'TOUTING' FOR INSTRUCTIONS

Tue 27 Oct 2015

Several of our property owners have recently raised with us what they perceive as unprofessional behaviour by other estate agents 'touting' for the instruction to sell the property themselves.

After 25 years of selling homes in our area, we do find that we have a lot of repeat business from previous clients and recommendations too and our reputation does attract a good level of business for us.  We are proud to state that we never tout other agents' instructions, believing our efforts are best directed at selling the properties we already have on our books.

Unfortunately many other agencies do not hold this view, and in recent months there has been an avalanche of touting letters delivered to property owners, together with in some cases other agents knocking at the door too.

We think what annoys many property owners the most is the frankly laughable way other agents say they have buyers desperate for a home in their road, and they should phone the agent immediately to discuss this.  This could be in the form of a letter, or perhaps a hastily scrawled compliments slip from the newest negotiator at the agency concerned.  Owners feel that anyone desperately looking for a home in their road could find out for themselves that there is indeed a property available in that very road, probably be seeing a For Sale board outside, or seeing the property listed on a website, and therefore treat this approach with the contempt it perhaps deserves.

It is quite amusing to see that so many of the touting letters refer to this approach as being of 'a genuine, non-generic nature'.  In fact one letter we saw mentioned the word genuine at least 3 times - surely they protest too much?

Whilst we, and some of our owners, can see the funny side of all this, at other times it can be quite confusing and distressing, especially for the more mature or vulnerable home sellers.

Would you like the estate agents you appoint to operate in this way, or would you prefer our more professional approach of NO TOUTING!