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AIBU?

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Original poster

To hope their chain collapses

138 replies

Berimbolo · 02/02/2019 07:36

I know I'm being childish, but so furious and I guess sad that we've been gazumped. I know whilst not fair, it is perfectly legal and naff all I can do about it apart from keep trying to outbid the others - but it is just so frustrating.

We're FTB, 15% deposit, solicitors and broker in place after a previous purchase fell through. House has been on for 3 months, reducing to OIEO as having to move asap as relocating.
We offered 5k over the base asking price, had to prove we were good for the money by sending bank statements and paying a £200 commitment fee to the estate agent before they'd even put our offer through. We get a call re people that had seen it twice but not offered until now, have stumped up 5k more than us but have nothing in place and are in a chain. Our vendors wanted us to match it, we told them no. Even the estate agent were saying they were mad for the sake of 5k.

So yes I'm petty and BU but part of me does hope their chain collapses or takes them an age to complete

OP posts:
Bluelady · 02/02/2019 08:29

The vendors are idiots. I hope it all falls through too - after many stressful months and after you've bought a better house for less money.

Pinkcottonshirt · 02/02/2019 08:30

It sounds as though your offer wasn’t conditional on it being taken off the market and no viewings etc.

MisstoMrs · 02/02/2019 08:31

This happened to us...YADNBU

FigandVanilla · 02/02/2019 08:33

That’s crap, sorry OP Sad

Buying property in England sounds so fucking stressful. In Scotland, once you’ve accepted an offer you’re bound to it, even if something better comes along. When we bought our house, we moved in 2 months after the first day we saw it! It just seems like a much simpler and fairer process.

Jimdandy · 02/02/2019 08:33

It’s about time we got rid of estate agents in their traditional forms and directly marketed property ourselves.

They’re virtually useless and just cause trouble!

I say that as a comm prop Solicitor!!!

AJPTaylor · 02/02/2019 08:36

We wanted to buy a house. It had been on and off the market for some time. It was on for 400k. We offered 395. You would have thought I had spat on him. We were looking to move quickly so bought another house. A full 18 months later he sold it. He had in that time redecorated and did the kitchen up. It went for 395. Still chuckle about that now.
What is for you won't pass you by

ItsSnowingToday · 02/02/2019 08:37

Moving house is a nightmare! We waited 8 months to complete after our offer had been accepted - had a survey in that time, planned our building works (it needed a lot doing!) and lined up builders, and out solicitor worked tirelessly getting all the checks done! Thought we were all ready to move in and complete after the long wait and to and fro between solicitors, when bam! The sellers pulled out Angry

we wasted money on a solicitor, on a survey, etc... And wasted 8 months when we could've been looking for other places. DC2 was just a baby. It was all v stressful but their is nothing we can do :(

(Worked out in the end though! We now have a lively house!)

thewinkingprawn · 02/02/2019 08:37

An offer can be conditional of being taken off the market and no viewings etc but someone who has seen it before can still call up and make an offer. I do however think they are mad in this market to have gone with someone in a chain and that estate agents fee does not sound right to me at all. I would absolutely have said no to that.

BlackCatSleeping · 02/02/2019 08:38

Thats so shit Sad

Moving really is so stressful. I hope you find somewhere amazing soon. Flowers

purplemirrors · 02/02/2019 08:38

I read this exact post last night too. It's crap but it happens.

Tara336 · 02/02/2019 08:39

Something similar happened to us a few years back, made an offer on a house, previous buyers had pulled out last minute, our offer was accepted and we put wheels in motion, first lot of buyers came back and said they did want to complete after all.... we got told sorry we will go with first buyers as they are further along in the buying process. They pulled out a second time! Vendor came back to us and offered us the house again, we took great pleasure in saying no thanks we’ve found our dream home while you were mucking us about 😊

ItsSnowingToday · 02/02/2019 08:39

Lovely not lively!! (Well, with 2 DC it does get lively too!!) Sorry for typo

BlackCatSleeping · 02/02/2019 08:40

Also, it's not much in the scheme of things, but absolutely demand your 200 pound fee back. Arseholes!

Nanny0gg · 02/02/2019 08:42

What you want to happen is for the new purchaser to pull out at the 11th hour unless they drop by £10,000...

Menstruatrawr · 02/02/2019 08:43

I’m stunned at the commitment fee! As a seller I’d be annoyed to potentially lose offers, as a buyer is demand it back! Go to regulatory bodies if you need

Daisydoesnt · 02/02/2019 08:45

What Whither says.
Technically gazumping is when someone puts in a higher offer shortly before you were due to complete. OP you have been outbid. It still sucks though.

Squickety · 02/02/2019 08:45

We were in exactly the sellers position when we sold our last house...offer of asking price the first day from someone who had a flat to sell, but her buyer was selling to a cash buyer so short chain. Great we thought, offer accepted, game on until her buyer pulled out a week later. We then accepted 10k below asking price from FTBs who could move quickly, 2 weeks later original buyer comes back saying she has a new buyer and she's ready to go at full asking price.

We really could have done with the extra 10k but we stuck with the FTBs at the lower offer because a) it's a shitty thing to do, we knew the FTBs were so happy to be buying our house and they were at absolute top of their budget so no point in going back to them and b) karma...possibly in the form of the chain collapsing if we went back to the first buyer.

Your sellers are dicks, a plague of estate agents on them!

Tika77 · 02/02/2019 08:49

It doesn’t sound like you’ve been gazumped, it’s their perogatice to accwpt a higher offer.

BlackCatSleeping · 02/02/2019 08:53

Have they definitely accepted the higher offer? Perhaps they were just trying their luck.

I feel if they have made the OP pay a commitment fee, then that means they have accepted her offer. Is that not right?

Did they make you sign anything when you paid the money?

MyOtherProfile · 02/02/2019 08:57

Shocked at the £200. I would absolutely push to get this back and report the EA.

MRex · 02/02/2019 08:57

I hope it falls through for them, some people behave very badly where property called are concerned. I've been gazumped and it's horrible, just as you've started to dream and what a waste of survey fees.

There is always another house, often a better one that will make you feel so grateful you didn't get this place. Good luck in your search.

MRex · 02/02/2019 09:00

Also I have never heard of paying an estate agent to put an offer through either, that sounds wrong if you're in the UK. You should inform the property ombudsman: www.gov.uk/buy-sell-your-home/estate-agents.

gamerwidow · 02/02/2019 09:04

Oh OP it's horrible when your purchase falls through. We've just been through the same process with another house which fell through because the sellers changed their mind. It was a blessing in disguise because we found a much better house at the same price and we moved into last week while the original house is still on the market!

I've never heard of a commitment fee though what's the point of that if the commitments only on your end?

CircleofWillis · 02/02/2019 09:05

I'm experiencing déjà vu here, OP. Did you post this with a different title last night?

LondonBelongsToMe · 02/02/2019 09:10

there's a world of difference between "outbid" and "gazumped". YOu've been outbid. Be thankful they pulled this insanity after a £200 fee and not once you'd dropped thousands on legal fees and searches and god the removers booked etc. This is what happens in house buying. You don't always get what you want.