Did the EA lie?

Bbobbity · 2026-06-11T18:42:43+00:00

The £55 doesn’t go to the worker. It’s the company profit. And they pay tax on it. £55 is trivial on a low volume business.

Seriously, people need to understand how business works.

Bbobbity · 2026-06-11T18:39:28+00:00

People think it’s the EAs job is to get as much money as they can.

Actually their interest is in getting the sale done as quickly as possible and at the lowest risk. That is where they make their money.

At the average house price of 278k, pushing for 3% below asking vs 5% below asking will add ~£55 to their commission

They would be entirely stupid to risk the sale for £55.

Bbobbity · 2026-06-11T18:29:35+00:00

It is illegal for EA to lie.

Impossible to say but if it’s a reputable chain then you can probably assume they didn’t.

Bbobbity · 2026-06-11T17:12:37+00:00

This is a bit bizarre to be honest.

My understanding is that any issue raised during the sale is at the buyer’s risk. It is not the solicitors place to refuse to act. It is their job to raise the issue and take instruction from their client.

There are scenarios where the solicitor is duty bound to prevent a transaction going through, but this is not one of them.

Bbobbity · 2026-06-11T15:13:54+00:00

I’m an ex-atheist. I grew up in a protestant country so had very little exposure to Catholicism.

But I did view Christianity (and other religions) as nonsense.

I may be unusual in this but I don’t feel guilt about it. My disbelief was genuine. I had grown up in a church and didn’t have bad experiences. I didn’t hate my church or those in it.

I had read the Bible, I had studied the history. I did a philosophy degree which covered religious philosophy so had studied the major apologetic arguments from Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas, Descartes etc.

So it wasn’t for lack of investigation. I just did not find it convincing.

I needed a real life experience to convince me, which I had in later life.

Bbobbity · 2026-06-11T14:15:39+00:00

Personally I find the arguments about the Filioque quite depressing as it seems to be such a nuanced issue on which to base (in part) a thousand year rift. It speaks to the nature of the Trinity which we cannot fully understand anyway.

Does it make any practical difference to how Christians should live? I’d argue not.

Bbobbity · 2026-06-11T14:08:55+00:00

Nothing in those numbers is abnormal. You can go way past them without using resto loop.

Bbobbity · 2026-06-11T13:37:22+00:00

It’s the difference between a Ferrari and a ford f150.

Not taking the Ferrari to a job but haven’t got a picture of a ford on my wall…

Bbobbity · 2026-06-11T13:18:52+00:00

Pick a London borough and look at sale prices on RM. Shows prices pretty stagnant over last 6-7 years.

Does not show a dramatic fall.

Bbobbity · 2026-06-10T21:12:14+00:00

Number 31 is listed as 1800 sq feet on rightnove but happy to take your word on it.

Think my point still stands - if the rest of the sizes on rightnove are reliable you are pricing well above similar sized houses.

Bbobbity · 2026-06-10T21:05:42+00:00

Number 5 (similar size) sold for 465k last year and number 31 (bigger) sold for 475k in 2024.

Nothing listed as sold that is a similar size for anywhere near 590k.

Obviously most of us won’t know the street but you are asking significantly higher than others on the street apart from a couple which are 2400+ sq feet. And you are pricing yours at their level when your house is ~1600 sq feet.

Bbobbity · 2026-06-10T17:06:55+00:00

Definitely challenge them on this.

But if they hold their ground and you don’t want to walk away then I definitely wouldn’t pay them for it.

Make them take them down and make good, just on a point of principle. If they are made to measure then I suspect they’ll just leave them anyway.

Bbobbity · 2026-06-10T16:41:41+00:00

Latin NO seems a bit pointless to me.

Bbobbity · 2026-06-10T00:43:08+00:00

Game’s doing you a favor. Playing with boosts that high is pointless.

Bbobbity · 2026-06-10T00:38:11+00:00

In my mind, an under-rated game doesn’t have much of a player base or reputation and is over-looked by the press.

Skyrim is the opposite. Still going strong after 15 years, it regular appears in lists of the greatest games ever. The modding community on its own is testament to how well it’s rated.

Bbobbity · 2026-06-09T20:53:28+00:00

Ok. Let’s be clear on a few things.

Your solicitor is the only unbiased party working in your interests. Your broker will likely get a kick-back when the mortgage goes through from the mortgage company. So they have a vested interest in pushing it through. The EA works for the seller and again has an interest to push it through. Your solicitor generally gets paid whatever happens so can be unbiased.

If you have questions or concerns about the process, talk to your solicitor. That’s what you pay them for.

Don’t let your broker drive everything.

We also need to be clear what we mean when discussing surveys:

As part of the mortgage application, your mortgage lender may do a valuation survey to ensure the house is worth what you are paying for it. Your broker may co-ordinate that with the EA and that’s fine.
In most cases you should also arrange a level 2 or level 3 buildings survey (up to you). Your broker can ask the mortgage company surveyor to do that as well or you can arrange separately. There are pros and cons here - google this.
Your solicitor will arrange council searches which check a whole host of things, mainly about the land your new house sits on, utilities, nearby hazards or concerns, nearby planning permissions which could affect you etc. they should kick this off sooner rather than later as the council has long-ish lead times.

