Vendors rejected offer, what next?

[Rainbowhairdontcare]

We offered £205k on this house:

www.rightmove.co.uk/s6p/64212273

We recognise it has its issues (decoration, garden and garage access through communal area) and thought £205k was a very sensible offer.

We could maybe offer £206k but that would be stretching it as MB has said that's the maximum they'd lend us. Everybody loves the house and it's a shame to just say goodbye to it, but at the same time were fully aware it's not worth £210k (lack of garden and not the most desirable of areas).

But there is haggling and there is haggling op. Low balling on a house is always risky, as if you don't keep it at least realistic you can seem that you're simply trying to buy a house you can't afford. 190 wasn't realistic for this property. And then telling them 205 was a number you didn't wish to pay, anyone would think you'd get thr survey in and try to drop the price.

I do think in these circstances many people would be reticent to sell to you.

It's much better to treat each other with respect in a business transaction rather than try to fuck the other side over from the get go and offer something that's laughable and then make it clear you grudge every penny,

Your first offer was taking the piss.

You should have been looking at properties that were in your price range. You definitely should have looked at this one if, Ideally, wanted to spend almost 10% less than that.

Almost 10% knock down as a starting offer, is taking the piss.

This happened to us. We had sold our house months before and were living with my parents so we were chain free. There was a house on the market for £275k (when stamp duty really hit people paying more than £250k) so offers over £250 would have been rare. It was overpriced for the area. We offered our max but she wanted a particular bungalow so refused our offer. She didn’t sell her house and I pass it a lot as it is round the corner from my sister. The house we found later was better and was under our top budget.

I wouldn't sell to you either. I would have every reason to suspect that you would try and drop the offer immediately before exchange.
You seem to think you're doing them a favour by taking it off their hands because it's such an odd house.
Find another house and drop the attitude and you might have more luck

I only did what had worked in the past for me. When we first offered neither was convinced so we weren't that fussed. MB had promised £5k more which turned out to be not true and the the DC absolutely adored the house (and we didn't expect that).
This house has left me beyond stressed and at the edge of tears. Clearly I can't negotiate when heavily pregnant so I've asked DH to take over.

There does not seem to be any negotiating to do, if they want the full asking price and you do not want to pay that. You have already increased your offer several times and they could be thinking you will do it again. I always offer what I think the place is worth to me and that is it, I hate all the backwards and forwards bit.

I would tell the EA to come back to you if they change their mind.

You sound personally affronted that they won’t sell their house to you at a discount. 😲 I might go and tell Liz that I fancy buying Buckingham Palace for £500k. I hope she doesn’t say no, greedy cow.

@FiveShelties I think that's what ended up annoying me. They were not willing to negotiate full stop. The EA should have a broad idea if they were or weren't and be clearer if I was not getting the message.

@HasThisSoddingNameGoneToo it really wasn't that it was the call that was just a "they say no". That was it. After taking the whole weekend to think about it. It's not their fault I think the EAs could have done a better job.

When it’s the right house, it all goes smoothly. This isn’t your house. Keep looking.

Most people buying and selling houses are not professionals at it and therefore can act in an unusual way.

It is fine to ask the estate agent what offer would be acceptable.

Just wait until Brexit? I think your a bit daft desperately trying to buy a house now.

@MrsAmaretto at this pace that might happen regardless. I know mortgage rates will be lower too, although our deal is fairly good.

We just wanted to move ASAP because of the baby and also because our landlords have been very odd about having just a 6 month fixed contract and nothing else. They also know we want to move so no idea if they'll renew.

This is a bit of an odd thread. You offered what you thought you could afford and that the house was worth. The vendors said no. The end (well unless they come back in a month's time and say "market not moving, we've reconsidered what we'll take, are you still interested?")

This is all perfectly normal. This is exactly the way house buying works in England. Do not take it personally, just move in and look for somewhere different.

Gag fat fingers. Move on, not move in. Obviously you shouldn't just move in in these circumstances.

Why the angst? You've offered, they declined. Either offer more or accept that you can't afford this house.

I guess the angst is more for personal reasons. My DH is a bit picky, my DM is picky too (both with opposing views). I'm not as much and I'm happy to compromise.

On one side I have my mother saying but the house has no garden, think about the baby, dog, your DSS can share with baby etc... And on the other I have no way they'll share, your desk is the least important (even though I do bits of WFH), the one thing is the 4th bedroom BUT most affordable areas are ghettos and you don't want to be there.

Trying to please both is almost impossible. My DM definitely didn't like this house and I think that had a big impact in how it all went.

They were not willing to negotiate full stop. The EA should have a broad idea if they were or weren't and be clearer if I was not getting the message.

But they did. This is 4th offer.

Your first was taking the piss. I would have just outright declined that and woikdnt not have entered 'I am willing to take x'.

Because I would be thinking, down the road you will try and pull a fast one, wanting more off.

The you keep upping. So they are sitting back and letting you get to the asking price.

This is negotiation.

Why do people insist on saying 'they might need that price to fund their next purchase'?

So what? I might need £1M to fund my next house purchase. Doesn't mean the one I am selling is worth that, however much I wish it.

I suspect that because OP has upped the offer so many times, the vendor is holding out to see if they can get a bit more, having already dropped the price. Personally, I wouldn't touch that house. Crazy layout, all those stairs, no decent outdoor space and communal parking.

Are you saying that dm will be living with you? Otherwise why else should she have a say, even if she is providing a deposit?

Is the plan for your DMs to live with you? what will they do in 10 years when you retire abroad?

I don't think this house sounds ideal for you, you're making a lot of compromises that don't seem good ideas. I'd leave it now, you'll find something else that the kids love and you can't force the vendors to sell to you even if you offer over the price. Plus, their listing has likely got lots of traffic from here, which the EA is likely to pass off as interest unless they research the traffic sources!

How you balance DH and DM is a wider problem. You can't have three people all with priority say. You can't even have just those two, if they have opposing views. Can you speak to your DM and DF? It doesn't sound like a good idea to accept money from them if it means they think they'll have a say in your home, but if there's no alternatives, perhaps you can agree some basic principles with them so they don't review every house with you.

Because @Spinnaret if they don’t get that price they won’t sell.

I had a house for sale on and off for 5 years. I needed a certain price to sell and eventually got it.

In fact I was dealing with someone like the OP who couldn’t afford it and was upping the offer by 5k at a time but was still short, when a cash buyer swooped in and offered asking price to me direct. My fairy godmother the couple who couldn’t afford it were upset apparently but I didn’t give them a second thought tbh

@Spinnaret and yet OP went to view a house up for a price she cant meet.

So you could say the same. She may want the house, but cant meet the asking price.

She may really want it. That doeant mean she gets it.

This comes down to whether you need the house more than they need to sell it!

They own the house - they therefore have every right to take the weekend to consider your offer. It's better for you if they do, since it means they are more likely to stick to an agreement if they've had time to think about it properly.

@AnchorDownDeepBreath no our DMs would be with us one month each for when the baby is going to nursery. They both live very far away so regardless they'd come and stay for long periods of time.

Part of the "retirement plan" is to tie up all loose ends. There's a lot of unfinished business involving my parents and inheritances and trusts in my birth country. At the very least I need to stay there for a year.

I think neither my DH nor my DM are actually being realistic. One wants a lovely neighborhood, the other one wants within commuting distance and with no work left to do. My DH has never owned before so all of it is new to him and out of his scope.

The vendors rejected the £206k offer and asked for more, to which I just said thanks but no thanks, nothing else left to say.