Property snapped up before EA contacted us - Aaarrrrggghhhh

[fruitstick]

I'm so frustrated. We have been looking for something to buy for 18 months now. We are in rented, 60% deposit, mortgage approved. Have been gazumped once, lost out on sealed bids once and then nothing for months and months.

We were viewing another unsuitable ridiculously overpriced property at the weekend when the agent let slip they had another property which would have been perfect for us which went went under offer the day it came onto the market.

Within budget, met all our requirements. I said I was really cross we weren't told about it. She just shrugged and said it went on the first afternoon of viewings. I asked her why WE weren't in the first afternoon of viewings!

I'm so sick of all of this.

I'm moving to Alaska.

How frustrating. I often suspect that these quick sales are to a member of staff in the EA or one of their mates. Not very ethical but I think it happens alot.

I know. Sometimes I also think they are to people who are also selling with the agent.

It was the way she implied it had almost sold by accident and was nothing to do with them.

I remember eleven years ago being on a night out and talking to someone trying to buy a house in her area at that time the only way to find a house was apparently to get the agent to fax through the draft details as soon as they were typed in and get over to the property right away places were being sold even before the details had been properly printed, let alone sent out.

Alaska could be nice, though...

If the buyer was selling through them too then it would be a win-win. You need to stay onside to get similar tipoffs - we got our present house before it went to the open market.

I've had the same happen to me and ended up leafleting the roads I wanted to live on - it worked once my last move I got a whiff that a landlord might be selling so went a knocked on the next door neighbour's door and low and behold am moving in Sept! I would not have got it otherwise - live in Oxford and gazumping rife here due to lack of properties on the market. If you are going to leaflet - and let's face it you have nothing to lose - ensure you put it on brightly coloured paper with all your details on. You never know!

Silly question maybe, but are you watching Rightmove like a hawk? We had been looking for ages and checked Rightmove daily. When we saw a house we liked we booked the first viewing and offered the asking price within a couple of hours. The details had not been written up yet but they had put it on the web.

Oh Fruitstick - how bloomin' frustrating. We had this happen back in October - it was sold to someone selling through them. The ridiculous thing is that the sale still hasn't completed so it can't be said that the buyer was in a good position.

I hope something turns up soon for you.

Nosey, did you buy that house?

Hi Fruitstick. We exchanged about 3 weeks ago but we don't complete until end of September. After telling us we must complete by end of June the vendor went AWOL for a while, wouldn't even respond to her solicitor. We assumed she wasn't selling.

The upside is that her solicitor was fantastic and we've decided that we'll use him in future of this palava

I so hope somoething will turn up for you soon. Lets hope there's someone about to put your dream home on the market - and that the EA bothers to call you. I had got to the point where is was calling EAs every other day - they must be glad to see the back of me.

Argh, total nightmare, I agree. And watching Rightmove like a hawk isn't the be-all and end all, either. A lot of properties never make it onto the web because they're snapped up fast. Our own house actually made it onto Rightmove the same day the buyers made an asking-price offer, so that would have been too late for other people.

OP, we are probably going to be in your position (large deposit, sold our house, mortgage agreed, but nowhere to move to, so renting) very soon. Am sorry to hear it stinks. Wherabouts in the country are you?