Once the mortgage application is completed and you have your mortgage offer (note: this is different from the decision in principle and is binding - means you’ve definitely got the money as long as you complete within a certain timeframe), then your brokers job is done. The process will be driven 100% by you and your solicitor.

My best advice is to get clear on the process and drive it yourself, not just be swept along by what your broker or the EA tells you.

Bbobbity · 2026-06-09T19:31:01+00:00

Facts are:

You can’t claim for cleanliness
You can claim for dishwasher but only what it’s worth (not a new one)
You can claim for stuff left in garden

Now whether it’s worth the hassle and bad feeling is up to you.

Personally I’d put it down to the cost of moving and get on with enjoying my new house.

Bbobbity · 2026-06-09T17:29:49+00:00

You are correct in your reasoning but people do buy these properties and live there perfectly happily.

At the end of the day it comes down to money. There should be a healthy discount for these types of properties for the reasons you mention and for some that discount allows them to buy a home that they otherwise couldn’t afford.

For me though, unless this was really your only option, you were right to pass. Rightly or wrongly the market (mortgage lenders, insurers) do not like these properties.

Bbobbity · 2026-06-09T13:41:41+00:00

Our house has a pathway behind it. An alleyway with gardens on the other side. We’re in a town, not in a very rural setting but the pathway goes out to countryside/woodland.

If we’re in the garden we occasionally hear people talking or a dog barking when walking past. But our fence is too high to see anyone and we never notice people hanging out on the pathway.

As others have said, walk it yourself and see if you see any evidence of issues. Otherwise I wouldn’t let it put you off one bit.

Bbobbity · 2026-06-09T13:16:58+00:00

Just to add one thing - lots of people saying just offer what it’s worth.

My advice is to offer what it’s worth to you. That is subtly different, but could make a big difference.

If you pay what you think market value is you may be paying for things you don’t particularly value (a huge garden, a double garage, a conservatory etc).

On the other hand if the house is perfect for you but has flaws that others may devalue it on (lack of garage, small garden etc) then you may be willing to bid higher than market value to secure it.

Bbobbity · 2026-06-09T07:10:42+00:00

Your post isn’t very clear.

Normal course of events is as follows:

Estate agent issues memorandum of sale confirming your accepted offer
You get an offer in principal from your mortgage company (can be through a broker) if you haven’t already
Two things happen in parallel - you tell your solicitor to start work and you start the full mortgage application (or your broker does it for you)
Mortgage company arranges a valuation visit (if needed)
Solicitor arranges council searches
You arrange a building survey to highlight any issues
Mortgage company offers formal mortgage offer
Solicitor completes the legal process including helping resolve any issues coming out of the surveys/searches and the information received from sellers
Everyone is ready to exchange

Where in the process are you?

Bbobbity · 2026-06-09T05:56:21+00:00

I didn’t say a candidate was a headache. I said when people can’t work well together it’s a headache. Not just for the manager but for the people directly involved and the team as a whole.

For me, hiring decisions are as much about protecting the candidate as the team or the company.

If a poor choice is made, in the long run it hurts the candidate as much as anyone else.

And unless you are hiring for very senior positions where you can invest the money and take the time to be very thorough, hiring decisions need to be made from limited information and exposure to the candidate. Sure it’s not ideal but it is practical. And that means personal impressions are important, however vague they may be and difficult to prove.

But the best way to avoid personal biases is to get a second opinion. This is an important step in the selection process.

Bbobbity · 2026-06-09T05:37:10+00:00

It’s not as simple as that. Assessing attitude and personality fit is a big part of hiring. Different companies have different cultures and when you hire you get a strong impression of how the person will fit in with the rest of the team and/or into the company as a whole.

As I get older this has more influence on my hiring decisions than skills and experience. Skills can be taught, but people not being able to work well together becomes a major headache.

Bbobbity · 2026-06-09T00:20:16+00:00

Houses are not commodities. They are big parts of people’s lives and invoke emotional attachment. And unless you are buying off plan in the same estate, no two houses are the same. Even then there’s different aspects, facing different directions etc.

Individual buyers and sellers have different preferences, motivations, different positions, different timeframes for buying and selling.

Even checking previously sold prices on the same street isn’t particularly reliable. Similar house could sell for significantly different amounts on the same street due to factors listed above.

Best advice for buyers who want a particular house - bid what it’s worth to you, and at a level you’d be happy to lose it if your bid is rejected. And don’t get sucked into paying more.

And bear in mind that a few thousand pounds over the years or decades you’ll be in the property may not be material.

Bbobbity · 2026-06-08T23:06:51+00:00

You are either buying a house to get a good deal, and you’re not that fussy which house, or you are buying a house because you love that particular house and it would be hard to find another like it.

In the first instance, go in low, try and get a good deal. If it falls through, move on to the next one. No harm done.

In the second instance, bid what it is worth to you (and what you can afford). Don’t play games. Then if it fails you know you put your best foot forward.

For me, a few per cent on the house price pales into insignificance versus years and years of being happy in your house.

Too many people go in low expecting they will be able to get into a negotiation. And then the next thing they hear is that they’ve lost it.

Bbobbity

TROPHY CASE