Rob Hailstone, of De Tracey Park, Bovey Tracey,
Although I sympathise with Su Wall having read her letter in last week's edition there are a number of issues to consider.
As Su points out, the estate agents were legally bound to put forward to the seller any higher offers. The seller, in this case the Halifax, was also under a duty to obtain, on behalf of the people who had lost their home, the best price possible. If someone buys a repossessed property they are usually looking for a bargain, so some form of protection needs to be in place for those who have been repossessed.
Having been a conveyancer for 25 years I do agree that the home buying and selling process needs revamping.
Home Information Packs (Hips) were hoped by the current government to be the answer. Unfortunately, they aren't, yet.
However, they are a move in the right direction, they just need to be improved along with a number of other issues such as extending the lifespan of searches, buyers having 'in principle' mortgage offers before making an offer, solicitors working to a similar set of procedures, etc.
The Conservatives say they will scrap Hips if they win the next election. That would be a massive step backwards. Hips are not perfect but with some willingness on the part of solicitors and estate agents what follows them could be. As a Hip provider myself now, I try to create an exchange ready pack as often as possible. Those exchange ready packs do help speed up and make less stressful the home buying and selling system.
I am currently in the process of setting up a national network of solicitors and estate agents who are prepared to put the interests of the home buying and selling public first.
It is not rocket science, it just needs those involved in the property industry to be prepared to approach matters in a different way.