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Original poster

Being gazumpted on dream property

496 replies

Pippinsdiary · 04/02/2025 17:57

I know it’s legal to do it but I’m so sad Sad

we offered just under asking price on our dream property that has been on the market over a year, the estate agent phoned yesterday to say another offer slightly higher has been accepted and it’s their final decision. I asked if we could offer higher and they said the vendors aren’t interested and just want to proceed and not waste any more time

am I wrong to think as our offer has been accepted we should have been given the chance to offer more before another has been accepted?!

I know this happens and I’m glad it’s happened now and not further down the line but I feel so angry

OP posts:
SheilaFentiman · 05/02/2025 19:20

and again… op lives a long way away and so putting a note through the door or knocking won’t really work.

Plus - if the owners have said to the EA “we do not want to hear about further offers” then turning up on their doorstep is pretty obnoxious.

Wish44 · 05/02/2025 19:24

If it was your dream house why didn’t you offer the asking price?

Deeperthantheocean · 05/02/2025 19:25

The system is so unfair. Hats off to Scotland who have different rules. X

Drfosters · 05/02/2025 19:26

Lieneke · 05/02/2025 18:23

Knock on their door. They might not even know about your offer. This is what happened to us. When I knocked and told them they were livid. Turned out that the agency decided it was one of their agents that needed the sale, they all work on competition and they must have done a deal between them. Not all agents are bad bit ours was!

the story the agent is feeding the OP just makes zero sense. It just seems fishy to me.

chain free cash buyers are the gold standard of buyers, particularly if your place has been on the market for a while. If you have one you don’t ditch then over £5k, particularly if they will match the other offer. If they have already committed to a survey then you are doubly sure they mean business. it all seems terribly strange that the sellers could ditch this unicorn of buyers for a likely chain laden buyer for the sake of £5k.

Original poster
Pippinsdiary · 05/02/2025 19:33

Wish44 · 05/02/2025 19:24

If it was your dream house why didn’t you offer the asking price?

Haha have you read the thread? We are 15 pages in now…?

OP posts:
Lieneke · 05/02/2025 19:34

Yes as I said very fishy and it might be the agent doing a deal with someone else or the agents within the agency fighting over a buyer.

redbusbeepbeep · 05/02/2025 19:44

Wish44 · 05/02/2025 19:24

If it was your dream house why didn’t you offer the asking price?

Ffs, really?

Elektra1 · 05/02/2025 20:11

Pippinsdiary · 05/02/2025 14:11

@chargeitup haha thank you!! It seems self explanatory to me but obviously not to others.

@Elektra1 as explained so many times in the thread, I don’t NEED the sales to line up at all and if not we would still continue and it wouldn’t hold up the sale at all, however it would be ideal if they did so we don’t have to move into rented or with my parents. That being said, we will if we need to Smile

Surely everyone would ideally like their sales to line up to avoid the added stress?

Edited

I must be missing something but to clarify: you're a chain free buyer and your vendors would prefer to go with buyers who have offered £5k more but are in a chain (which could collapse)?

If that is true and the vendors are sticking to their guns then more fool them. But next time don't piss about with the offer for £5k.

LindorDoubleChoc · 05/02/2025 20:21

I hope you find somewhere else that turns out to be a lot better OP Flowers

I understand that it's very frustrating for you that the EA won't explain or engage with you - but they are acting for and being paid by the vendors. The EA could be dodgy as fuck, or the vendors could be - unfortunately you have no way of knowing.

@chargeitup - can you lend me a tenner?

Original poster
Pippinsdiary · 05/02/2025 20:29

Elektra1 · 05/02/2025 20:11

I must be missing something but to clarify: you're a chain free buyer and your vendors would prefer to go with buyers who have offered £5k more but are in a chain (which could collapse)?

If that is true and the vendors are sticking to their guns then more fool them. But next time don't piss about with the offer for £5k.

Show quote history

I think they are in a chain but the EA hasn’t given me any info.

I wasn’t pissing about. I couldn’t afford it

OP posts:
redbusbeepbeep · 05/02/2025 20:40

Christ this thread has brought out some weirdos

Boysgrownbutstillathome · 05/02/2025 20:45

I thought gazumping was against the law in England.

Guineapiggywiggy · 05/02/2025 20:47

Boysgrownbutstillathome · 05/02/2025 20:45

I thought gazumping was against the law in England.

Nope

Original poster
Pippinsdiary · 05/02/2025 20:48

Boysgrownbutstillathome · 05/02/2025 20:45

I thought gazumping was against the law in England.

Nope. I think Scotland have different rules but not sure what they are

OP posts:
LlynTegid · 05/02/2025 21:05

Pippinsdiary · 05/02/2025 20:48

Nope. I think Scotland have different rules but not sure what they are

Show quote history

My understanding of Scotland is that you have either a sealed bid process by a given date, or a fixed price sale.

