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We found dealing with James Millard as a buyer very stressful and at times upsetting. When we first enquired with them about the property, we were told that we were the first to call and would be the first to see it, and there was no availability to view before the first Saturday it was on the market. However when we arrived for a viewing we were told that somebody had already had a second viewing, and when we called to make the offer there was already another offer on the table. However, Sophie was very pleasant, friendly and reassuring to deal with throughout the negotiation process and I would urge the organisation to do what they can to retain her as she gave us a fantastic first impression which then rapidly deteriorated once we were handed over to the progression manager.
The first time I spoke to the progression manager was 3 weeks after offer acceptance. I was calling to introduce myself and update on progress on our side. When I enquired as to the seller's progress, the progression manager sighed and told me that it was very difficult for her to be stuck in the middle. I was quite taken aback as only a short period of time had passed and I did had not done anything to indicate any tensions on our side (in fact, there weren't any at this stage). Further, what is the job of an estate agent if NOT to be in the middle as the liaison between buyer and seller? Every subsequent call I had with this person was very challenging. In conversation they often remarked that they had many other transactions stuck on hold, some even up to a year. I'm not sure if this was meant to appease us, but it did nothing to improve our view of their ability to manage sales transactions.
I called them once every 4-6 weeks for an update but as things slowly progressed we needed more regular information as we tried to reach exchange and completion. However, at this point the progression manager completely stopped taking our calls. My husband would call and ask to speak with them, he'd be told that was fine, but once he'd given his name the progression manager was suddenly no longer available. I would emphasise that we were never rude, unpleasant or otherwise difficult to deal with beyond reacting to the stresses and pressures of buying a home, which were massively amplified by the estate agent's refusal to communicate with us. There was one day where I had 5 or 6 emails from the progression manager but they still refused to speak with us on the phone, at which point I felt compelled to tell them that we would have to give up and only liaise through our solicitor ongoing.
I completely appreciate that at times there is not much that an estate agent can practically do to move a transaction along. However, James Millard's refusal to communicate with us made the process that much more stressful and distressing. I hope the seller had a better experience given they were the one paying the commission.
Edited: for clarity, this feedback does not relate to the length of time the transaction took but, to reiterate, the estate agent's refusal to communicate with us.... Read more
6th Apr 2022 (12 weeks ago)