# Estate Agents - Non communication



## garliclover (Nov 17, 2015)

My husband and I are hoping to move to the Evora/Central Portugal region.
We are both recently retired and have been searching for properties on the internet for approx one year. We went over for 2 weeks recently to get to know the areas and also look at a particular property. It was nothing like the photos on the agents website or how the agent described it on the telephone. I think the photos were taken several years ago. Very dissapointing. My gripe is that we are registered with several agents but when we ring them about properties that we are interested in, no-one wants to answer our questions. Its the same answer from all of them quote "I am not dealing with that property, but will get someone to ring you back".....
but of course, no-one ever does... How on earth is one supposed to move forward with their house-hunting if there is no co-operation from estate agents..


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## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

garliclover said:


> My husband and I are hoping to move to the Evora/Central Portugal region.
> We are both recently retired and have been searching for properties on the internet for approx one year. We went over for 2 weeks recently to get to know the areas and also look at a particular property. It was nothing like the photos on the agents website or how the agent described it on the telephone. I think the photos were taken several years ago. Very dissapointing. My gripe is that we are registered with several agents but when we ring them about properties that we are interested in, no-one wants to answer our questions. Its the same answer from all of them quote "I am not dealing with that property, but will get someone to ring you back".....
> but of course, no-one ever does... How on earth is one supposed to move forward with their house-hunting if there is no co-operation from estate agents..


Welcome to the forum AND welcome to the Portuguese way of life/business.

As much as I love it here, the Portuguese couldn't sell a 10 minute liaison in a house of ill repute.

It's not at all uncommon for businesses to fail to contact you after your enquiry.

All you can do is move on to another company and hope they'll be more inclined to do business.


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## garliclover (Nov 17, 2015)

Thank you travelling-man for making me smile, when I felt so cross.... I will carry on looking and hoping....


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## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

If it's any consolation, I recommended the company who put our central heating in to 5 different people and they didn't bother replying to a single one of them........ so now I've given up recommending them.

Then one day in the future when the Brits start opening similar companies, they'll all be squealing because the Brits are taking all their business! - but that's life I guess! lol


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## robc (Jul 17, 2008)

I agree with TM
Most of the businesses here are about as much use as a cat flap in an Elephant house, you have to work hard to get what you want but always keep reminding yourself that if it was ultra efficient, modern, organised and motivated then life would not be so good and so cheap

Rob


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## grammymissy (Jun 21, 2009)

Fortunately, we had excellent customer services from several realtors in central Portugal, when we were looking for our home. . We purchased just outside of Tomar.


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## SpiggyTopes (Feb 1, 2015)

Try Portugal Property on Rightmove ... they sold my flat and found us a house.

Phone them.


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## garliclover (Nov 17, 2015)

Thanks for the replies... I am registered with rightmove, but they are not estate agents, but forward enquires to the relevant agents. That is when it all starts going downhill...


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## SpiggyTopes (Feb 1, 2015)

You need to PHONE and speak to the agents on Rightmove.


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## Strontium (Sep 16, 2015)

Here things work at a personal level, you may be lucky and think you can get thing achieved via the interwebs but for many things, like house hunting, here that will get you into frustration and timewasting. Everything here take 10 times longer then you think it will. If you want use Portuguese estate agent then you need to go see them and sit in their office to discuss everything then try look at everything and they'll only be able to get keys for half the properties. In mitigation there a vast number of empty and unwanted properties here many have multiple owners so any decision has to go through a discussion stage and until there is a possibility of a sale the paperwork will not be updated so the property details will possibly be inaccurate. The easier way is to have someone local doing the legwork for you who can line up viewing with half a dozen specified properties with different estate agents in one day.


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## garliclover (Nov 17, 2015)

Hello Strontium,
Thank you so much for your input. We have definately come to the decision that we have to go and visit estate agents offices to try and make progress in our house-hunting.
Thanks again, very helpful....


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## Strontium (Sep 16, 2015)

When you have 5 posts I can send you a private message, can't put on the main forum as it's taken as advertising, with a couple of local agents websites which give a good idea what is available but only in one smallish area.


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## garliclover (Nov 17, 2015)

Many thanks. Could be useful


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