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Help! I have to get this house!

302 replies

Rhubarbgarden · 25/06/2012 18:06

I am tying myself in knots and looking for advice on a strategy to get an offer accepted. House came on the market last week, we knew pretty much straight away it was The One just from looking at the details. Viewed it on Saturday, during the open house. Fell in love. DH wants it as much as I do. Put in an offer this morning of asking price. I'm not messing around - this is the house I want my kids to grow up in and DH and I to grow old in. The agent has just rung back now - offer rejected. They are having two more open houses this week and if there is a lot of serious interest it will go to sealed bids after that, unless someone makes a really good offer in the meantime.

What is our best approach? Up our offer slightly? Offer our maximum now, and give them a short window to accept in the hope of nipping a bidding war in the bud now? Or will that just give other interested parties chance to outbid us? Do we play it cool and wait till after the weekend in the hope no-one else comes along with 'a really good offer'? If it goes to sealed bids, how much do we offer?

Aargh, I have to have this house! It blows all the others out of the water. There were a lot of people at the open house. I know there will be a lot of interest. It's a doer-upper in a terrible state with a Heligan garden, bags of history and character, and is in a peach of a location where not much comes up.

Shock Confused Shock

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nellypackedhertrunk · 26/07/2012 13:24

Sorry to hear that you didn't get it - woud be interesting to know what 'substantial' means. We had the same situation and 'substantial' turned out to be just 3%. The other parties were described as as achievable us (we were in rented) but their sale (er how's that if you are in rented) fell through and we were given the opportunity to match the substantial bid - and we now live in that house :)

Anyway, I think the wine cellar house looks much much nicer. I can see why it is the house that got away. Good luck. Let us know how it goes.

minipie · 26/07/2012 13:26

Oh humph. Sorry Rhubarb. (I remember the only time we made a sealed bid... the agent called me up and basically laughed at how low our offer had been Blush)

Fingers crossed for a deal on wine cellar house. Do you know how long it's been on the market? The vendors' circumstances?

CuddyMum · 26/07/2012 13:39

Ah, that's a shame. All the best with the other house :). I really hate the phrase "what will be, will be" but maybe it's true.

Rhubarbgarden · 26/07/2012 13:53

Thanks ladies. 3% Nelly?! Ouch. I was consoling myself with the thought that they must be considerably higher...

Wine cellar house has been on the market about a year. They've just reduced it. They aren't in any hurry to move though.

I'm feeling a bit weary. I want to know where we are going to go.

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DamselInDisgrace · 26/07/2012 14:25

Well, 3% could have been a substantial sum depending on the price of a property. On a £60k property it's only £1800, but on a £1million property it's £30k, which is a substantial sum in its own right. Most people can't just magic up an extra £30k.

Anyway, sorry to hear you didn't get it rhubarb. As my granny would say, 'what's for you, won't go past you'. Whatever you do get will probably be much better for you anyway, or you'll make it much better.

Rhubarbgarden · 26/07/2012 14:40

Damsel you are absolutely right - we certainly couldn't magic up an extra £30K either - our bid was as high as we could go and still have a renovation budget. So that's that.

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TheCatInTheHairnet · 26/07/2012 16:48

When you do hear, can you tell them a strange woman in the US was late for an appt in her new house with the cable guy cos I read the whole thread to see if you got the house or not. Thanks! Wink

TheCatInTheHairnet · 26/07/2012 16:49

Oh! You've heard :( Sorry, that wasn't there a second ago.

oreocrumbs · 26/07/2012 18:03

Ah pants Sad.

Well the wine cellar house is bloody fabulous so perhaps that is destined to be the Rhubarb family home. And really, you can do without a major refurb and a tiny baby!

It will be interesting to see if they ever come back to you about this house. Either because they were playing funny beggars and trying to get you to up your price, or if the people who bid above you drop out.

Lots of people are dropping out of purchases, it will serve the greedy buggers right it may well happen here.

Have you sorted out a rental to go to when your house sells?