If I am incorrect, please could a Scottish mumsnetter explain the system.

SheilaFentiman · 05/02/2025 21:08

Elektra1 · 05/02/2025 20:11

I must be missing something but to clarify: you're a chain free buyer and your vendors would prefer to go with buyers who have offered £5k more but are in a chain (which could collapse)?

If that is true and the vendors are sticking to their guns then more fool them. But next time don't piss about with the offer for £5k.

Show quote history

Ye gods and little fishes. If the sellers didn’t want to accept £5k below asking, they didn’t have to.

What if OP had offered asking? Done her survey? Then these folks had rocked up at £5k over asking. Do you really think the sellers would have said, “thanks but no” at that point?

Elektra1 · 05/02/2025 21:11

@SheilaFentiman gosh that's a lot of attitude. Let me distil what I said:

  1. It's surprising that buyers would prefer a buyer in a chain offering no more than a non-chain buyer (given the OP has now offered asking price); and
  1. If it doesn't turn out in the OP's favour, let that be a lesson next time to just offer the asking price if in love with the house and can afford it.
Whatabouthow · 05/02/2025 21:14

SheilaFentiman · 05/02/2025 21:08

Ye gods and little fishes. If the sellers didn’t want to accept £5k below asking, they didn’t have to.

What if OP had offered asking? Done her survey? Then these folks had rocked up at £5k over asking. Do you really think the sellers would have said, “thanks but no” at that point?

Show quote history

No, they didn't have to. But they did, and so should have proceeded with that sale.

Drfosters · 05/02/2025 21:23

Wish44 · 05/02/2025 19:24

If it was your dream house why didn’t you offer the asking price?

I bought my dream house and knocked 20% off the asking price!

littlemisspigg · 05/02/2025 21:31

WeAreNumpties · 04/02/2025 18:14

This sounds suspiciously to me like the accepted offer is from a friend/family member of the agent. I would put a message through the door with your new offer and leave the agent out of it entirely.

Yes, very sus.
We had similar, so we asked for a second viewing (luckily vendors did the viewings not the agent), told the vendors directly at the viewing we were not in a chain and able to proceed without a mortgage (apparently they were never told this by the estate agent).
Shook hands and closed the deal same evening.
Agent shocked

Yes agents are often working for their own vested interests at times, some buy up properties themselves and develop their own portfolio.

So definitely give that Note-Shoving- through -the- door a go OP.
Good luck 🍀 👍

SheilaFentiman · 05/02/2025 21:53

Elektra1 · 05/02/2025 21:11

@SheilaFentiman gosh that's a lot of attitude. Let me distil what I said:

  1. It's surprising that buyers would prefer a buyer in a chain offering no more than a non-chain buyer (given the OP has now offered asking price); and
  1. If it doesn't turn out in the OP's favour, let that be a lesson next time to just offer the asking price if in love with the house and can afford it.

Op has repeatedly explained that, at the time she first offered, £5k under was a stretch for her.

Over and over again, posters on this thread are not doing OP the courtesy of actually reading her posts before weighing in.

It’s not attitude, it’s frustration.

HTH. I’m off to bed.

PetuniaT · 05/02/2025 22:12

SpringBunnyHopHop · 04/02/2025 18:09

No way would I keep offering. Walk away and you’ll probably find something even better.

The fact they’ve done it after three weeks would annoy me beyond belief and if it falls through I’d tell them I’m not interested.

I'd gazunder them if it fell through

Original poster
Pippinsdiary · 05/02/2025 22:45

PetuniaT · 05/02/2025 22:12

I'd gazunder them if it fell through

Show quote history

Yep. Not sure what I’ll do if it falls through and they contact me. I wouldn’t want to go running but I do love the house 😂

OP posts:
longtompot · 05/02/2025 22:46

How gutting @Pippinsdiary
You mentioned that the owners were the ones to do the viewings and the other couple saw it first albeit a few weeks before you. I wonder if sadly it's the case they gave a good story as to why they'd want it, maybe saying they'd pay cash but they'd need to wait x amount of weeks before they could put in the offer? Maybe waiting for probate to be granted or something. And the owners almost felt they had to let them have the final bid. They shouldn't have accepted your offer if that was the case, but I'm just trying to think why they'd want it might do this.
I'm not sure if I'd any to go with a higher offer as I'd worry that they might cause issues further down the line, but you know the market and what is suitable and available. I hope you find a solution.

Dogsbreath7 · 05/02/2025 23:22

match the offer, offer to proceed without your sale being conjoined. You are 3 weeks ahead of the other bidders. That’s better for a quick sale- offer to exchange and complete with say 1 week between.

it doesn’t have to be more money but you aren’t proceed-able if you link purchase to sale.