budsida wrote:
They're aimed at holiday makers who think 500 quid a month is a good deal ... well for them I guess it is.
I've rented property for a one month period many times - never paid more than £150 for a 3 bed house with aircon upstairs & down. In fact, apart from the one time, on every other occasion, I've always paid less than £100.
Additionally, when I rent a house, its for between 6 and 8 people (children & adults) - a bit cosy, but it serves a purpose.
Having said that, when I move to Thailand, I will rent for the first year, whilst considering the wisdom of purchasing. When looking around at what was on offer in Estate Agent windows during a recent visit, I came to the conclusion that they are significantly inflating property prices - greed is certainly a major factor trying to capture higher rates of commission. Not a bad thing if you're selling, but is anybody daft enough to pay the inflated prices being asked?
I certainly found several properties where the vendor was quite prepared to sell for about 60% of the fee quoted in Estate Agent literature for comparative properties.
So getting back to Robee's original posting, I would recommend speaking direct to vendors rather than using an Estate Agent. That way, I'm sure you can negotiate a price that makes buying as attractive as renting. However, don't buy the first property you are offered - be prepared to rent for a while, whilst waiting for the right deal.
I think you'll find the price war applies to both purchase and renting.
