Deceitful, time wasting, careless people. You will lose money regardless being a buyer of seller. Just avoid them. # Introduction In the beginning, everything look it was on my side, except the time frame, so from the start I clearly communicated to each party that time is crucial. From the agency they said that everything will be straight forward and fast. Because I trusted them, I ended up losing 6 months of my life, £600 direct money loss (bank, solicitor fees) and thousands of pounds or indirect costs (rent renewal and accompanied expenses) cost that could be otherwise harnesses for paying mortgage installments. # Involved parties + Street Ahead = Danny Midani, Salma Ashfaq, Zena Beri + Sellers Solicitor = Tollers Solicitors - Kassilyn Carry + My solicitor = Ronald Fletcher Baker LLP - Pinar Demir + HML Croydon - property management company + NSQ development Wandle Park Croydon # Story I had a first viewing of the 3rd Floor Palladian Court, 3 Cabot Close property on 20. April. Upon viewing, I immediately made offer without negotiation the equal to amount displayed on the Right Move site £300K. Agent Selma who was showing me flat even advised me to try with lower offer £290K and see what happens. I replied that I do not need to negotiate as long as I know that everything is ok with property legally and any other way, and that we can close this transaction quickly! At that point, she said that property is chain-free and that owner who is in China, wants to do the same. Also, she mentioned, that usually takes from 4-6 weeks to complete a legal paperwork. At this point I knew my I will have guests coming to London I needed to accommodate, so if transaction is done in normal timeframe everything will be ok. For me timeframe was crucial. As I got agent's confirmation that everything will be ok by asking multiple time, I thought I could count on it. But ... As during first viewing I have noticed that electricity is not working, oddly except in toilet, naturally I asked to check what is going on. Together we have tried to push some switches but without luck. From there, series of issues started. As I need to initiate process with the bank (mortgage), first thing I need to know is that everything is functionally working in the property. I repeatedly asking them about electricity and each time they promised that they will arrange something. How complicated can it be? Maybe 30min to 1h check with person who know things around electricity? One would think that this will be solved quickly, but no! Instead sending someone to fix electricity, there was a long chain of completely useless emails and conversation just there to waste time. At this point senior manager Danny come to the scene, with his long explanations... You probably seen type of people, who, when you give them 5 minutes task, they start talking for hours without doing it. They speak a lot of words, but without content, in the process wasting a huge amount of your time – well, that is Danny. If they do not do task, they will send you next few hundred words with excuse from the plethora of their usual excuses. In normal companies' people get fired for not accomplishing something in time, but not in Streets Ahead, there time wasters thrive. At this point I have already paid for Bank searches and I am waiting agency to confirm electricity as I need to initiate solicitor searches which will cost even more money. So, as I already paid bank, logically I do not want to pay/lose even more without knowing is there a some structural/legal issue which will cause me a headache later. Only at the point when I said that if they do not confirm that electricity is working and by setting deadline saying I will pull out - they went there and done what was necessary. I got confirmation on 8 May with video on WhatsUp followed by my inspection on Saturday. Three weeks (3 weeks) for simple 30-minute task!!! First red flag I missed. Think about it, if it was a top-up meter issue, it is only £5, to check. Their excuse was “seller is in China”, which subsequently become their favorite excuse. Let's do a bit of reasoning, even if client lived on a planet Pluto it would take around 6 hours for message to get to Pluto and another 6 hours to get back response +- time to read so let say maximum 24hrs. How did they manage to waste 3 weeks is beyond me? Is this issue with electricity agency's responsibility or seller's? Well, if you would get ~£15K from property sale on account of commission would you spend £5 for your troubles? No, they choose to waste my time... From those, promised 4-6 weeks and smooth ride mentioned at first viewing, they already wasted half of that time. That should have given me enough information to release with whom I am trying to do transaction and to stop working with them. But I again trusted everything will be ok and continued. Next red flag I missed at the beginning – was that they were offering their own solicitor to be mine solicitor. When agency do this - run away and do not look back. Effectively what this means is that they will turn blind eye on all irregular things, later on you will end up with property full of issues paying significantly more than you bargain for. I had lucky that Ronald Fletcher Baker solicitor noticed those issues at the beginning. Pinar sent initial list of issue out of which there was waiting for Management Company pack, missing clear service charges account and ground rent statements, even that seller's lease and title have not been registered on the freeholder's title in the Land Registry! After this initial list this list just grew longer. On Jun 6 (week 7) after it was obvious that things are not going desired way Zena (Street's Ahead Sales Progressor) sent me mail with following content Streets Ahead "Please could you let me have your financial advisors name, number and email. Your mortgage offer is not in with your solicitor". This is a massive red flag, at this point mortgage offer was already in hands of my solicitor long time ago sent by the bank. As I have found and instructed solicitor through the Halifax bank's portal. Even, if offer was not with the solicitor, my solicitor is only person who should have these details, and if something was missing, as it is my solicitor, they should communicate those to me directly. I asked people at the bank and they confirmed that no one except myself and my solicitor should have that information. On 2 Jul, (week 11) I asked for small price revision to reduce some of the cost I suffered. Danny said that if do that any further price changes will not be available. I agreed, and I clearly communicated that next good date for contract exchange is end of July which gives additional 4 weeks and that cut of date is mid-August. At this point Danny wrote I quote: "I can assure you that I have taken charge of this file and I am constantly on it", from there what should have been days turned to weeks. I was getting less and less updates. On 16th of Aug (week 17) as I set in deadline I pulled out from this transaction, last email I got from my solicitor (19 Aug) I could see that 7 things are still outstanding: one of those all the way from 30th May 2019, and six things from 23rd July 2019 nothing solved. Before pulling out I asked Danny for seller's contact, as I wanted to include her in the loop and check whether she can push thing with her solicitor, but as that was with Danny, except initial response "I will check..." nothing happen. Till the end, Danny was blaming Management Company and fact that seller is in China. Location as mentioned is not the issue, and regarding Management Company, if that is true, then all HML/NSQ properties in Wandle Park area have the same issue, and maybe you should think twice before starting process. I blame Street Ahead for misleading and lying, even after pulling out, they trying to convince me that seller is willing to exchange contract next week, regardless of the fact, that those decisions were not in their hands they continued lying. To remind you there were 7 outstanding unresolved things, and they have not had any control over it. Instead of letting go, they will try to keep you regardless making constant damage and loss of money. They get huge commissions for selling property, but they don't do anything for you. When someone says I am constantly on the case I expect that he will try to on daily bases check progress, and remind and budge people to finish their part, that has not happened. They had many opportunities to say this is not going fast or smoothly, or apologise, and I would have gone searching for another property. But they never done that, even after I pulled out they keep repeating the same story. When process is very slow, bank will expire your current mortgage offer, and there is a chance you will get worse terms. Any change in your circumstances (work, living, health ...) or things you cannot control (Brexit, tax legislation ...) can also impact you loosing current mortgage terms, which can later impact your ability to repay the mortgage. So, timing is crucial. At the end, it seems that Street Ahead agents think that writing capital words to emphasize thing is way to speak to clients and that repeating "we were polite" will make everything better. Be careful, polite crook is still crook, and politeness in this case is not a good thing, it is the way how they misled you. Wolf in the sheep skin - as someone described it before me on TrustPilot. If I missed all red flags you do not have to, be smart and learn from my mistakes especially if you are first time buyer and avoid Street Ahead agency at all costs!!!