When setting the sale price, my contact didn't tell me about the capital gains tax. The property would have been 30 years old at the end of 2024, so I would have taken this lump sum into account before setting the initial sale price (worth €1,800).
At the end of February, a saleswoman suggested signing a preliminary sales agreement the day before a 2nd visit by a customer who had been followed by the 1st contact, a way of taking the wind out of my sails? I had no further contact with my 1st contact, but without explanation.
The sale was blocked at the end of February, but the compromis was signed on 24 April, i.e. 2 months later - I've never seen anything like it!
Instead of asking me for all the necessary papers during the 1st meetings, I had requests spread out until my departure in mid-March for 1 month (I had warned of this absence and asked for the compromis to be signed before my departure, which was not done), then requests on the phone while I was staying in Italy.
The pretext of dampness as a reason for not signing was not resolved during my absence, even though it was easy to do, either with the diagnostician, or with the painter chosen by the buyer, or on the spot when I noticed that the wall of the cupboard was dry. I had to deal with it as soon as I arrived and set an ultimatum date for the compromis to be signed.
The final sale went well. Because of the problems with the compromise, I don't remember the quality of the Le Bec service, even though I had entrusted the sale solely to La Bec until the end of April and had known the agency since my 1st property purchase in 1987!
Response :
Dear Mrs M,
Thank you very much for your detailed feedback about your experience with our agency. Your comments are invaluable and help us to continually improve our services.
We understand your concerns and would like to clarify a few points:
1. With regard to added value, you are right to stress the importance of this information. We recognise that we should have informed you earlier. However, it is important to note that if the sale price had been increased, the capital gain would also have increased proportionately. In future, we will ensure that we communicate better on these tax aspects, while reminding you that the notary also plays a crucial role in passing on this information.
2. With regard to the management of visits, we followed your wishes by accepting the offer at the price of the first client, which corresponded to your initial objective. This decision naturally led to the cancellation of the second planned visit.
3. With regard to the time taken to sign the compromis, we understand your frustration, which is also ours. The delay was mainly due to the fact that we were waiting for the pre-dated statement from the property manager, despite our daily reminders and your own efforts. We sincerely regret any inconvenience this may have caused you.
4. On the question of damp, we took very seriously the concerns of the buyer, who had been alerted to this by her solicitor. Our approach was to ensure a transparent transaction in complete confidence. The necessary checks were carried out to reassure all parties and enable the sale to be finalised.
We are sorry that this experience has affected your perception of our agency, especially given your loyalty since 1987. We take your comments to heart and will use them to improve our services.
We remain at your disposal to discuss your experience in more detail if you wish. Our aim is to restore your trust and continue to offer you the highest quality service.
Yours sincerely
The LE BEC Team
