pay for their "service" (or lack of)? I paid an agent nearly 5000 Euros to buy the house. Yes, BUY it. Where I come from, the seller pays the agent. I understand that 3% is their normal fee. Is this the going rate?

Thanks for reading.
AuMargaret


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## Overandout (Nov 10, 2012)

Can't recommend any agent in your area, and I certainly understand the view that they don't (at first glance) appear to add much value to the process.

However, in my case, we had a dispute with the vendor of our apartment and she just disappeared.

Luckily, there was an agent, and the communication with them, and adverts posted by the agent, along with my contract with them, means that they are jointly and severally liable for my losses and I am therefore sueing them instead of the owner (who we believe doesn't have a cent to their name anyway).

You pays your money (or not) and you takes your choice as the saying goes.


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## Keral (Sep 16, 2017)

I do not know if there is an office near to you, but we have used Blue Square in both France and Spain for buying and selling. Run by 2 Scottish guys.


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## AuMargaret (Feb 3, 2015)

OK many thanks. I will check Blue Square out.


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## xgarb (May 6, 2011)

Can you not sell it yourself?

Make the house look its best. Get a professional photographer to take pictures and put it on the internet.

Most of the property websites will allow private listings.


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## Patico (Sep 24, 2017)

Xgard, great way to do it, well it worked for me a few years ago. I was just appalled by the standard of photos the majority of Agents put on their websites and wanted a big fee for their efforts.


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## Dunpleecin (Dec 20, 2012)

Horses for courses. If you're not there for a lot of the time a good agent can and will go in and make sure the ship shape for visitors as well as take people to your property from their hotel or whatever. If you live there it might be different. Depending on fees assuming it's a no sell no fee a good one is worth the money. But like a lot of things a bad one and you may as well not bother.


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## AuMargaret (Feb 3, 2015)

As I do not speak a word of Spanish, I would be nervous about selling the house myself because of the paperwork/logistics and so forth.


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## davexf (Jan 26, 2009)

AuMargaret said:


> As I do not speak a word of Spanish, I would be nervous about selling the house myself because of the paperwork/logistics and so forth.


Hola 

How did you buy the house? your impression of the estate agent and how you found them may help. If not try contacting several estate agents either in person or by phone and only speak English; this should give you an idea of what you can expect from each one. 

Davexf


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## Isobella (Oct 16, 2014)

Patico said:


> Xgard, great way to do it, well it worked for me a few years ago. I was just appalled by the standard of photos the majority of Agents put on their websites and wanted a big fee for their efforts.


Most don't do presentation do they. Seen quite a few with the lavatory seat up or a rumpled bed.


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## Isobella (Oct 16, 2014)

AuMargaret said:


> As I do not speak a word of Spanish, I would be nervous about selling the house myself because of the paperwork/logistics and so forth.


 Quite right. We tried to go it alone. Lots of time wasters and many downright scammers. Had a few who wanted to buy it without seeing it one guy claimed to be Belgian wanted me to fly to Barcelona to do the transaction! 

A good Estate agent is worth their weight in gold, unfortunately they are few and far between. Many British ones are like the builders, their expertise invented on the flight out. If you do manage to find a buyer there is the question of payment, how will it happen on the day. If they pay by bankers draft you need to have all the details and check them out with relevant bank or they could be fake. A minefield is correct.


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## Megsmum (Sep 9, 2012)

Employ a lawyer

Sell the house yourself, and hand over legalities to a specialist. Even in the U.K. an estate agent is not required.


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## AuMargaret (Feb 3, 2015)

I bought the house via an agent and their fees were a tad under 5000 Euros. Where I come from the seller pays the fees and not the buyer.
Yes, they were quite helpful, but I would like to find at least one other agent to see if they are able to offer a better marketing sale and possibly not so expensive.


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## AuMargaret (Feb 3, 2015)

Yes, I am certainly considering this option. Would be great to get a real estate agent's appraisal though. I really have very little idea of the worth of my house.


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## DanielBrooks (May 3, 2017)

Do you know a good, licensed lawyer to conduct the purchase of an apartment near Marbella? To represent the buyer.


