I don´t suppose you would care to share with us your reasons for making such a pretty sweeping statement?Wouldn't even waste my breath with Viva never mind give sell or buy a property through them, that is probably why they are where the are now
Friuty said
I agree that Agents charges here are ridiculously high but, that said, I don´t think it is reasonable to compare the charges of London Estate Agents with those in this area. For a start the markets are totally different. Houses in London practically sell themselves once the Agent has publicised the sale. Therefore turnover is significantly higher. How many Estate Agents in London ferry prospective purchasers to view properties? Most will meet you at the doorstep of the house. If you consider the area that many Estate Agents over here cover and the distances they travel just showing people the properties, that adds a significant cost!How ridiculous is that, London estate agents only charge 3% for goodness sakes
In case you wonder, I am not an Estate Agent and hold no particular brief for them. I know it is popular to "have a go" at them but let´s try and keep it in perspective. To some extent Agents are only as good or bad as the buyers they have to deal with. From experience both here and in the UK there are some very odd people wanting to buy (or maybe just have a nose) at properties. As has already been said, if I too was an Agent, I fear I would have sent some folk packing pretty quickly!