A month of excuses on an above-asking, all-cash offer. Extremely unprofessional and non-transparent. Avoid this agency.
TLDR: A month of excuses on an above-asking, all-cash offer. Extremely unprofessional and non-transparent. Avoid this agency.
I had an incredibly frustrating and unprofessional experience with Molteni that resulted in a failed purchase despite my making the strongest possible offer. I would strongly caution anyone to avoid this agency if you value your time and clear communication.
Here is a simple timeline of the facts:
The Offer: Immediately after viewing a property, I made a full-price (no mortgage) offer. To show my commitment, I later increased this offer to be ABOVE the asking price.
The Process: Instead of a professional response, I was met with a full month of delays and a series of constantly changing excuses from the agent. The story changed week after week. They kept showing the property to the others after I made the offer for a month, clearly looking for a more convenient buyer for them and not for the seller.
When I was already tired of trying to reach their agents to get an update, I tried contacting the owner directly, and he refused to talk.
The Intermediary Issue: The process was complicated by an intermediary "property finder" (Property Organiser) whom I had already formally fired in writing. The most shocking part was when Property Organiser themselves later informed me that
Molteni was still sharing information with them about my offer, even after I had revoked their authority. The intermediary went so far as to tell me that Molteni would never sell the property to me without their involvement - a prediction that, in the end, came true.
The Outcome: After a month of being strung along with excuses and opaque back-channel communications, the deal failed. An exceptional offer was wasted due to the agency's inability to act professionally and transparently.
Conclusion: A real estate transaction requires trust, speed, and honesty. My experience with Molteni demonstrated a complete lack of all three. They took a perfect, above-asking-price, all-cash offer and let it die over a month of excuses and questionable back-channel dealings.
This is either extreme incompetence or something worse. I cannot recommend this agency to anyone. Proceed with extreme caution.