Estate Agents

[postman44]

Whose responsibility is it to show potential house buyers round your home. I say it's the estate agent with their knowledge and paying them commission. My sister in law says it's down to the home owner as they live there. Be interested to see what people think thank you.

[woofgang]

I think it depends what the estate agent and seller have agreed.

[ubasses]

Personal choice, no right or wrong way.

[Buenchico]

In some cases it's obvious that the estate agent has to show potential buyers around. (e.g. when the vendors live the other side of the country from the property that they're offering for sale and don't want to travel to every viewing).

At other times though it really ought to be down to agreement between the agent and the vendor. e.g. the estate agent might phone the vendors thus: "I'm just calling to confirm that I've made an appointment for Mr & Mrs Bloggs to view your property at 3pm this Saturday. Would you like me to be there, so that I can show them around myself, or are you happy to answer any questions that they might have?"

As a potential purchaser, I'd rather be shown around by a vendor than by an estate agent as there are some questions that an estate agent might not immediately know the answer to (e.g. "Can you tell me which school's catchment area this house is in?") and some that he couldn't possibly be expected to help with (e.g. "Do you get a lot of noise from people coming out of that pub down the road?")

[woofgang]

and as a seller, I would rather not be there because I can then avoid the awkward question about pub noise! More seriously as a woman alone I would prefer either not to be there or to have the viewers escorted by an agent so as not to be alone in the house with strangers. Last time i looked into selling the house, around 8 years ago, some of the one off payment estate agents charged extra for being there at viewings regardless of whether the seller was present or not.

[peterlawler]

It must be the estate agent. To involve the owner in any contact with a potential buyer would be a huge mistake.

[ladybirder]

As the estate agent will want your business it is usual to come to an agreement. If you are out at work all day then it's obvious the EA will do it. Some people like to show their own homes, some don't so you sort it between you. I've bought and sold a few properties and it's never been a problem.

[Vagus]

No rules, personal choice.
Me, I’d prefer to be there, don’t want strangers poking around my home with just an estate agent keeping check.

[Peter Pedant]

as usual it is the details in the contract to market the house

[AuntPollyGrey]

No one is 'responsible' for showing anyone around a property. You can arrange with the Agent that they show everyone around -or leave a key for showing when no-one is at home -its completely up to the individual. Most Agents will charge for an accompanied viewing and often they use self-employed 3rd parties, or even the office junior.