Screwed By Seller's Agent

[pepamint_L 0]

I have to get this off my chest...

My fiance and I have been viewing flats almost every weekend for the past 3 months, finally saw what we liked, a 5 room flat in AMK Ave 3 2 weekends ago.

First time we met the seller's agent, a middle aged man by the name of Lawrence S*** from Pro***x, he wasn't even wearing his agent's badge, seemed to not know alot of the procedures. He was very nice and friendly to my agent, acting like he's really glad to meet my agent who verbally advised him on all the procedures. He also claimed that he wanted to close the case as quickly as possible since he was going overseas for a week.

Anyhow, he told my agent he's very keen to sell to us, said someone already offered him 30K but if we offered 35K COV he would try his very best to close the case. when we finally did 3 days later, he said someone else offered the same but had yet to get HLE. He claimed he did not want to start a bidding war, won't consider our bid anymore, even if we increased our bid!

....Then after a while, he suddenly changed his tune and said, if we offered 38K, he claims 'owner will close deal'. Then he 'went overseas' for 1 week..We should have smelt a rat by his sudden turn-around, but we were so keen on the flat that we ignored the warning signs...On hindsight, he was actually just waiting for the other party to get the HLE, to start the bidding war!

Finally, just before he returned from his 'overseas trip' we offered 38K, and he smsed my agent, to say it was a 'done deal'. The buyer had agreed, so even if someone else called him now, he would said the deal is closed. After his return, we were in fact arranging with him for the time to sign the option to purchase (on saturday) when he suddenly changed his tune again, claiming the other party offered 40K and we have to offer the same or higher!

In the end, we had to give up totally, firstly because the COV was really out of our budget and secondly, we finally saw what he was trying to do...In this whole process, we were led by the nose, the Lawrence **au was manipulating us and using us as a pawn to raise the COV...

Very angry, sad, disappointed, was so looking forward to it and now left feeling played out and used....

Edited December 16, 2010 by pepamint_L

[Jgal 0]

yeah.. alot of agents are like that ..

We went to view 1 house.. asking for $960k...express that we really like the place .

Agent call us the next day say someone offering $940k ask us to offer if we want the place.

We are not ready to part with our current flat and it's a bit high.. so we let it go..

4 mths down the road.. that house still in the mkt.

Last mth closed at $890k..if we had know that owner willing to go to <$920k.. we would have gotten it at 920k..

i think if the seller know, he must be upset also.

Edited December 16, 2010 by Jgal

[manutd1972 1]

I have to get this off my chest...

My fiance and I have been viewing flats almost every weekend for the past 3 months, finally saw what we liked, a 5 room flat in AMK Ave 3 2 weekends ago.

First time we met the seller's agent, a middle aged man by the name of Lawrence S*** from Pro***x, he wasn't even wearing his agent's badge, seemed to not know alot of the procedures. He was very nice and friendly to my agent, acting like he's really glad to meet my agent who verbally advised him on all the procedures. He also claimed that he wanted to close the case as quickly as possible since he was going overseas for a week.

Anyhow, he told my agent he's very keen to sell to us, said someone already offered him 30K but if we offered 35K COV he would try his very best to close the case. when we finally did 3 days later, he said someone else offered the same but had yet to get HLE. He claimed he did not want to start a bidding war, won't consider our bid anymore, even if we increased our bid!

....Then after a while, he suddenly changed his tune and said, if we offered 38K, he claims 'owner will close deal'. Then he 'went overseas' for 1 week..We should have smelt a rat by his sudden turn-around, but we were so keen on the flat that we ignored the warning signs...On hindsight, he was actually just waiting for the other party to get the HLE, to start the bidding war!

Finally, just before he returned from his 'overseas trip' we offered 38K, and he smsed my agent, to say it was a 'done deal'. The buyer had agreed, so even if someone else called him now, he would said the deal is closed. After his return, we were in fact arranging with him for the time to sign the option to purchase (on saturday) when he suddenly changed his tune again, claiming the other party offered 40K and we have to offer the same or higher!

