Good property agents? an oxymoron ?

[jeannietanz]

everything takes a bit of effort.

if one wants to find a good place without the help of agents, look out for saturday classifieds that state "No agents"... some of them are marketed by the owners directly, i think. alternatively, look for those little ads outside supermarkets

My boyfriend currently stays at 8 @ Mount Sophia. He found the place via a Saturday classified ad that said "No agents" He had already seen a few places with agents and had identified this place as one of those he wouldn't mind staying at. He was checking Classifieds to see if comparable units in the development could be done at a cheaper rate. By some twist of fortune, he did indeed manage to get a cheaper unit via the Classifieds, from a owner unit.

This doesn't mean that agents are altogether bad. He did use this website to view a couple of properties when he first arrived. Who knows? If an agent shows you enough units, you might get a unit you like that meets your budget... and do it more efficiently. Looking for a unit yourself takes a bit more effort

[viyu]

i decided not to stick to one agent when searching for apts this time. seen so many tricks:

1. asking u for 2-month rent comission fee for 2-year contract (or 1 month for 1-year) even the rent is over 3k. hoping that u dont know what the common practice is. - lessons learnt: clarify comission policy and immediately drop if they insist

2. showing the unit without saying anything bad abt the place. using excuses such as in a hurry or being busy as the reason not finding the probs for u. here the agent acts on ur behalf. - lessons learnt: bring ur sharp eyes and even take pix of suspicious things when first time viewing. request for a 2nd time viewing bef signing the loi if not sure.

3. asking u to hand in the deposit and sign the loi as if the ll is already fine with the deal. turns out that ll is only comparing offers and turn ur offer down after a few days. - lessons learnt: never stop searching until the contract is signed. try to ask ur agent to pay the deposit (if u have one) for u and then reimburse ur agent if offer accepted.

4. when signing the loi, tend to forget all ur previous requests regarding replacement, repair, or renovation. u have to remind and watch those being written. using excuses such as not paying attention to ur sms coz driving. - lessons learnt: make ur requests in written format such as sms and email. show them the record if they deny.

5. do not warn u anything about the contract. when u find sth fishy and point it out, saying that they are not as well educated as u are so cant spot it. - lessons learnt: read contract very carefully and use the sticked post here as a guideline

6. trying to invoke ur sympathy by saying how hard they are making their lives. scolding u as the most difficult client they met ever. despising u as not being able to own ur own property whereas praising the ll as if s/he is vip and u r dirt. threatening u with legal actions (when there is none) or spreading the words to other agents. in short, all psychological means to make u yield. - be strong and never be nasty coz u r not same as them.

i hope the list is not getting longer coz i havent signed my contract yet although agents promised that ll is all ok. gl to myself.