[Anonymous]

Evening folks!

Well, I’ve asked a few of you regulars by PM about this…and you all seem to be in agreement so far:

Why can’t all members of this Forum who are EAs own up, use their real names (not fakes) and state who they work for and in which region?

OK, from time to time we get to hear about something naughty that another agent/developer is up to and we can’t risk getting knee-capped if identified. So, instead of hiding behind a false name, why not just send a PM to Mark and let him decide if he wants to publish that info.

Signed
Miss Girlie Swot
(aka Sarah Dodgson of Hermosa Homes Spain SL, Marbella)

[Anonymous]

I for one have no problems with that, the only reason for not disclosing my company is a case of not wanting to be accused of commercial postings.

Jim (real name)

[Anonymous]

However as a caveat surely if we are expected to post effectively representing a business or profession, rather than as individuals I guess we will be expected to and allowed to make commercial postings! 😆

Jim

[Anonymous]

Sarah,

I am in agreement with Jim here, commercial posting etc. Mark should decide where this leads i feel.

As for my identity, i think most on this forum know who i work for, and even if i did post the name here, i don’t feel it would benefit anyway when you look back at the heated discussions in the past 😉

I won’t post the details myself, but if Paul or Claire wouldn’t mind revealling this information, that would be “Awfully” kind.

I don’t agree with PM’ing Mark with sensitive info. Surely that takes away the whole idea of the forum.

Whichever way you look at this, what i can see happening is we will get slated for rubbishing the competition, even though potentially acting in everyones interests?

For instance, if a situation arises where you have information you feel should be made public, which you could potentially lose your job over, why not register under a different username and post then?

You could go another route with a seperate thread on the forum where usernames are not visible, but this may also get abused.

Personally, I don’t see an easy solution to a good suggestion.

Richard by the way.

[Anonymous]

I also have no problem with being an agent and I usually sign my emails with my real name anyway (Vince). vbtudor happens to be a handle I have used for some 15 years and is a mix of my name and my old Navy nickname, so is as much a apart of my make up as my name itself and is also my email address.

As for naming the company I dont think it is relevant – it is the fact that we are estate agents that make us lepers and our advice not worthy of listening to not the company we work for 😀 .

Vince (Real name)

[Anonymous]

sorry, my ten pence worth

i don’t see the problem with agents posting on the forum, whether using their real names or not.

i have recieved pm’s from some of the regulars(who are agents) who have helped and advised me, even though they know i have no intention of buying in their region

If anyone is suggesting a blanket ban on agents, think back a coupla weeks to the shock commission rate slash by Viva esates, had their chairman not come on to clarify the situation the debate would still be raging on………..should he be excluded??
i thought he came across very well and when i’m next in Spain i will check them out(for all the right reasons)

Chilly 8)

[Anonymous]

@Rockitt wrote:

You could go another route with a seperate thread on the forum where usernames are not visible, but this may also get abused.

.

Richard! This used to be the case where people could post on the forum without registering. This caused a lot of unpleasant posts and so Mark made it obligatory to register with a “name”. It is now up to the individual whether or not they”come out” with their true identity! 😉
As the administrator, Mark can see where the mails are coming from.

Also Richard, it would be awfully unethical and against the forum rules for me to name your company but if anyone read an article in last Saturdays Telegraph Property supplement, (My pain in Spain) your company was named as the offending estate agents. It was like reading about our own experience…. verbatum…..just a different lawyer in the frame!!

[Anonymous]

@chilly wrote:

i thought he came across very well and when I’m next in Spain i will check them out(for all the right reasons)

Oh dear chilly, you’ve not learned a lot form the forum, have you? 🙁

Just for the record, these are the quotes not to believe:

There are only a few left.
Prices are rising by 30/40/50%
Nothing will be built in front to obstruct your view.
It is easy to sell on before completion.
I like this development so much I have bought a property here myself. (my personal favourite!!!)

Also, you may be shown some disappointing properties at first and then you will be shown the NEW ones they really want to sell you that have the “WOW!” factor.
I think a smaller, more independent agent is a safer bet.

[Anonymous]

Why not let him just use them anyway Clare? He afterall doesn´t actually have to buy anything and will at least get to see more properties. That is again what you lot always suggest anyway, see as many as you can before making a decision, that way you are better informed. If he was to see properties with all the big REA´s as well as small ones doesn´t that give him a stronger position to work from?

Excluding big agents just means less properties to see, unless you are fluent spanish and can ring vendors direct via newspapers, something which not a lot of people enjoy the privilege of.

