Medway wrote:Heaver in Tooting Bec are as bad...I will not 'name and shame' because if I do I risk being sued for defamation - but again, buyers are treated like chewing gum on the bottom of one's comfortable, court-heeled shoe... (if you have sold through Heaver you will have been treated with perfect charm)

The vendors of our house sold through Heaver and I have to say as buyers the agent from Heaver couldn't have been more helpful. I think he did a good job for the vendors in terms of getting the best price, which is what he is paid for, but to us as buyers he was very polite, not at all pushy, when we were looking sent us details of properties that met our stated criteria (not like some agents who would send us anything). I appreciate that firms have more than one person and that there are differences between different people within firms.

Townieatheart - would you mind telling me the name of the letting agent you had that were good? We might be needing one soon....

It seems that buyers and renters in particular have a pretty poor experience. I really hope that any alternative service really takes off. I have seen that some landlords have stopped using traditional estate agents to manage Lettings and get a better (and cheaper!) service through other companies.

These badly run agencies have been getting money for nothing for TOO long!!

I would definitely recommend the team at Rymer Irens- really know their stuff and the area. Plus you get a Chez Bruce voucher!

I also had a really poor experience with Featherstone Leigh, but the lettings dept rather than sales.
I was marketing my flat with another agent but having had FL round to value they kept calling. I didn't mind this at all, seemed very proactive to me, so I instructed them too. They collected the keys, took photos and then never called me again! After a few days I rang them as my flat still wasn't on their website, they told me this must be an error with my search engine. After a week I rang to see if they'd had viewings, they said they had but had no feedback. Meanwhile the other agent was keeping me informed before and after every viewing with both positive and negative feedback - which I could act upon. The difference between the good agents approach and FL was huge. After 2 weeks with FL I still couldn't find my flat on their website and they had still never called me - so I went to their offices, collected my keys and disinstructed them!
The flat was let a week later by the other agent, and at a lower commission.

I sold through Rymer Irens. Can't recommend Ben there highly enough.

I have used Jacksons in Balham twice and both times thought they were pretty good.

Foxtons on the other hand....

Completely concur re Douglas and Gordon - they are really snooty! They look down their noses at buyers and renters, I think because they feel they are in a position of 'power'...not enough stock, many interested buyers....Heaver in Tooting Bec are as bad...I will not 'name and shame' because if I do I risk being sued for defamation - but again, buyers are treated like chewing gum on the bottom of one's comfortable, court-heeled shoe... (if you have sold through Heaver you will have been treated with perfect charm) It distresses me INTENSELY...I just hope sites like Sarah Beeny's helping people cut out agents start to take off. Interstingly I know of 2 houses in our road recently sold privately (buyers knew they wanted the road and leafleted all houses in the street). Agents were bought into value and then the parties agreed price etc between them, using solicitors and email. Bye bye 10% fees for doing ABSOLUTELY NADA.

I'd be interested in any other advice on agents to avoid in the area.. We had a positive experience of Jacksons Balham btw

Thanks Supergirl, I like your mosquito bite analogy. Got into a bit of a philosophical debate with the Director at Featherstone Leigh about whether maybe selling a house was so stressful that it was impossible to think positively about one's estate agents (but I figure that if one can go through childbirth and still thank the midwife at the end then... )

Firsttimer - interesting about your experiences and whether maybe agents who are horrible across the board are at least easier to deal with. One of the reasons we went with Featherstone Leigh this time was that ironically, they were great when we bought with them 7 years ago. This time round, it felt like if anything, they were still (haphazardly) working for the buyers - all very nice but they're not the people who are paying a hefty fee (I agree that solicitors do a lot more for a lot less cash).

Anyway thank you all for your helpful thoughts/recommendations for the future.

I second the last posters comment on Douglas and Gordon on Northcote Road.
We had them in to our house to value it for sale, value it for rent and also rented a property through them briefly. They were as nice as could be when they were in to value our house but when we rented through them, we were at best treated as an annoyance and at worst treated like a mosquito bite.
I'd have had more respect for them if they'd been nasty across the board, it's the fact that they gauge how nice they have to be to you depending on the service you're using them for that isgusts me.
It's they and their ilk that give all estate agents a bad name and I would never recommend them and actually go out of my way to tell people to avoid them like the plague.

For us the worst besides Foxtons are Douglas and Gordon on Northcote rd. even when you come in to ask for the details of a property they are unpleasant.

We bought, sold and bought again with KFH on northcote. They were decent. But we firmly believe that our sollicitor did much more work for a lot less than the estate agents. So it really feels that estate get their money for nothing apart from putting a buyer and a seller together so agents are expensive and should respect that and treat their client properly.

I feel for you OP. Hope you manage to get an spology at least.

(I have no time for estate agents, for me it is like a mosquito bite: it comes, it hurts and then it goes and you forget it )

Also, be wary of any agent who is pushing a cash buyer on the account it would be a quick transaction - we recently used Hamptons for another property we own and it took probably the same time as someone with a mortgage would achieve.

Audrey - like your description of John Thorogood - actually adding value to the process and taking responsibility for the final outcome, sounds like what (in my naive view!) estate agents should be doing! Thanks.

One more recommendation for John Thorogood - we recently bought through them and they were very professional, keeping on top of the transaction on a weekly basis, trying to anticipate any issues and deal with them quickly. A very smooth transaction and we'll definitely use them if it comes to sell.

James Pendleton are also very good, even though at times I felt they overstretched themselves.

Rampton Baseley are brilliant - wonderful to work with and (in our opinion) know this area like no other. We have had rather disappointing experiences with Savills, James Pendleton and Heaver recently.

Have to say Thorogoods are anazing, we've bought, sold and let property through them. Am sure some of the others are good too (the Hamptons guys seem nice) but Thorogoods are a real family outfit and they are a delight to deal with. I know it's too late for you now but they are not all bad, though most of them are, I'd have to admit. A lot of those ones up on Lavender Hill try to get the BTC market by vastly overinflating what you can achieve for your house.
I steer clear of the chains where possible and really take the likes of Thorogoods and Rampton Baseley most seriously.
(I caveat this by saying I am not an estate agent!)