Jackons - why do we need another estate agent

[EDdownunder]

I am sure this has been raised at some point but I noticed that ED is now home to yet another estate agent in Jackons. As I waited for my bus to work a few days ago I watched them putting up the sign and wondered if we would get an interesting little shop or maybe a sushi place or whatever. The sign then went up and I saw it was yet another estate agent and I was gobsmacked.

Is there no control over the types of business that can open given the concentration of existing businesses? I would rather a KFC or MacDonalds that another Estate Agent or Indian takeaway.

[TopTree]

Who is James? And why do you object to employment in East Dulwich? Is your post because you have no one to talk to at home?

[Jeremy]

What a nice response, TopTree.

Usually I'd be in favour of letting the market decide how many estate agents we need along one road, but it is starting to get a bit silly now...

[EDdownunder]

@Topetree - Actually I meant to ask James Barber by PM but shared with the Forum accidentally which is fine except I now get to have pointless responses from complete wankers such as yourself.

[Earl Aelfheah]

Where is Jackson? Does seem ridiculous to have yet another estate agents.

[Lowlander]

There will be a cull in a few years time when online only sales take off.

[Lynne]

Pity we have to wait for a few years. Are Estate sgents the only ones who can pay the going rates for shops?

James, let us know, please

And yes, I agree with the description of Toptree. All shops create employment

lynne

[Sue]

EDdownunder Wrote:

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I would rather a KFC or MacDonalds

> that another Estate Agent or Indian takeaway.

xxxxxx

Well I wouldn't :)

[DJKillaQueen]

It has always been the case that certain types of businesses cluster. Supply and demand is what's at play.

Not sure what James B can do or should do about it really. We live in a free market economy.

[BigED]

Isn't this the same place that was previously a RightMove (I think), and before that a Halifax Property Services? If it is, it's been an estate agent since at least the mid 90s. I'd be more concerned about the places that had been more useful and spiritually uplifting establishments but had more recently fallen into the eighth circle of hell that is the realm of the estate agent.

And I'm with Sue on McD and KFC. Why we would we want awful chain food when we could have similarly awful offerings from independent local providers. I assume that's what Sue was driving at, anyway.

[Earl Aelfheah]

Arrrh, so that's where it is. Not ideal, but at least it's a replacement Estate Agents rather than an entirely new one.

[Sunlover00]

TopTree Wrote:

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> Is your post because you have no

> one to talk to at home?

I think you need to ask yourself that question. What an arse

[polla2256]

The problem we have here is estate agents seem immune to the normal law of the land. If a shop, bar or restaurant provided consistantly poor service and fleeced your wallet from 1000 yds with just a blink they wouldn't last long. Estate agents keep going, ripping people off, lying and pushing up prices without consequence. Im Not saying Jacksons are like this but if they weren't it would be the exception rather than the rule. All we need now are 3 more chicken shops, a william hill, 2 tescos a spar a sub ways and star bucks to complete the deck.

[rbrtdngl]

I completely agree with EDdownunder. How dissapoiinting to see yet another estate agent on LL. From recollection I believe we now have 12 estate agents on Lordship Lane all within about 100 meters of each other (DVR, Hindwoods, Foxtons, Pedder, Bushels, Ludlow Thompson, KFH, Truepennys, Winkwroth, Ludlow Thompson, Acorn, Jacksons). Of course that doesnt include all the estate agents on side streets or just a short walk away (Keating, Fish Needs Water, Roy Brooks, Pickwick, Northwood, Golden Property Services). However, unlike EDdownunder I can't say that I would prefer to see a fast food restaurant, but this does seem quite excessive.

TopTree you might do well to remeber that manners don't cost anything. I dont think anyone is objecting to creating employment in East Dulwich, I think there is a broader issues here to do with what shops exist on LL and how we are able to preserve what is special about the area (and ultimately what brings many people here i.e. the characterful nature of the independent and local businesses).

DJKillaQueen and rahrahrah I agree and not really sure what James can do about it.

[StraferJack]

As has already been pointed out it's not an increase in the number of estate agents in the area - it's replacing one that was already there. So I don't think the area is going to suffer unduly

I'm no lover of estate agents but they exist because people use them. They don't have special "laws". They don't, in themselves, push prices up - that is buyers competing with other buyers.