[Paul]

8)

Rockitt aka Richard, clearly everyone knows who you work for so that’s not an issue.

I would be genuinely interested to know what staff turnover is like now at your Company as in the past that contributed to disgruntled clients not being able to contact the original sales person? Since you maintain your personal honesty there, has the Company changed any of it sales procedure to gain better credibility, and does it now recommend people appoint independent lawyers as opposed to the usual ones? What is the current after-sales/customer care like now?

Claire, any chance of showing the link to the Mail’s article last Saturday please as I missed it?

[Anonymous]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/main.jhtml?xml=/property/2006/09/09/opprophetdoom09.xml

Sorry ..it was in the Telegraph! 😕

Paul, I think I have spoken to this lady a long time ago. She was very helpful when we first found ourselves in the nightmare situation with Green Hills. You know her too I believe.

[Anonymous]

Not sure what this has to do with the initial thread but never mind. Followed the attached link and yes another dreadful story.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/main.jhtml?xml=/property/2006/09/09/opprophetdoom09.xml

also checked out this page and was rather dissapointed that such a major broadsheet would run the same picture in two unrelated stories.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/main.jhtml?xml=/property/2006/09/09/opportugal09.xml

Jim

[Anonymous]

Threads can often start off on one topic and finish on another. I’s called conversation! 🙂

I agree with your comment re the pictures. Perhaps they are on an economy drive!!

[Anonymous]

Thanks for your comments Claire,
but i think you missed the point, the point was that vivas chairman, by posting on the forum, was informative and intelligent and ,on the face of it, trying to shake up a stagnant market, whether he has other motives remains to be seen but should he be excluded he is , after all one of the big boys, should he take his pro rata of flak??

and as for not having learnt anything ha i feel much better informed than ever. we looked at properties a few years ago with Intereality (lucky escape) and were very interested in buying but took a step back.

i appreciate your top tips but as i have already stated, on several occasions, i have no interest in buying off-plan

Chilly 8)

[Anonymous]

Hi Paul.

I didn’t say it was an issue, the point i was making was whether i or anyone else posts the company name on the forum makes no difference in my opinion.

I don’t think that posting commercially here would make much headway that’s not what i am about, or why i am here. Just didn’t want to be the one to post the information that was all, i wasn’t asking you or Claire to post it either, just my sense of humour.

As for your questions……

For instance, I answer in my honest opinion, or what i believe to be the case based on what i have witnessed. If this is read as a positive response, or deemed bigging up the company in any way, then i am going to get immediately shot down?

What i can say is this, i have been employed with the same company since moving here, first job in Spain, first interview and i enjoy it. Yes there have been comings and goings in that time, a couple of staff that are missed and alternatively some that are not.

I wouldn’t say that this is unusual in the line of business we are in here. What you have to look at is the good ones stay if looked after, i can honestly say that i have been, and love the job i do. With length of service comes experience and that is what is needed, problems occur when clients are handled by someone out to make a quick buck to pay the way for the Summer. The experiences of yourself, Claire and others are regrettable, but as in any business, mistakes happen. I am not condoning/justifying this, just stating my opinion so please don’t take it the wrong way, couldn’t think of a better way to put this across, it’s 01:00 and my eyes a slighty a blur after a long day.

We always advise the client to use an independant lawyer, this doesn’t only apply for Spain, but other countries also. If the client wishes to use the services of a lawyer we recommend, then that is their decision. If the client wishes to appoint an independant lawyer of their choosing, then again, that is their decision. On exhibitions, or when a client is in the office, we have a number of lawyers that we can call on. This is for the client to seek free legal advice on the day, but doesn’t mean that they are tied to use their services in any way.

[Anonymous]

Keeping your identity secret will remain a personal choice. I am happy for agents, and for everyone else for that matter, to continue posting with anonymous user names, so long as the basic rules are observed – no commercial posts, no slander, no irrelevant content, nothing too rude. Anyone breaks the rules and it gets snipped (when I get round to it), anonymous or not. We can learn a lot from agents if they follow the rules. They should know more than anyone about their local property market.

I value the contribution of the agents in this forum, anonymous or not. Perhaps I should also state the obvious and point out that many estate agents in Spain will be decent, hardworking professionals just trying to make a living taking care of their clients (but not all, of course).

Mark

[Paul]

Thanks Claire for the link and yes Sheila was in contact with me several times, I hope all the others involved get their problems sorted out too.

Rockitt, I appreciate your replies and hope things have improved for others buying now, I’ve always thought the best publicity was good publicity, and things would improve in Spain and elsewhere if all agents and their staff were honest and also their commissions were lower!

[Author]

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