We decided to sell our house and because Haart were very successful on out street we decided to call them for a valuation. One house on our road sold in just one day! I called explained I was moving away and needed a buyer fast. The agent came round and had a look, sat down and talked to us about how she could help etc. She told us realistically how much we could get and what to market the price at for it to sell now, we were happy with the value.
Fees
The fee would be around £4,000 but an EPC would be £175 as it included loads of other things as well as a premium listing upgrade. We have an existing one so that wasn’t needed and there are not many houses on their books so we didn’t need a premium listing either. Solicitor’s fees were around £1,000 and there is nothing to pay if you pull out of the contract as long as you don’t sell the property after leaving them and within the contracted period. The estate agent wasn’t pushy, listened to us at all times and told us everything we needed to know in terms of selling quickly. She was very laid back but knew what she was talking about and never once fobbed us off. It’s worth doing a little research so you understand ahead when an estate agent comes round so you don’t get tricked into purchasing things you don’t need etc.
Well when we decided to go ahead we go our very first viewing the next evening which was a Friday, then over the weekend we had 7 or so one after another. At first it was great but as you show people round and find out more about them I came to find that none were suitable for our house. Haart does not screen people that want to view a house they just give them the address and send them over. I was a little disappointed because I did say that I needed to sell quickly with no messing about.
We have no bath as we decided it was not needed, instead we have a shower cubicle, they sent round heavily pregnant people, those who were thinking of starting a family and fat people that would not even fit. They also sent round people who were new to the market and had no clue what they were looking for. In all we were very tired and disappointed.
Just when we decided to pull out of the contract with Haart we received an offer, this was just two weeks after we put the house on the market. Of course we negotiated on the price and finally agreed and that was that.
Haart are good but just don’t take their word for anything, you can never trust an estate agent. Also do not buy their EPC package as it’s a waste of money, if a house was sold before 2003 then an EPC already exists and can be retrieved at a nominal fee (less than £10 is reasonable) otherwise you will pay £60 for a new one when it is not needed. Also do not go with their solicitors, they are not reliable at all.
When you buy or sell a house you will want to save as much money as you can in every way, one of the places where you can either save or lose is finding the right solicitor or conveyance for your property. We recently sold our house through Haart and were ‘sold’ on their conveyance package but before we did decide we got around 5 quotes to see what other firms were offering.
It’s always important to shop around as you may save hundreds just by taking the time to do so, to sell my 3 bedroom house the quotes ranged from £700 to £1,200 including VAT. Obviously it is tempting to go with the cheapest but that isn’t necessarily the wisest choice. As we were leaving to live abroad we needed a reliable conveyance and also one that wasn’t too expensive. Also if the sale was to not go through you still need to pay.
Haart solicitors operate a ‘no sale, no fee’ guarantee and as we already lost some money on the sale of the house we decided to go ahead just in case we lose more money. You have to pay a £60 admin fee and if the sale doesn’t go through that is all you will lose, you won’t have to pay a penny more. Unfortunately it is very misleading and this is how it really works.
Haart solicitors / conveyances
When you ‘go’ with Haarts’ solicitors you are actually paying Haart a £60 admin fee to find a solicitor / conveyance for you and none of that £60 goes to the conveyance. Also as our quotes was £750 only £300 of that actually goes to the conveyancing team, the remainder £450 goes to Haart. So on top of paying Haart £4000 when the house sells they actually get more money if you go with ‘their’ conveyancing team.
It is also misleading as there are other charges to pay, it is supposed to be all inclusive for money transferring, title deeds name transfer, land registry checks etc but it not and these charges will be added on to the supposedly ‘all inclusive’ fee.
They are very slow to start the process too as we had to fax the starter pack twice and then post it, in all we have lost around a month because of lack of organisation and poor estate agents who haven’t a clue what they are doing.
So if you do decide to go with them be aware that there are ‘hidden’ charges and also you may find that the whole process is up to 2 months longer than most other places.
For years I have been a loyal customer to Avon, some products that they offer are cheaper and better than other brands. They also continuously come up with new ideas and products that appeal to everyone. Whether you are a teenager, middle aged or older you will surely find products to suit both your skin type and budget.
The one thing I don’t like about Avon is no matter how much you spend you still need to pay delivery, most places nowadays offer free delivery if you spend over a certain amount but Avon doesn’t no matter how much you spend. Free delivery is always an incentive for buying but with Avon their standard delivery charge is £3.50 no matter how much you spend. I know it doesn’t seem like a lot but if you only need a few items and it comes up to a mere £20 then adding £3.50 to that doesn’t really seem worth it.
Avon free delivery
Of course you can always contact your local representative and have them deliver it for you free of charge but I find that they are not always reliable and delivery can take weeks in some cases. Also I have had problems with free gifts that are also supposed to come with certain products, they are not always guaranteed through your local Avon representative. Ordering online is easier and also stock is guaranteed.
Avon poor delivery service
On the last few occasions that I have ordered Avon products I have found that the box that it all arrives in is damaged completely, not a squashed box but ripped open. When I called them and complained they said that there was nothing they can do! The call centre is in India so beware, then customer service said to check the box and if anything was missing they would replace it free of charge. I had ordered £200 worth of Avon products, I was very tempted to call and say half of the items were missing but then I was afraid that Karma would come and bite me in the bum so I didn’t. Looking back if I had the time I would have tried my luck but I am very disappointed in Avon for not taking action.
Also Avon does not let you order more than £200 worth of goods at a time if you go over you need to call customer service. I know it seems like a lot of money but I order for my mum and other family members so we don’t all have to pay the delivery charge, plus I am A-List member and get many products cheaper than those who are not. One of the Avon moisturisers that my mum uses is £25 so buying a day cream plus a night cream already costs £50 it’s very easy to spend £100 without realising especially when you are tempted with so many offers.