Buxton - Hampton East

I don’t normally write reviews like this, but after my experience with Buxton Hampton East I feel people should know what happened. I dealt mainly with Adam Gillon and Paul Sibley and, by the end of the campaign, I’d completely lost confidence in the way my property was being handled. I went into the campaign believing my property was around the $2 million mark. As things went along, I felt the bar was being set too low to get people interested, rather than pushing to achieve the price I believed the property was worth. The property was originally going to auction, but the auction was cancelled and we moved to a private sale. After the auction was cancelled, a private-sale price appeared in the advertising that I had not approved. It’s my property. Surely I should have the final say on what price is being advertised. The offers came after the auction had been cancelled. On 31 March I received a message saying, “we are at 1.860” and that if they got to $1.875m they would be “breaking records”. My response was pretty clear: “Absolutely not! 1.925!” There was then an offer of $1.885m and I eventually put forward a formal counter of $1.925m. One of the things that frustrated me the most was trying to get straight answers about the offers. I questioned Adam about an offer I’d been told about because things simply weren’t adding up to me. I never got an answer that satisfied me. Then there was another buyer Paul told me was interested around my $2 million range. I was told they’d driven past the property a few times and had also been looking at it online. I already had people coming through on a Saturday morning, so I said bring them through as well. I was then told they couldn’t make it. I found that very hard to understand. If I’ve got someone interested around the money I’m looking for, I want my agent doing everything possible to get them through the front door. I was more than happy to make the property available for a private inspection at another time as well. I’m not saying I know what was going on from that buyer’s end because I don’t. I can only go by what I was being told and what happened from my end. As the vendor, I wasn’t happy with how it was handled. What really finished it for me was what happened after my last text exchange with Paul regarding that buyer. After that, I tried to contact them and I did not get my calls or emails returned. When you’re trusting agents with the sale of a multimillion-dollar property, I don’t think returning a vendor’s calls and emails is asking too much. By that stage I’d had enough. I had concerns about the price guide, the communication, the way potential buyers were being handled and the information I was getting about offers. I eventually terminated Buxton’s authority to sell the property. The whole thing was even more disappointing because I’ve known Adam for around 45 years and had dealt with him on a number of property sales over roughly 20 years. I certainly didn’t think our last dealings would finish like this. I felt strongly enough about what happened that I lodged a formal complaint with Consumer Affairs Victoria. That matter is still with Consumer Affairs and I’m waiting for the outcome. To be fair, Consumer Affairs has not made any findings against Buxton at this stage — I’m simply saying I’ve lodged the complaint and it’s still unresolved. Would I use Buxton Hampton East again? No chance. If you’re selling your home, my advice from my experience is to get everything in writing. Keep your texts and emails, keep a record of every offer you’re told about and don’t be frightened to question things if they don’t make sense to you. Luckily, I kept mine.

Matthew O'SullivanGoogle

I've had the privilege of working with Paul in the past and this time it was equally as rewarding. You expect great local knowledge, expertise and enthusiasm from your agent, but Paul offers more than that. Together he and Nat worked with me as a team, their communication was phenomenal and I trusted and valued their advice. Paul is adept at reading his marketplace, and in what was a very challenging environment he was able to secure me an outcome I was delighted with.

Sue O'NeilGoogle

We had a fantastic experience working with Leigh from Buxton to sell our property. From the very beginning, he was friendly, approachable and incredibly helpful. He kept us informed every step of the way with regular updates, so we always knew what was happening. What we appreciated most was that we never felt pressured at any stage of the process. Leigh was honest, professional and his communication and support made what can be a stressful experience feel smooth and straightforward. We wouldn't hesitate to recommend Leigh to anyone looking to buy or sell a property. Thank you for all your hard work!

Vinitha CouttsGoogle