Your questions on property related issues are answered

On the market for . . .

My house has been on the market for two weeks and I am very unhappy with my agent. Briefly, my gripes are that a senior person came to value the house and I was under the impression that she would be dealing with the sale. Instead, I find that the negotiator is a younger, vastly more inexperienced person who doesn't seem to know anything about our house. When I ring the office, more often than not I can't get through to her and, although there have been at least five people viewing the house, she has been unable to tell me anything about them, if they are likely purchasers, time wasters etc. Will I injure the sale of my home if I change agents now?

Get a firm grip of this situation right now. Think of the large number of houses on the market. Unless your house is handled properly there is a chance that it will escape unnoticed or be casually handled when a buyer does fetch up. If this is how neglected you feel, then there's a chance that prospective buyers could be feeling similarly ignored. Buyers get fed up by being messed around by agents and, with this much choice out there, you can't risk that happening.

Changing agent is one option. It's not a drastic step but it will cost you. You will be charged for the brochures that have been printed up and any advertising. Changing agent will set you back a couple of weeks - you'll have to interview new agents, agree terms, and so on. Presumably, when you gave the sale of your house to this agency you felt you had good reasons for your choice. So before you go down the new agent route, contact your existing agent - in particular the senior person who came to value the house. Outline your grievances face-to-face and follow it up in writing. However, it is fairly common practice among the bigger estate agencies for a senior person to do the initial valuation and for the sale to be handed over to a more junior member of staff. However, you are right to expect that whoever takes over the negotiations is professional enough to handle the sale.

If this agency is as good as you thought it was when you first gave it the business, then it's likely that a frank conversation between you and the senior negotiator will bring the thing back on track. However, if after your chat you don't see an immediate improvement with the level of service, then by all means change agent.

Brother has asked me . . .

My brother (self-employed) has asked me to go in on a mortgage with him - my largish salary will secure him the mortgage he needs to buy a new apartment. Other than applying for the loan I will have nothing to do with the purchase. I won't be living there or paying any repayments. A friend has cautioned that by doing this I won't be viewed as a first-time buyer when I buy my own place?

Your name will go on the mortgage and the deeds of the apartment. Even if the apartment has nothing to do with you, you will still be a part-owner. So you will not be considered a first-time buyer when it comes to your own place and lenders may consider you in enough debt already over your brother's apartment. You need to think about the long term implications of this before going any further.

Send your queries to Property Questions, The Irish Times, 10-16 D'Olier Street, Dublin 2 or e-mail propertyquestions@irish-times.ie.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to respond to all questions. The above is a representative sample of queries received. This column is a readers' service and is not intended to replace professional advice. No individual correspondence will be entered into.