Oh, there's going to be a lot of estate agents in the dole queue. I'd expect between 50-75% of their shops to close. It was a few months ago, I was stood outside the Dublin Castle pub on parkway in camden, when it really sunk in just how many there are- I counted over a dozen just from the spot I was stood in. one out of every two shops. The world simply doesn't need that many, and now the gravy trains left town a mass culling is really just the natural cycle of life.
I don't wish to sound vindictive- thats not me- but when radio 5 had estate agents all bleating about losing their jobs and being expected to flip burgers I had to dismiss it with "and what did you think was gonna happen, houses were gonna climb at 3-400% of inflation for ever?". Any half clued in person knew the bust would come, and the people who kept insisting to me it wouldn't were basing their belief on prayers, evan now having been proved wrong they're insisting it's gonna be a short, temporary blip and everythings gonna get hunkey-dorey again within 12 months. Wake up and smell the coffee.
sorry rant almost over, but this situations been fueled by greed and ignorant stupidity and the punters are as much to blame, the masses get caught up in the stampede of the lemmings, you can blame estate agents all you like but they always have been and always will be thus- to most people the idea that they themselves should stand back and take a overview, form an opinion that differs from the herd is alien. People lap up what they are told by the industry, they haven't learnt from the past and they won't learn now- watch this space.
As far as your situation goes, valuations don't tell the full story and as the old saying goes, it's worth what someones willing to pay for it. It could be the estate agent wants to offload if quick and doesn't care about getting you the best price, or it could be he knows in a few months you'd bite someones hand off for todays offer.
Don't take any of that personally it's just a broad view of the messed up situation.
