Connells Estate Agents Review

Overall Rating

their logo is a nice colour

Try to monopolize all aspects of the buying chain for their own gains.

I am trying to buy a house via Connells Estate Agents. They wont let me put an offer forward until I have sat down with them to review their mortgage packages. I cannot believe their audacity, they have tried to present this to me as protecting their vendor's interest by ensuring I have considered the appropriate funding options. There's me thinking they were estate agents!

Members' Comments onGuest's Review

• harriet003 on 5th Aug 2009

  I found this review very helpful because... I had exactly the same experience under the banner of protecting their client. They were desparate to get me to take out a mortgage withb them. The property I am buying has a £1000 cashback offered on completion as long as they arrange everthing. Who pays the cashback? Not Connells, no the poor vendor has to lose that off the sale price. I have gone straight to the lender and I am using my own solicitor. I have got the mortgage that suits me best from my bank and I am using the solicitors I always use and trust for everything. The Connells solicitor was £200 more than mine and the fee for them setting up the transaction was £300 so my cashback was only ever going to be £500 anyway (and I have saved that + more on the mortgage repayments). They are rubbish.

• harriet003 on 5th Aug 2009

  Exactly what happened to me only I have to bring in all my ID and bank statements and payslips and proof of deposit. I did wonder if they were acting within the law, or at least data protection. They would not present my offer to the vendor until the has validated my finances.
  What has happened to estate agents?
  Jumpednup mickey mouse financial advisers.
  Mt offer wasn't accepted but I have had one accepted on anothr property with Connells and I am not using their financial services because the best deal was elsewhere and I am dealing directly with the lender (best way).
  
  

• sh4d4s on 22nd Oct 2009

  I found this review very helpful and glad to hear that i am not the only one thinking that Connells is very unprofessional. Me and my partner interested in one of the property that has been advertised by Connells and they refused for us to give an offer until we sat down with them and showed them our ID and bank statements etc. My first offer was not accepted by the vendor and we then made a second offer and Connells refused to pass on our second offer and stating that it's not within the vendor's price range expectation (!). Hm...isn't Estate Agent supposed to b acting as the "middle one" rather than favoring to one side (which is the vendor?!).
  

• STEPHB195 on 20th Nov 2009

  I've had the exact same problem, we put an offer in on a house and they asked if we had seen someone about a mortgage, we told them we already had a mortgage adviser who had found us a very good rate and done all of the neccessary checks to make sure we could afford it. They still asked us to go and see their mortgage people, just to see if they could get us a better rate and to make sure we could afford it!
  We went down there and the rate they they offered us was terrible compared to what we had been preciously given, he then went on to tell us that it wasn't about the rate of the mortgage it was how much we wanted the house!!
  They have told us that if we go through them with our mortgage we are more likely to get the property. Aparently there is a 33% more chance of the sale going through if the finances are done via Connells Mortgage Services.
  We felt like we were being black mailed and backed into a corner, I have complained and they have reasured us that the above is not the case and our offer was put forward and declined, I have different ideas, i'm thinking that because the property is proving very popular they are waiting until someone puts an offer in who is going to do their finances via connells!
  I'm not impressed what so ever as a buyer!!