In the end, we had to give up totally, firstly because the COV was really out of our budget and secondly, we finally saw what he was trying to do...In this whole process, we were led by the nose, the Lawrence **au was manipulating us and using us as a pawn to raise the COV...

Very angry, sad, disappointed, was so looking forward to it and now left feeling played out and used....

wat abt ur own agent? he didn't advise u accordingly when the seller's agent started his twists and turns?

[edenstrauss 3]

I think it's better for u to give up on this flat.

U're already having so much problems before even acquiring it under your name. So I think u should just give it up and continue looking elsewhere.

Sometimes, it isn't true that there r potential buyers who have outbid u in COV. And if he were indeed a professional agent, I think they would want to close the deal ASAP too as they will want to get their commission fast. What if they ended up with no potential buyers eventually when they play such games?

Actually, u could verify the identity of your seller's agent with the Property firm that he's representing. I've dealt with a few ERA agents and they would always visit with their landyard to identify themselves as ERA representatives. But for Pro***x, I don't see them wearing any of such passes.

Edited December 16, 2010 by edenstrauss

[bepgof 20]

Count yourself fortunate that no deal done.

There are plenty of good houses out there, take your time.

When come to "hot" house, always like that. Agents start to manipulate, best talk to seller directly for firm price. If seller undecisive, be prepare to go into bidding war, or simply just walk out.

Esp true with units which have good panoramic view, high flr, good location(with good amenities), no evening sun.....

I have to get this off my chest...

My fiance and I have been viewing flats almost every weekend for the past 3 months, finally saw what we liked, a 5 room flat in AMK Ave 3 2 weekends ago.

First time we met the seller's agent, a middle aged man by the name of Lawrence S*** from Pro***x, he wasn't even wearing his agent's badge, seemed to not know alot of the procedures. He was very nice and friendly to my agent, acting like he's really glad to meet my agent who verbally advised him on all the procedures. He also claimed that he wanted to close the case as quickly as possible since he was going overseas for a week.

Anyhow, he told my agent he's very keen to sell to us, said someone already offered him 30K but if we offered 35K COV he would try his very best to close the case. when we finally did 3 days later, he said someone else offered the same but had yet to get HLE. He claimed he did not want to start a bidding war, won't consider our bid anymore, even if we increased our bid!

....Then after a while, he suddenly changed his tune and said, if we offered 38K, he claims 'owner will close deal'. Then he 'went overseas' for 1 week..We should have smelt a rat by his sudden turn-around, but we were so keen on the flat that we ignored the warning signs...On hindsight, he was actually just waiting for the other party to get the HLE, to start the bidding war!

Finally, just before he returned from his 'overseas trip' we offered 38K, and he smsed my agent, to say it was a 'done deal'. The buyer had agreed, so even if someone else called him now, he would said the deal is closed. After his return, we were in fact arranging with him for the time to sign the option to purchase (on saturday) when he suddenly changed his tune again, claiming the other party offered 40K and we have to offer the same or higher!

In the end, we had to give up totally, firstly because the COV was really out of our budget and secondly, we finally saw what he was trying to do...In this whole process, we were led by the nose, the Lawrence **au was manipulating us and using us as a pawn to raise the COV...

Very angry, sad, disappointed, was so looking forward to it and now left feeling played out and used....

Edited December 16, 2010 by bepgof

[neubie 2]

What I think is, when the price is mutually agreed, IMMEDIATELY pay 5k check & sign the otp form. U dun want delays and any 夜长梦多. Lock the deal and even someone else offered 45k that greedy seller agent also can't do anything but to honor the otp.

Edited December 17, 2010 by neubie

[therat 18]

What I think is, when the price is mutually agreed, IMMEDIATELY pay 5k check & sign the otp form. U dun want delays and any 夜长梦多. Lock the deal and even someone else offered 45k that greedy seller agent also can't do anything but to honor the otp.

agree with neubie.