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## danboy20 (Jul 10, 2017)

AuMargaret said:


> Hola
> 
> I live in Chiclana, Andalucia.
> 
> ...



I´m not sure about commission rates in your area, but 5% is normal Málaga way. 

People forget that to advertise property on Rightmove, Zoopla & a well optimized website etc is expensive, and there is a hell of a lot of work that goes in to get ONE sale! Most agents will take several clients out for every ONE sale. Lots of petrol costs on the people that don´t buy, office costs....etc...etc.

Many people put this 5% on top of the price you want anyway, so I don´t understand the problem people have with honest agents making a living. It´s a fact that people who try to sell their own houses take a hell of a lot longer. You also have no idea of who you are letting into your house, and as you have said, have little experience with the sometimes laborious, bureaucratic task of selling a house here - obtaining the right documents, waiting around for hours at the notary etc etc....


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## Isobella (Oct 16, 2014)

danboy20 said:


> I´m not sure about commission rates in your area, but 5% is normal Málaga way.
> 
> People forget that to advertise property on Rightmove, Zoopla & a well optimized website etc is expensive, and there is a hell of a lot of work that goes in to get ONE sale! Most agents will take several clients out for every ONE sale. Lots of petrol costs on the people that don´t buy, office costs....etc...etc.
> 
> Many people put this 5% on top of the price you want anyway, so I don´t understand the problem people have with honest agents making a living. It´s a fact that people who try to sell their own houses take a hell of a lot longer. You also have no idea of who you are letting into your house, and as you have said, have little experience with the sometimes laborious, bureaucratic task of selling a house here - obtaining the right documents, waiting around for hours at the notary etc etc....


UK agents do a lot more, such as qualifying potential viewers so no time wasters. They advertise widely and still only charge 1 to 1.5%.

Agree that you have no idea who you are letting in, some are apt to wander. Make sure you are not alone. I had an agent bring someone and they were dashing around taking videos of the whole house, I felt very uneasy when I thought about it afterwards.


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## 746786 (Dec 26, 2014)

We plan to market our house ourselves well in advance of any sale date we might have in mind. That means using whatever free listing sites are out there, putting up a sign on the property with a phone number etc. Then get a solicitor to deal with the paperwork.

I haven't had good experiences of estate agents in Spain, or lawyers for that matter. They all want a big chunk out of you for doing very little. In the UK they are similar, but not as ferocious. A bit like the less aggressive red squirrel - same species but much less aggressive than the grey squirrel. In the end they still want your nuts! :croc:


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## danboy20 (Jul 10, 2017)

Isobella said:


> UK agents do a lot more, such as qualifying potential viewers so no time wasters. They advertise widely and still only charge 1 to 1.5%.
> 
> Agree that you have no idea who you are letting in, some are apt to wander. Make sure you are not alone. I had an agent bring someone and they were dashing around taking videos of the whole house, I felt very uneasy when I thought about it afterwards.



It´s apples and oranges.

UK house prices are generally much more, and there are much less split deals in the UK than Spain. So many deals in Spain are done on a 50/50 basis. Also, when I advertised my property in England, there was a clause with one agency that if the property sold elsewhere marketing costs were covered, meaning you were reluctant to sell the property with more than one agency. That´s generally not the case in Spain....if you don´t sell a property, you don´t get anything....simple.

A proper agency in Spain, might have expenses of 4-5000 Euro per month, and there is no guarantee you will sell anything.

People are free to sell their house themselves - they will generally realise how much work is involved. You often have to act as as secondary lawyer - getting documents, and solving lots of problems throughout the sales process. Good agents give full support to clients post sale as well....solving lots of problems for them. 

I also think clients prefer working with an agent, rather than dealing directly with a seller as well.


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## smudges (May 2, 2013)

Magtnolia Property has a Spanish section on their website. It might be worth investigating them - I know nothing about how they work but it looks to me as if it's a site used by owners. Also, I believe that you don't need a lawyer if you're selling, only a (good, competent!) notaria.


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