Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Property/DIY

Join our Property forum for renovation, DIY, and house selling advice.

Flip

Original poster

Is this house actually even for sale ?

20 replies

mamatomany · 14/03/2011 13:59

We viewed a property which was on the market last year at £350k, they paid for HIP's etc, it's a shell basically I do not know how people live like it but every window needs replacing, every door, every carpet, the kitchens the bathrooms.
The garden is full of geese and a dog I believe is meant to be a white westy who is actually grey.
It would work for us but at the right price, one up the road literally is on at £375k and is beautiful.
So we have offered £275k for it which I actually think is too much but they flatly turned down £250k.

The agents can't get hold of them. It's a father and son selling it, the older man must be 75-80, the younger late 50's, they've been in the house since 1965.

So the offer went in last monday and still no news at all.
I'm starting to wonder even if they came back with a yes if this is a waste of time, would you take a week to respond ?

OP posts:

BigBadMummy · 14/03/2011 14:03

Maybe the elder gentleman is in hospital or has died?

Could the agent put a note through the door?

Maybe they have gone away on holiday.

Be patient. There will be an explanation.

If you pay £275 you are going to get clobbered for stamp duty. Would be much better if they could lower the price!

NoseyNooNoo · 14/03/2011 14:09

Just because the stamp duty rate jumps up at £250k doesn't mean anyone should lower their asking price. I can't see that a total do-erupper is worth a third less than a beautiful one. I think that's too big a discount.

Original poster

mamatomany · 14/03/2011 14:16

With respect Nosey, the beautiful one has had way more than £75k spent on it, I'd say nearer £150k to get the shell to the same standard.

I hope nobody has died or is ill, but yes that is a thought.

OP posts:

wannaBe · 14/03/2011 14:25

spending money on a house generally doesn't add to its value though tbh - although it does add to its saleability.

The house down the road might well have been valued at a higher price than the £375k they sold it for.

I don't think you can really blame them for not wanting to accept an offer £100k below the asking price. I do think that perhaps some concession needs to be made for the fact that the house isn't in as much of a state of repair as others in its area, but to knock a 3rd off the asking price does seem excessive.

Original poster

mamatomany · 14/03/2011 14:30

Ok to paint a picture there is a house that is not occupied in another road close by in a similar state of repair but obviously nobody is living in it and that is up for £250k with slightly less garden so we compared two and decided the extra garden is worth £25k to us but no more.
We won't be increasing our offer, the first one they've received in 12 months.
Am just wondering if it sounds likely they want to move ?

OP posts:

Original poster

mamatomany · 14/03/2011 14:31

I don't think you can really blame them for not wanting to accept an offer £100k below the asking price.

It's £25k below the asking price, £100k less than the one which is beautifully done.

OP posts:

Original poster

mamatomany · 14/03/2011 14:33

And sorry but the £375k one is on for £375k it hasn't sold yet i'm using right move for comparables not sold prices, that could be worth less when it actually sells.

OP posts:

Mamaz0n · 14/03/2011 14:36

the house is up for £350k and you offered £250 and then £275? so that is a shortfall of at least £75k.

For the house to be up for that amount the the agents must have agreed that it is an achievable amount.

if you are that appalled by it you should have bought the one down the road

Original poster

mamatomany · 14/03/2011 14:40

No the house was on last year and they took it off and put it back on at £299, sorry I've missed out that vital information

OP posts:

wannaBe · 14/03/2011 14:41

your op said that it was on the market for £350K. if the price has since been lowered and you're only offering £25k under what it is now then that's different obviously.

House prices do often vary though sometimes from agent to agent, with some agents over-pricing houses but there is also a trend of some agents under-valuing properties in order to get quicker sales.

Wrt the venders of this property, if the house is a shell then perhaps the father is in a care home or similar and the son merely deals with his affairs. There is a similar house next door to my ILs which tbh is now becoming a bit of an eyesore and they wish they would sell it.

Original poster

mamatomany · 14/03/2011 14:42

I would dearly love to buy the one down the road, it is after all still for sale but I cannot afford it, this is not about people getting upset about my offer, really a house is worth what somebody is willing or able to pay after all.

Agents pricing is not like sainsbury's, it's an estimate.
Just wondered if anyone had a similar experience of people who've lived somewhere a long time selling a house ?

OP posts:

Original poster

mamatomany · 14/03/2011 14:44

No the father is still in the property he was there during the viewing, we did say I bet you'll be sad to leave and he said yes but it's too big for us now.
Am just not convinced when it comes to the crunch they'll move I suppose, they should be snapping our hand off at £275k, the house down the road that is on at £250k is developers who've got cold feet about doing up the house I guess because they know it would be a while before they see their money again.

OP posts:

nocake · 14/03/2011 14:48

Some people have an unrealistic view of the value of their house and if there isn't a great pressure to sell they're unlikely to take a realistic offer. We found a few the last time we were house hunting. Frequently the agent agrees that the value is too high but is unable to persuade the vendor to take an offer.

thomasbodley · 14/03/2011 14:49

I don't understand vendors who "get upset" about a low offer.

It's usually the only offer they'll get.

I got sent away with a flea in my ear by a woman who thought my offer (15% under asking) was "demeaning".

A year later she finally accepted an offer that was £35k less than mine.

tiredemma · 14/03/2011 14:51

we finally moved into our home just four weeks ago- it has been a long drawn out horrendous nightmare.

The old gent who lived here had lived here for over 50 years, brought his family up here, his wife sadly died last year and his family felt that the house was too much for him.

He accepted our offer way back last june, there was no chain at his end, but basically he really dragged his feet and admitted that he was so reluctant to leave his family home. We perservered, we were very patient and very sensitive to his needs. all at a huge cost to ourselves.

Original poster

mamatomany · 14/03/2011 14:54

all at a huge cost to ourselves

This is what concerns me, I have no patience at the best of times and very little money :(

OP posts:

Fiddledee · 14/03/2011 15:22

After 7 month of searching (now at an end luckily), the willingness of a seller to actually sell up is a huge factor. You need to find a seller who has found somewhere that they want to move to and are excited about moving. Downsizers can be very tricky to deal with and so can their sometimes greedy children IME.

MrsCampbellBlack · 14/03/2011 17:28

So agree with Fiddledee.

We're exchanging tomorrow fingers crossed and our offer was made in November but only accepted in January.

And that was 20% under asking price but like the house you like needs a lot of work doing.

I don't understand people who get annoyed by low offers - its easy to say no. And having looked at loads of houses over the past 2 years a lot were very over priced.

Good luck!

lalamom · 18/03/2011 20:35

they should be snapping your hand off in this market- sounds overpriced to be honest.

madcows · 22/03/2011 13:15

In our experience the slowest to move was someone in our chain going through a divorce. Whilst I started off sympathetic ... it ended up driving me mad. She clearly really did not want to leave the house, and did everything she could to delay things!

Flip