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AIBU?

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Original poster

To put a note through the door?

75 replies

NoRoomForALittleOne · 05/10/2018 11:31

DH and I are currently house hunting and the house we are looking for has some specific requirements for working from home. Last week we phoned the agents of a house that has been on the market for a long time and asked to view a property. They never called back so I chased them up to be told that it was now under offer. I’m frustrated that they never told the vendor about us while they were considering the offer. We are a cash buyer and have our own surveyor and legal team so will not be held up at any point of proceedings. I’m considering putting a note through the door along the lines of ‘if it all falls through, will you let us know and explaining our situation. However, the vendors are elderly and frail so I don’t want them to feel harassed. I’m just not convinced that the agents are doing their job otherwise I’d happily leave it up to them.

OP posts:
newrubylane · 05/10/2018 13:15

You have no entitlement to see a property, cash buyer or not. If someone else has made an offer that you're happy with the typical vendor isn't going to say no just because someone else wants to have a look at it.

You may have done your homework on the vendor but you know nothing about the agent and their relationship, you're just speculating about it as a possible way to bend the vendors to your will, while somehow trying to convince yourself you're doing them a favour.

Deadringer · 05/10/2018 13:18

That's how my sister got her house. The for sale sign was taken down but nothing seemed to be happening so she popped a letter in their letterbox saying if the sale fell through she was interested. It had fallen through, they phoned her and she got the house. You have nothing to lose imo.

VillageCats · 05/10/2018 13:18

Stick a note through the door. Everyone is projecting their own crap onto whether or not the vendors could maybe possibly feel stressed by your note. They could also feel delighted and reassured to have a back up.

Chocolateandcarbs · 05/10/2018 13:21

I get the occasional note through my door, doesn’t bother me in the least. I don’t want to move, so they go into the bin, no problem at all. It’s nice to know that I won’t have trouble selling if I ever want to move. Re. the people being elderly - I find this a bit irrelevant. They have chosen to sell their home and can ignore a short note of interest should they wish to. I don’t think it’s harrassment unless you send several and the letter contains anything other than the fact that you’re interested and have no chain. If you want them to feel totally safe then just send it through the postal service rather than popping it through the front door.

SillySallySingsSongs · 05/10/2018 13:22

I’m just not convinced that the agents are doing their job otherwise I’d happily leave it up to them.

You have absolutely have no idea if this is the case!

TheNumberfaker · 05/10/2018 13:26

I'm in England.
I thought that 'Sold Subject to Contract' meant that an offer had been made, accepted and was going through conveyancing/ surveys etc. but had not yet exchanged. In contrast, I thought that 'Under Offer' meant that an offer had been made and was being considered ; the offer had not been accepted yet because the buyer was not able to proceed (price was right but hadn't sold their house yet) or the price was not quite high enough.

Mildura · 05/10/2018 13:36

'Under offer' and 'sold, subject to contract' essentially mean the same thing and are used interchangeably.

WineIsMyMainVice · 05/10/2018 13:39

Absolutely go for it! They might be quite glad if their current offer comes to nothing. And you might get the house! Good luck!

TheNoodlesIncident · 05/10/2018 13:48

I don't see anything wrong with a note through their door expressing interest in the property. It's not as though you are trying to scupper their sale in any way?

As a seller, I would be pleased to know that there was potential buyers waiting in the wings if my sale did fall through, which isn't exactly an uncommon occurrence.

Meh. Can't see the vendors being distressed at this, it's not a high pressure bit of coercion, just an expression of interest. They can deal with it how they like.

Bumdishcloths · 05/10/2018 13:52

It's absolutely sod all to do with the vendor being frail etc etc imo - the issue here is the OP making herself look more desirable than the current offer by pushing herself as a cash buyer, potentially undercutting someone who loves the house and is already in the process of sorting out solicitor etc. It's underhanded, and shitty, and the UK property market is rife enough with underhanded shitty entitled wankers, frankly.

Myimaginarycathasfleas · 05/10/2018 14:01

I think it would be OK to put a short polite note in saying you might be interested if it falls through.

