Bear Estate Agents is a UK-based real estate agency operating through their website, bearestateagents.co.uk. The company specializes in providing comprehensive property services, including residential sales, lettings, and property management. With a focus on delivering professional support, Bear Estate Agents aims to facilitate smooth transactions for home buyers, sellers, landlords, and tenants.
The target market for Bear Estate Agents includes individuals and families seeking to buy or rent properties, as well as property owners looking to sell or lease their homes. By leveraging local market knowledge and expertise, the company strives to meet the diverse needs of its clients in the ever-evolving real estate landscape. Bear Estate Agents is committed to offering reliable and transparent services to enhance the overall experience of their customers in the property market.
Bear Estate Agents has a positive customer experience.
Bear Estate Agents receives a mix of feedback from customers, with a notable 80% expressing positive experiences. Many reviewers praise the professionalism and support of the staff, particularly highlighting individuals like Zoe, Helen, and Sydney for their consistent assistance throughout the sales process.
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Customers appreciate the efficiency of Bear, with several noting quick sales and effective communication during transactions. However, a significant number of negative reviews point to issues with the agency's practices, such as forcing clients to engage with their mortgage advisors before proceeding with offers, which has frustrated first-time buyers. Additionally, some clients report poor communication and lack of follow-up after sales, particularly from the Leigh branch.
Would Not Recommend - Awful Service to 1st Time Buyers
We recently brought out first home with Bear (the Leigh on Sea office) and the whole experience with them has been extremely negative. We received no contact for weeks on end, we would continuously call and message and be ignored, given we were first time buyers we expected a lot more support and advice. We actually went two months without hearing from then, we was lucky we was in contact with the sellers as they was our only source of information. When we did get in contact they was rude and unhelpful, like we are bothering them for asking for updates. However this all changes quickly when an completion date was proposed, they gave us 6 days’ notice and the date was when they knew we was on holiday so we could not agree to this, they then continued to call us and tell us how disappointed the seller was, even though we was in contact with the sellers who were absolutely fine. The worst part is on the day we completed, we was waiting for the call to collect our keys, it got to 3pm with no contact so we had to call to which their response was 'oh your keys are here', so frustrating and unprofessional given we was waiting to move out all day, we actually found out the seller dropped the keys to them at 11am so it goes to show how useless they are. We have been in the property for 3 weeks now and have not heard a word from them, they haven't checked in to confirm if we actually moved in, and we still have the sold sign sitting outside as no one has contacted us to collect them. In addition, they take £250 when you have an offer accepted and advise they will reimburse you once you complete, they failed to pay us this back so we had to call and ask for this, do not forget to do this as they will keep your money!!
Poor customer service and very rude. I was trying to sell/let a property through Bear Estate Agents Southend and between them they demonstrated a lack of knowledge of any property related matters on all fronts. Then of course they come up with a myriad of excuses as to why other than the reality that they are incompetent. Use at your peril.
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We were looking to buy a property in the Rayleigh area and contacted bear as a lot of properties in Rayleigh were listed under them. We live in Woking and so it is a 2-2.5 hours journey for us to get to Rayleigh. Bear cancelled our appointment last minute citing that the vendor had already accepted an offer! This was a working day for us and we had made quite a few arrangements to get to the viewing - getting to Rayleigh early morning and booking a hotel to work in until the appointment time etc., spent nearly £200 and 5 hours total journey to and fro. Would have appreciated if they could have informed us in advance if the cancellation rather than waiting until the last minute! Over-promise and under-deliver. Not professional and I don't think we'll ever book a viewing with them again.
Unless you live in the Rayleigh / Hockley area and wouldn't mind last minute changes and empty promises, avoid this estate agent.
What can I say but seriously look into the reviews on Bear before you EVEN contemplate using them to buy or sell a property. I stupidly didn’t read the reviews until now and it seems everyone has the same experience. I can review on buying and selling with them and the games they play. Firstly selling, I started with Tony at the Leigh branch. Charm and decided to go for it. Always check the paperwork as what we agreed in person was not the same fee on the paperwork. Read it before you sign. After 2/3 weeks you will be told that you should lower the price as there has not been an interest as they thought there once would be. I’d like to add I put my property up with them when the business was at its highest. I lowered the price as I though they know there stuff. Then something told me this was not right. I got friends to call/email to arrange viewings and these leads were never followed through. No call backs so I questioned it and was told covid and maternity leave left them short staffed. I knew they took the Lion share of the market at that time but poor service and following from there was complaint after complaint. I was looking at purchasing a property with them and basically was told as I am buying and selling though them they hold all the cards and can manipulate this so I can get the house I wanted. Not what anyone who is also selling wants to hear. They even re-listed my property under their other branch so it came up as a new listing. Now buying with the Southend branch, wow I’m not sure where to start. From advising the seller that I’m not interested in them completing the installation of the shower door and splash back in the kitchen they would tell me one thing and the seller another. Luckily we had exchanged numbers and could sort all this out directly. But let’s say that 2 months since completion bear still haven’t contacted me to see if I have the keys to the property. Avoid avoid avoid.
Stay away from Bears Estate agent - very rude, unhelpful, shocking customer service
We bought a property in Southend. We were told that the seller had to move out by 12 noon on that day so we arranged removal van for 13.00 arrival at the property. As we arrived, we found out that the exchange was delayed therefore we cannot enter the property yet. The removal people had to leave all our stuffs outside of the property and my partner and I were waiting in the cold. We called Sydney, the negotiation person at the agent, multiple times to check when we do have the go ahead, whether she can meet us in the property to hand us the key as we are not driving and we do not know the town. She kept saying that she and the team were too busy and no one can deliver us the key.
