Tuesday, 02 July 2019
Hopefully, you have had a chance to read about my experiences last week. The sort of experience you need when you are ready to buy your home in Spain! But if not, you can view it here…………
So, back on the road for another viewing trip with a different estate agent – who, I fear, must remain nameless just now!
Exciting times and really looking forward to viewing one property in particularly! If the pictures were anything to go by…we would surely get the Spanish house of our dreams!
On the morning in question, in my usual way, I confirmed the meeting ahead of our journey since we needed to travel for at good 90 minutes! Off we went. Brunch in the sunshine, high expectations, loving the town we had arrived at. And then, it went rapidly downhill on meeting the agent!
Where to start? Best if I simply sum it up for you! Here goes:
- It was clear there was something amiss as soon as we met! Seemingly, the agent had been up since 3am with heartburn and immediately asked could we reschedule? It’s not that I am not sympathetic but perhaps the best time might have been in response to my confirmation e-mail rather than a journey that took us 90 minutes! Nicely, I asked if we could at least view one property!!
- As we were approaching the property, our agent was “hopeful” that the key was still in the same place! And equally as “hopeful” that the code for the key box hadn’t changed! Now, correct me if I am wrong but should that not be checked out before? In order that poor, “hopeful” viewers who have not just travelled locally, but from the UK, can get into the property?
- Once inside…what a total let down! The property and bore no resemblance whatsoever to the online pictures. Not just a little bit, a whole lot! Ditto: All but one of the properties we visited. So much so, that my husband simply refused to continue with one viewing when we could have done with a machete to clear the undergrowth on to a patio area!
- And on to another property…. and I’m not entirely sure I would want an estate agent stretched out on my sofa, declaring they could stay there all day! Am I being picky?
- Perhaps I am also being picky when I tell you that I am not a great one for being driven at speed (eat your heart out Lewis Hamilton), and bouncing over speed humps (which this particular agent “hated”). Fond memories of how Paul made me, and hubby, when he was present, feel so at ease and comfortable???
Do you get the feeling that this trip is deteriorating badly? Read on for a little longer…..
I think for me, the final straw was how a call to a client was handled. Due to one of the properties not being within walking distance to facilities, the agent called the vendor and cancelled the viewing. Now, I admit, that I have spent all of my working life (nearly 40 years) in “customer care”. The one thing that is guaranteed to send me over the “edge/top” is when it doesn’t happen!
The conversation was short, a little sharp and when the agent came off the phone, proceeded to moan about the vendor moaning, and how it was no one’s fault that we had cancelled. And it was certainly not “their,” (the agent’s) problem, that the vendor had spent time cleaning the property. “It was always spotless anyway!”
BIG MISTAKE!!! WE ARE POTENTIAL CLIENTS OF THE FUTURE!
And so, I am sure you will agree that this particular viewing experience was something of a nightmare. Would I buy a property through this person? No! Would I sell a property through this person? No! At the end of the day, people buy from people, don’t they? I know I do!
Never was I more grateful to get back to the car and head for home! And the happy ever after here is that we are in the process of purchasing a beautiful town house through Inland Andalucía.
Thank you Team Inland Andalucía! We don’t just “think” we are in Safe Hands, we know we are!
Posted by: Graham on Tuesday, 02 July 2019
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