That's what we did when the seller want to increase another 4k when we had agree the price early.

He receive the valuation report and the price is much more lower than what he expected.

[cleong 1]

When you've seen enough flats, you will know to separate the good flats from the bad flats and know how to grab the flat at a given price the moment you see it.

For now, you're still rather inexperienced and don't know to seize the flat. From my 9 months of flat viewings, the seller's agent would NEVER talk prices in the presence of the home owners. You will find as you go along that home owners are less greedy than the agents, simply because the agent has to work very hard to increase their slice of commission. Thus they either create a bidding war environment or conjure up phony offers telling you that you have to pay more.

I've been in one bidding match with a fellow forumer here over a flat in Hougang Ave. 1 and didn't like the stress and agony of waiting to see if that home would be yours. I opted out of the match after 55k COV, when realization struck me that our resources wouldn't have let us have enough money left over for renovation. I heard from that forumer that they had signed OTP late in the night for that unit.

[neubie 2]

When you've seen enough flats, you will know to separate the good flats from the bad flats and know how to grab the flat at a given price the moment you see it.

For now, you're still rather inexperienced and don't know to seize the flat. From my 9 months of flat viewings, the seller's agent would NEVER talk prices in the presence of the home owners. You will find as you go along that home owners are less greedy than the agents, simply because the agent has to work very hard to increase their slice of commission. Thus they either create a bidding war environment or conjure up phony offers telling you that you have to pay more.

I've been in one bidding match with a fellow forumer here over a flat in Hougang Ave. 1 and didn't like the stress and agony of waiting to see if that home would be yours. I opted out of the match after 55k COV, when realization struck me that our resources wouldn't have let us have enough money left over for renovation. I heard from that forumer that they had signed OTP late in the night for that unit.

agreed, i tink the "first feeling" matters a lot in deciding if one will take/break the deal. gum, then take, buay gum, dun take. but some agents are unscrupulous, artificially marking up unsubstantiated offers where there's no way of verifying. that is the most jialat, as the buyer is at the mercy of the seller agent.

[godloveyou 0]

Just sharing some experience, do take note:

- Seller agent usually make same viewing time slot with some different buyers, to create the "bidding" environment.

- Don't let agent steal the show, always find time to have casual chat with seller directly if first impression of unit is good. Keke abit, unit well situated/renovated/convenient/spacious/well organised etc....the key is to let seller happy & talks.

- When a few buyers are around, don't join in the bidding. When heat cools down then come in. Remember, good units are always available out there.

Edited December 17, 2010 by godloveyou

[edenstrauss 3]

When you've seen enough flats, you will know to separate the good flats from the bad flats and know how to grab the flat at a given price the moment you see it.

For now, you're still rather inexperienced and don't know to seize the flat. From my 9 months of flat viewings, the seller's agent would NEVER talk prices in the presence of the home owners. You will find as you go along that home owners are less greedy than the agents, simply because the agent has to work very hard to increase their slice of commission. Thus they either create a bidding war environment or conjure up phony offers telling you that you have to pay more.

I've been in one bidding match with a fellow forumer here over a flat in Hougang Ave. 1 and didn't like the stress and agony of waiting to see if that home would be yours. I opted out of the match after 55k COV, when realization struck me that our resources wouldn't have let us have enough money left over for renovation. I heard from that forumer that they had signed OTP late in the night for that unit.

Hi cleong, I reckoned that Hougang Ave 1 r really old old flats & chances r u'll need extensive renovation, and thereafter, u run a risk of maintenance issues like water leakages from ceiling.

My brother inlaw whose putting up at Hougang Ave 5, had his fair share of spalling concrete problems. Another brother inlaw bought his matrimonial flat at Hougang Ave 1 more than 10 yrs ago, did a major overhaul becox the flat was really so run down & stinky; and eventually, the ceiling started leaking & water collected on the false ceiling, which my inlaws didn't realise until the entire false ceiling gave way together with their ceiling lamps; crashed down while they were away from S'pore. By the time they discovered the mess when they came back from the airport, the damage was so bad on their flooring; many tiles cracked.

