Madam, - I agree with Barry Cardiff (March 1st) that if the sale of a house has been agreed, it should be illegal to advertise the property. However, he doesn't go far enough.
If you are the highest bidder at an auction, the house is deemed to be "sold" on that day. However, if a house is "sale agreed" it can remain so for a number of weeks and neither party is compelled to complete the transaction until contracts are signed or, as frequently happens, the deal falls through because one side pulls the plug.
In other aspects of Irish law a verbal agreement is legally binding. Why not for property? The concept of "sale agreed" should be abolished entirely. You either commit yourself to sell/buy a house, or you don't. - Yours, etc,
RICHARD MORTON, Coppinger Glade, Blackrock, Co Dublin.