LaGuerta · 26/07/2012 18:40

Aww, so disappointed for you. Onwards and upwards though. Keep us posted. Xx

frostyfingers · 26/07/2012 18:46

That's a shame, it could have been a developer of sorts with oodles of money, who knows? Fingers crossed for the wine cellar house....

Rhubarbgarden · 26/07/2012 19:58

CatinaHairnet that's really funny! I'm sorry you were late though. Blush

Oreo it is indeed some consolation that we won't have a massive refurb on our hands. We don't have a rental sorted - agents told me to call back nearer the time - which is a little scary.

I'm feeling pessimistic about wine cellar house. I don't think they'll accept our offer; I think they'll continue to hold out for more.

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discrete · 26/07/2012 20:22

Just read the whole thread, so sorry you did not get the moneypit but if this is any consolation I have some experience in renovating houses and, honestly, even if you had offered the asking price by the time you had renovated moneypit you would probably have spent the asking price on wine cellar house.

Yes of course it is possible to do it for less, but when it is your 'forever home' and grade 2* listed to boot, you are going to want everything to be just so. And just so costs a bomb....

minipie · 26/07/2012 21:41

discrete yes, especially once you include rent to live somewhere else during refurb and planning of refurb. Not to mention the time/hassle/loss of earnings while Rhubarb is all consumed by building project... etc

hackneybird · 26/07/2012 23:32

Sorry to hear that, rhubarb. Good luck with wine cellar house. I am trying to imagine what it must be like being able to buy a house with a wine cellar. Given my weekly consumption of wine it would be a real plus:) x

Rhubarbgarden · 27/07/2012 13:33

Well I shall have stick to imagining it myself too - offer rejected.

Sigh.

Plan C creaks into action - now offering on the Brighton house with the pub next door...

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LeandarBear · 27/07/2012 13:39

Yikes , a pub next door, are you sure? Brighton is lovely though.

Rhubarbgarden · 27/07/2012 14:14

I know, I know, I had a whole thread on that - everyone said don't touch with a bargepole. But it's Brighton. And it's a lovely house with a large garden close to the station. The pub is a very small and quiet locals place.

Of course there's also the issue of primary schools black hole and no off street parking.

But it's Brighton...

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CuddyMum · 27/07/2012 14:43

Well this thread is far better than Fifty Shades.....

LeandarBear · 27/07/2012 15:44

The trouble with small and quiet pubs is they don't make as much money as busy noisy ones...... Or they turn into foodie pubs then you get all the cooking smells.

..... and no off street parking Confused

But Brighton would be a fabulously amazingly brilliant place to live.

sorry, I am not helping am I

Rhubarbgarden · 27/07/2012 17:38

WE GOT WINE CELLAR HOUSE!!!

They just rang back accepting our offer! I just stood there and cried while pushing dd on the roundabout in the park. Smile

What a roller coaster. Bloody hell.

I am hitting the Wine tonight.

Thanks to all of you on this thread who have put up with me and listened to my ramblings! Smile Smile Smile

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BehindLockNumberNine · 27/07/2012 17:42

Woohoo!!!! I am so so pleased - wine cellar house was meant to be all along, did you not say you saw it ages ago and no other house measured up to it???
What is meant for you won't pass you by!

Enjoy theWine and congratulations!!

thisisyesterday · 27/07/2012 17:47

please put me out of my misery, i was keeping up with this thread to start with but lost track.... can you link to wine cellar house now it's yours?????

Rhubarbgarden · 27/07/2012 17:49

It does feel a bit like that y'know? A friend of mine kept saying 'that house, the one with the orchard, it will be yours'. I'm so not a believer in fate or mumbo jumbo of any description but there is something... neat and circular about it that we've ended up with the one we first wanted, all those months ago.

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Rhubarbgarden · 27/07/2012 17:55

I can't get links to work from my phone, but if you go on Rightmove with no max, it's the fifth one down, two pointy conifers in front.

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