By that time, my partner and I were already waited in the cold for a couple of hours. As we were waiting outside, we noticed that the sellers were actually in the house. We called Sydney again to check if the sellers were inside and asked if she can liaise with them handing us the key. She said she'd left them a message. We also alerted our lawyer that the seller were in the property and the lawyer said they shouldn't be. Shortly after, the sellers walked out of the property, closing the door behind them and leaving the keys inside of the house. We called Sydney again for help as we were very cold and struggled to navigate the town to get to the office to collect the key. Again, she said she can't help. In the end, I had to cycle from the property for 45 minutes to the office to collect the key. We were new to town, moved from London. My phone was dying and I had to take my partner's phone for GPS. It was then getting dark and my father in law, who had my two year old baby, had already arrived the property. So I ordered a taxi from Bears' office to come back to find my in laws, my baby and my partner were all waiting outside in the cold for me to access the property. It was a sad scene to witness on a supposedly happy day of moving into a new property.
I think this experience is appalling. I am a customer who paid a large amount for a property and was told they can't deliver me the key for my product and I had to navigate my way in a brand new town to collect the key on my bike, whilst already having waited in the cold for hours. My partner had to wait in the cold for hours watching our stuffs left by the removal people and he couldn't even go to the toilet or accept the offer of waiting inside by our neighbours. By the time we entered the property, it was already 16.30. It was dark, cold and we were hungry with a 2 year old baby needing attention, yet, we still need to unload everything by ourselves as the removal guys had gone. Perhaps it could have been avoided if your office cared enough to liaise with the seller so we can get in as the property was empty, the seller were just inside keeping warm.
It was a long stressful day and I'm still shocked at how unsympathetic your team can be. Never mind I'm a customer, it's just not a normal human being should treat another human being. This is the second time I owned a property, the first time I bought my property I was certainly met and greeted by my property agent at the property and handed the key to me, saying thank you and welcome and congratulations. I really don't feel Sydney has valued me as a customer or a person, in fact, I feel being treated like a piece of garbage by her.
When we complained, they were just being defensive and offered no apology. Really shocking customer service. Stay away from them. They might be nice to seller, but treated buyer very badly, at the end of the day , if you want a smooth transaction, don't go anywhere near them!!!
Terrible customer service, multiple times.
They are unprofessional at viewings. On one occasion the estate agent was dressed in his Saturday going out clothes and couldn’t get us out of the door quick enough.
At other viewings they clearly seemed disinterested in the property they were selling and tried to sell us other houses at the same time.
When we did find a property we liked via Bear, they were poor with communication. We were unfortunate with our chain and rather than speak to us about it, they sneakily re-advertised the house we had offered on again without speaking to us and re sold the house! This is after we had paid a holding deposit and spent money on searches and surveys. The least they could have done was to inform the buyers that the house was back on the market. I found out via right move!
We spent hours waiting for calls back from them and mostly found out what was going on via other estate agents in the chain.
Would never use them again and do not recommend.
I have used Bear Estate agents a couple of times and my parents used them as well recently. Everyone has always been very professional and helpful. I have dealt with a number of estate agents and Bear definitely leads the way. Everyone is always quick to answer queries promptly. I would definitely recommend them!
I'm giving 5 Stars as the initial sale of my house and communication was first class. We encountered a problem amdnit was solved, very friendly and very professional. Due to the timing of my sale I feel that making them lower would be unfair. The world was trying to get completion before the 30th June and Helen the aftersales professional was obviously overwhelmed with people calling in to chase their own individual sale. Helen never said this but I feel she could have done with some help,it seemed she had to deal with everyone and everything which left me a little frustrated. But she always returned my call. Whether it was because of the stamp duty or not, maybe the work load could have been shared more, or even get another Helen on board although if after sales are normally OK then either with another Helen customer satisfaction would go up or she would have a better work life balance. My thoughts only and as I said it may have just been because of the stamp duty coming to an end
I found them to be so very friendly and efficient, always keeping me up to date with what was happening. In all my years and many house sales and purchase, I have never had such a great experience. So I highly recommend Bear Estates..especially at Leigh on Sea branch. Brilliant people.
I registered with this agent and viewed a property, there was an anomaly on the lease, I asked the agent and he said he would get back to me. I heard nothing. They advertised another property and I organised a viewing with them. I turned up, they didnt, I phoned and the appointment was for the NEXT WEEK! They did not make that clear, and were unconcerned. Said they sent me a text. Never have had such bad service from any estate agent.
Bear Estate Agents is a UK-based real estate agency operating through their website, bearestateagents.co.uk. The company specializes in providing comprehensive property services, including residential sales, lettings, and property management. With a focus on delivering professional support, Bear Estate Agents aims to facilitate smooth transactions for home buyers, sellers, landlords, and tenants.
The target market for Bear Estate Agents includes individuals and families seeking to buy or rent properties, as well as property owners looking to sell or lease their homes. By leveraging local market knowledge and expertise, the company strives to meet the diverse needs of its clients in the ever-evolving real estate landscape. Bear Estate Agents is committed to offering reliable and transparent services to enhance the overall experience of their customers in the property market.