So, it might just be a blessing in disguise that u give up such a flat to another owner. And yes, there r plenty of other choices around like what other RT members said. There might be another better one out there waiting for u to grab it

Edited December 17, 2010 by edenstrauss

[cleong 1]

So, it might just be a blessing in disguise that u give up such a flat to another owner. And yes, there r plenty of other choices around like what other RT members said. There might be another better one out there waiting for u to grab it

Not to knock on a fellow forumer, but it was a blessing in disguise for us because not long after we found one that better suited our needs and didn't cost as much COV.

[edenstrauss 3]

Hi cleong, congrats that u found ur ideal unit!

[marshmallow 0]

Reminds me of my own house-viewing experience...

It was also an agent from Pr****x (okie she was wearing her badge so i know ) it was at an open house of a pretty nice unit and the place was flooded with viewers. seller was asking 40k but still waiting for valuation report.

Many buyers seemed keen and we quite like the place too. We made an offer of 38k and at the same time, asked seller agent about amenities around that area.

Me: how to get to the NTUC? (i know there is an NTUC supermarket around that area, but not sure of exact location)

Seller agent: there is a minimart downstairs... (Me: *duh* )

Me: i'm asking how to get to the NTUC...

Seller agent: very near only, just walk around you will see.

Then of course, she kept pushing that a lot of amenities around ah etc... dun miss the deal ah etc...

Meanwhile, she said she will check with seller on our 38k offer and asked us to contact her again at 9pm, when the open house supposed to end. We left the place around 7+ for dinner.

Since we had some time, we decided to explore the area. obviously, we were not able to find the NTUC, so we stopped some random passer-by to ask for direction.

Me: excuse me, how to get to the nearest NTUC?

Passer-by A: erm, you can follow me, i'm going that direction.

(we walked together, about 30 sec later. she paused)

Passer-by A: are you SURE you want to walk there? it's very far you know? at least a 20 mins walk.

Me: *shocked* huh? so far? someone told me it's very near?? how about taking bus there?

Passer-by A: erm it's in between 2 bus stops so you gotta walk quite a fair bit too.................

So immediately, we know that the seller agent wasn't very honest...

At around 8pm, the seller agent called my agent, said someone made an 40k offer, do we wanna increase our offer... at that time, after being fooled once, we were a bit half hearted liao...

then just before 9pm, my agent checked with her, she said some PRC couple offered 42k, do we wanna increase our offer since the couple wanna OTP liao, etc etc....

at that point, i told my hubby, forget it... if someone wanna offer 42k, let them take the flat... i dun feel good dealing with this agent and i dun think the place worth 42k COV.

anyway, my agent later found that there were no such "PRC couple offering 42k" around... the unit was still in the market for weeks after... it was just the seller agent's trick to get higher price...

soon after, we found our ideal home - though we paid more COV - but the place is soo much better and we are totally in love with our home! i must thank this seller agent for playing such tricks... else i wouldn't find my current home

i guess, what's yours, will be yours. what's not yours, no matter how much effort you put in, it won't be yours... if really need to go through so much unhappiness to get a house, it might be better to move on....

Edited December 17, 2010 by marshmallow

[marshmallow 0]

What I think is, when the price is mutually agreed, IMMEDIATELY pay 5k check & sign the otp form. U dun want delays and any 夜长梦多. Lock the deal and even someone else offered 45k that greedy seller agent also can't do anything but to honor the otp.

agree with neubie.

That's what we did when the seller want to increase another 4k when we had agree the price early.

He receive the valuation report and the price is much more lower than what he expected.

would like to ask...

now that there is a 7-day cooling period, seller can only grant OTP after 7 days, so it's not possible to put 5k to seal the deal immediately, rite?

Does it mean that seller can still change their mind on the selling price after 7 days?