@john.savage: “The agent wants £2,000 on the side… is that okay?” Forgive my language — but tell that agent to FO. And I don’t say that lightly. If an agent is asking for money *off the books*: • No moral compass • Completely unethical • Totally illegal That’s not a grey area. That’s corruption. Let me tell you why this grips me. I once had a buyer say to me: “John, if you get this property for me at £X, I’ll give you £5,000.” I stopped him immediately and said: “Do not ever do that to me again.” Not because I didn’t want the money —but because if you can afford an extra £5,000, **that money belongs to the seller**, not the agent. An estate agent has one duty: To act in the best interests of their client — the seller. The moment they start taking secret payments from buyers, they’re no longer representing anyone fairly. They’re playing both sides. And buyers and sellers lose. So no — this is not “how it works”. It’s not “just how things are done”. And it’s definitely not something you should accept, especially as a first-time buyer. If an agent even suggests this: 👉 Walk away 👉 Protect yourself 👉 And seriously consider reporting it Because if they’re willing to do that, you have no idea what else they’re cutting corners on. Sorry for the language. But some things deserve plain English. #FirstTimeBuyerUK #PropertyBuyingUK #EstateAgentTruth #IllegalPractices #BuyerAdvice #UKPropertyMarket #NoMoreBullshit #ZeroBS #PropertyEthics #HomeBuyingTips

John Savage

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Tuesday 10 November 2026 08:44:01 GMT