It's entirely possible to buy or sell houses without estate agents but most people use them - hence the number in a desireable area

[rbrtdngl]

Hi StraferJack, while I agree with the majority of what you say, I am not sure I completely agree with you point about estate agents not pushing prices. While it is true that something is only worth the price someone else is prepared to pay for it, I do have first hand experience of estate agents 'testing' the market and advertising properties above the limit of what has been achieve historically within a particular area or street. Perhaps it is incorrect to suggest that estate agents push prices up, but maybe through thgeir behaviour it is fair to say that this is something estate agents contribute to.

[StraferJack]

I didn?t mean to suggest they had no part in increasing prices, just they weren?t the major force

At least half of their customers want them to do that in any case

[Jeremy]

You could argue that the vendors are the real clients anyway (they instruct the agent and pay their commission from the proceeds of the sale). So pretty much all of their customers want them to push up the price...

Unfortunately...

[rbrtdngl]

Absolutley, good points

[DulwichFox]

It has been mentioned here that we have 12 Estate Agents.

Well without them we may well have 12 Empty Shops... as Rent & Rates continue to rise..

12 more Charity shops perhaps.. Bring a little bit of Hove to South East London..

DulwichFox

[Toldyouso]

rbrtdngl Wrote:

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> Hi StraferJack, while I agree with the majority of

> what you say, I am not sure I completely agree

> with you point about estate agents not pushing

> prices. While it is true that something is only

> worth the price someone else is prepared to pay

> for it, I do have first hand experience of estate

> agents 'testing' the market and advertising

> properties above the limit of what has been

> achieve historically within a particular area or

> street. Perhaps it is incorrect to suggest that

> estate agents push prices up, but maybe through

> thgeir behaviour it is fair to say that this is

> something estate agents contribute to.

It is, of course, always open to a home owner to insist their property is marketed at the same price at which a similar property was sold, say, 12 months earlier, if they have an altruistic concern about rising house prises in an area. Estate agents cannot force you to market at a higher price - they are merely giving you a view of what they believe is an achievable price which (given supply and demand) may indeed be higher than similar properties have sold for previously . Blaming estate agents for the escalating prices around here just doesn't hold water - the market determines the price of properties and if the estate agents get the market wrong they are (or should be) left with egg on their faces. It is equally as logical (i.e. not very) to blame the buyers who are prepared to pay ever increasing prices.

[rbrtdngl]

I'm always up for bringing a little bit of Hove to South East London.

Perhaps that is where Neil went wrong in last nights Apprentice, if only he had thought of combining the two! He could then have proposed to Lord Sugar a business that mixed an estate agents with a charity shop based on the principal that everytime an agent sells a house the owner can leave behind all there old redundant and unwanted detritus that can then be sold in the shop.

[rbrtdngl]

Toldyouso I think the point I was trying to make was ultimately to suggest that estate agents contribute to the escalation of rising property prices (how could they not?), along with a number of other factors. I am certainly not suggesting that estate agents are to blame for rising prices, neither am I suggesting that they force people to market their properties at higher prices.

[LondonMix]

I can tell you the estate agents can't do anything about house prices. No matter what they advertise a house for it will always find its true market value. When they unintentionally underprice, houses go to sealed bids and sell above asking (you can't believe how often this actually happens in ED). When they over price, the house won't sell. There are properties that have been sitting on some agents books for ages. A house is always only worth what someone is willing to pay for it and the agents don't really influence this at all. They are just brokers.

[Sue]

rbrtdngl Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

>

> Perhaps that is where Neil went wrong in last

> nights Apprentice, if only he had thought of

> combining the two! He could then have proposed to

> Lord Sugar a business that mixed an estate agents

> with a charity shop based on the principal that

> everytime an agent sells a house the owner can

> leave behind all there old redundant and unwanted

> detritus that can then be sold in the shop.

xxxxxxx

Yeh Neil.

Oh dear oh dear.

That would certainly have been a better business plan than what he came up with :(

Which isn't saying much .....