Could Phil Spencer be about to take an instruction off you – and if so, would you mind?
The genial Phil (what, no Kirstie?) is joining Channel 4’s daytime line-up in a new programme, ‘Phil Spencer: Secret Agent’, in which he comes to the aid of home owners trapped in properties that refuse to sell.
Says the C4 blurb: “After years of property boom, the housing market across the country has been stagnant and estate agents have seen the biggest rise in unsold houses since 2007.
“With deposit requirements up and mortgage approvals down, it’s harder than ever to sell a house.
“Enter Phil Spencer, who will take on the role of secret agent and work with sellers and buyers to help get the market moving again.
“In Phil Spencer: Secret Agent he will attempt to sell houses stuck on the market. But before he meets the struggling home owners he will don his surveyor’s hat to assess the property, looking at it through the eyes of a buyer, as well as researching the local area and housing market.
“Armed with all the information he needs to make a realistic judgement on why the house isn’t selling, he’ll surprise the owners as their new agent and outline his opinions – all the good and the bad – before recommending what needs to be done to get their home sold.”
Apparently, he’ll seek out potential buyers, create shiny new details and arrange an open house viewing.
Phil doesn’t seem to be under too many illusions as to what he’s taking on: “By working right across the country advising both buyers and sellers, I’ll be trying to broker as many deals as possible.
“It’s a big challenge, but my aim is to make a real difference in the market. And just to up the ante, I’m always going to be focusing on one particularly hard home to shift.”
Hmm.
Three thoughts spring to mind. First, what happens if he does a deal with a buyer introduced by a previous agent? And second, will he finally manage to convince the Great British Public that, actually, being an estate agent really isn’t money for old rope.
Oh, and third, what will he be charging?
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Comments
Paul...I know the area, have lived there all my life and pity the person who buys it at anywhere near that price!! The private road you mention is acessed via a council estate...not sure I would want to live in a house when once extended is circa £500,000 accessed via a council estate!! The property fronts onto a very very busy road not just at school times, not saying it's not a good buy at £400,000...I know people who have viewed it after the makeover and still feel it needs a lot of work doing to it to make it up to modern standards even prior to extending it!
As for creating an annexe....good luck with Waverley planners!! Not going to get into a debate about this but as for houses selling above the asking price in this market not sure where you get your information from! I have been an estate agent selling houses in this area for 20 years and I can assure you nothing at the moment is selling in excess of asking price, even houses with guide prices sometimes miss this top price...if that was the case why did the agent not secure offers prior to the show when it was marketed for Price Guide £400,000 with a view that a little bit of tlc could add so much value? How can a few days work add £45,000?? I know there were no new kitchens or bathrooms put in...it was paint, carpets, de-cluttering and dressing. The property was not actively marketed prior to the show....it was not on the websites (the agents or the key portals) it was not in the agnts window and I know of clients who couldn't get viewings...so how was this actively marketed???
As for underpriced houses being difficult to sell, are you kidding??? So long as an agent is pro active if house is priced correctly or under value it can still sell within days in Milford area, it is always price that prevents a house from selling quickly!
Good luck with your house sale but do do your homework....look at sold house prices in the area...the owner paid Around £280,000 for this back in 2003...it doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out its value now!!
Simply not true Sarah Kirby, Nick Walsh`s house was on the market prior to channel 4 with a GUIDE price of £400k as most properties in this area sell well above the asking price its now in a realistic bracket. An underpriced house is as difficult as an overpriced one. I viewed the house prior to the immense amount of work undertaken and it was more than just `a lick of paint` as the program will prove. Added to that the property has massive potential as prior planning was approved for large extensions, it also has a huge loft space ripe for conversion and the potential for a driveway at the front and conversion of the large workshop at the rear (with private lane access) to an annexe. When my house gets an offer, I`ll be back to make mine.
The thing that made me laugh is that Phil is meant to be showing houses that have beem on the market and struggled to sell....so why did he do Nick Walshes house in Milford? It wasn't on the market prior to being approached by channel 4 but on speaking with one of the makeover team he was going to be asking around £400,000 which was about right for its location on a busy road and next door to council/ex council houses. So how is it after a little bit of paint some new carpet and not a lot else does Mr Walsh justify putting his price up to £445,000!!! Makes me laugh...I know people who have subsequently viewed it and laughed at the price and the supposed make over they wouldn't even pay £400,000 for it!. Surely the idea of the programme is to educate owners not give them the impression that they can get more money with a basic makeover!!
Will be interesting to see what happens on the programme as the viewing day Phil is supposed to arrange and subsequently get offers didn't work, it is still not live on the market even now, 3 weeks later!...all it has done is give Nick Walsh the opinion that he now has a highly saleable house when it will sell but not with the sleepy 1 man band village agent or at the ridiculous price.
Good luck is all I say.....going to need it, particularly once the programme is shown!!
We love you all too, thanks for your support. Keep paying our fees, things are a little tight in our household at the moment, what with private school fees, cruises, new cars n stuff. We need more money from Estate Agents. Surely if we put our fees up just an iddy widdy liddle bit you can afford it.
We know you are earning half of what you were, but thats not our fault, is it? We are IT people, not property people.