It would not be OK to raise their expectations unless you are absolutely certain you would be buying it at or above their asking price.

I suspect as older house owners they are unlikely to be comfortable about letting down their existing buyer, so will probably refer you back to the agent. But you never know.

Mummyoflittledragon · 05/10/2018 14:02

I wouldn’t trust the agent to contact you if the sale falls through especially as they failed to contact you about a viewing. This happened to me once and the agent never got back to me. I then missed out because the house came back on the market and was sold very quickly again.

Personally I would put a note through the door. Most likely the agent didn’t pass your details or the owner refused to let you view and the agent didn’t let you know. Either way the agent is at fault for not communicating information. I therefore wouldn’t have any qualms with letting the owner know you registered an interest on x date.

Chanelprincess · 05/10/2018 14:04

If the owners are elderly and frail I wouldn’t

I agree. There are lots of cash buyers around so why have you automatically assumed the current buyer isn't in the same position as you? Essentially you're annoyed because someone beat you to the property and you think it should be yours.

Myimaginarycathasfleas · 05/10/2018 14:05

And, by the way, estate agents are not obliged to give out details to all and sundry. They work for the seller, who pays their fees, not prospective buyers, who don’t. As long as they find a proceedable buyer who is acceptable to the vendor, job done.

They are, however, required by law to put forward all offers.

bettytaghetti · 05/10/2018 14:10

Is it possible that the estate agents have not been pushing the house as much as they could in order to get the 'elderly & frail' owners to settle when someone "miraculously" puts in an offer. It's not been unheard of for unscrupulous purchasers to pay dodgy estate agents 'fees' for keeping properties away from other potential buyers.

Mildura · 05/10/2018 14:15

"It's not been unheard of for unscrupulous purchasers to pay dodgy estate agents 'fees' for keeping properties away from other potential buyers."
Perhaps not completely unheard of, but devastatingly rare.

WhentheRabbitsWentWild · 05/10/2018 14:19

Never bought or sold a house but one day I may well be selling DPs home , not 100% certainty of course.

OP, it would not bother me at all for find a note popped in the letterbox . It bothers some, that is human nature, we are all different thankfully.

Myimaginarycathasfleas · 05/10/2018 14:20

It's not been unheard of for unscrupulous purchasers to pay dodgy estate agents 'fees' for keeping properties away from other potential buyers

I never came across this in seven years working for a small town estate agent. The only unscrupulous conduct I saw was between agents, as they ruthlessly undercut each other for business. But shafting a paying customer? Never.

tillytrotter1 · 05/10/2018 14:36

We have had experience of Estate Agents who are less pro-active on the vendors behalf where a potential purchaser is not taking their other services, eg legal, mortgage etc.

Yabbers · 05/10/2018 14:37

In Scotland under offer means you can’t have viewings or make a counter offer.

Not true. The only point that anyone is obligated to do anything is after the missives are concluded.

YeTalkShiteHen · 05/10/2018 14:38

Yabbers RTFT I did say that it was based on what I’d been told in my limited experience.

RandomObject · 05/10/2018 14:43

I'm not even elderly or frail and I wouldn't like randomers putting notes through my door. Weird weird weird.

Hissy · 05/10/2018 14:48

Absolutely write a letter and put it through the door.

If you want to be a little more vague, write letters to all the houses in the road that match your requirements!

I know a couple of people that did this and it worked - something like over 30% of house sales fall through, you are not trying to break the chain, you are merely seeing if they would consider you in the event anything happens.

ADastardlyThing · 05/10/2018 14:56

So op just lets the EA know she's interested if it falls through?

When we offered on our house we said it was on condition that it was taken off the market precisely because of dick moves like this, maybe that's what's happened here. Either way it's a really shitty thing to do. There's only one reason to approach them directly and that's to dangle a carrot and be underhand. Otherwise why mention cash buyer and own legal team and surveyor in the post?

HellenaHandbasket · 05/10/2018 14:57

I don't understand what you think is unreasonable in their actions? A house went under offer, so you can't view it.