I know this has pretty much been answered but being an estate agent, I thought I should add my thoughts...
Being in a chain isn't completely evil but always advisable to try and avoid if at all possible.
Say for example you are buying a house, and the seller of that house is also buying, and then their buyer is selling; If the person at the 'top' of the chain pulls out of the sale, the whole thing can go pear-shaped, unless of course the estate agents at the top can quickly find a replacement buyer. Chains aren't necessarily bad, they just have a higher fallout rate.
I've been in the business six years, so if you need any more advice let me know!

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