Dont use an alternative like Radar Homes, their proposition is nowhere near as good as ours.
As long as your side of the fence is fragmented and you don't band together and put pressure on us we feel safe anyway. Good luck to all, and keep paying.
XX
agreed, I prefer the bigger one out of the two.
So, old Phil is going all out an will become a sort of mixture of How Clean is your house, bloddy Trinny and the other one (who’s oddly the fat older one of the 2 but the sexier one) and Homes Under The Hammer?
Okay I suppose based on the timing my Nan will catch it but on behalf of all of us here and I mean EA’s HPC, vendors, the lot of us, Phil – if it isn’t going it’s the price fella – promise us you wont start making the vendor spend money tarting their old dog up just so they can get the same amount of cash back again on a sale and if you put some twigs with lights in a tall vase thing and do all that paint it a neutral colour stuff you will loose the spec of credibility to managed to keep hold of with anyone that knows anything about selling houses.
Plus Phil, just so you can set the example and stand true to the spirit of the EA business of no sale no fee I think its right that you do not take any fees for the series unless every house you get involved in sells, its only fair mate, that’s how the rest of us roll – paid on results only
Jonnie
It will be great to have him on TV more.
NOT.
If he cant sell his prospects he could always buy them himself.
wilco: "Phil had a "property find" company that went bankrupt in the downturn so no he has never run a failed agency."
Definition under The Estate Agents Act 1979 - Estate Agency Work:
"This Act applies, subject to subsections (2) to (4) below to things done by any person in the course of a business (including a business in which he is employed) pursuant to instructions received from another person (in this section referred to as “the client”) who wishes to dispose of or acquire an interest in land—
(a)for the purpose of, or with a view to, effecting the introduction to the client of a third person who wishes to acquire or, as the case may be, dispose of such an interest"
Erm... that means he was by definition an Estate Agent, and therefore ran a failed agency!
Your valiant efforts to pwotect and pweserve the weputation of your pwoperdee hewo are pwactically widiculous, I am afwaid - but I am sure he will be appweciative...
Call me jealous if you like!
Yet another failed property champion comes back. With a falling market and overpriced homes lets see if he can get the sellers to cut their prices.
These programmes amaze me. If I strolled up at someones house, told them it was a mess, that it was over-priced, that they needed to spend some money on it to smarted it up and that they showed absolutely no pride in their property, I'd be chucked out and they'd be onto my competitors within seconds.
Yet, stick them in front of a TV camera and they'll soak up all the abuse going. Its a strange old world.
Could I ask how Phil will "don his surveyors hat"?
He failed to complete / pass the examinations and do the required work to become a surveyor.This is known to the RICS who should show an interest if he is about to give advice as a surveyor as he is not qualified.........and no,I'm not jelous of him.
The RICS and OFT would be very quick to throw the full weight of the law at agents if decisions by a member of the public are based on a non qualified "surveyors" advice
If he just informed everyone that prices need to drop at least 10% that would be a good start.
Banks would ask for lower deposits if they thought the asset was no longer overpriced!
This sounds great! Anything that shows the benefit of an agent's advice is a good thing for our profession.
Not all sellers will want to have their property on Channel 4 so this is so not a threat to estate agents but a positive advantage. It might stop agents being blamed when homes don't sell and focus on the real issues, including price.
Good luck Phil and I'd be chuffed to have a joint agency and promote my agency on TV, well worth half a fee.
Think positive brothers.
Lance
The Land Office and Premier Move
Phil had a "property find" company that went bankrupt in the downturn so no he has never run a failed agency.
Anyone previosly or in the future should have no gripes with him and keep on the right side.He has ALWAYS championed professional uk agents and unlike Kirsty has said he has no desire to take business from agents by setting up,or putting his face to an estate agency.
Any anti phil comments are pure jelousy and impossible to back up.
Is this the same Phil Spencer who's property company went bankrupt?
Is this really the right person to advise people in trouble.
If you can't sell a place, clean, de clutter and more importantly drop the price as it is too high. Simplz
Quote: "But before he meets the struggling home owners he will don his surveyor’s hat to assess the property, looking at it through the eyes of a buyer, as well as researching the local area and housing market"
... and then market it and sell it. Is he saying that any Tom, Dick or Harry or could be an estate agent and the much bragged about 'local knowledge' is, in fact, not necessary?
Bet is costs more than 1.5% to put this show on the road and pay Mr Spencer his wedge.
If we go 'Joint agency' can the selling agent have half his fee?
He'd be better going to the next British Bankers' Association meeting with a baseball bat.
Is this not the same format as Andrew Winter did with his tv programme 'Selling Houses', way before the lovely Phil and Kirstie graced our television screens?
might be a bit more sophisticated than that....eg get your dogs out of the house, remove the car on blocks, empty the house of clutter, plant a hedge to hide the cemetry, fix the big crack down the wall, redecorate in a neutral fashion, not everyone likes black, if you have tourettes dont do the viewing, focus on the positives, "ahh but this wing of the English Defence League is so very polite" or "yes but the design of the proposed Temple has been award winning..."
So this is a price reduction programme
Phil says "reduce your price"
Hey presto the programme will have an air time of approx 7 minutes - trouble is it may take 7 months to get the price reduction