Help! I have to get this house!

[Rhubarbgarden]

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.

[hard stare]

Oh Soupdragon - did you miss it? I'll pm you - it was your hard stare that scared me into posting it!

RC thank you for that

I REALLY hope you get it!!!!!

Fingers x'd!!!

hmm it's got a south-west facing garden too. yum yum

I didn't even have to get to [smoking nostrils] :o

It's fabulous but it has "money pit" written all over it.

Not fair not fair missed it had to work!!!

Lovely lovely village. Is it david walliams who lives there? Love the Beacon itself. Last time I went up there we encountered hundreds of gurkhas on a training yomp who looked slightly incongruous.

Far nicer house than the brighton one or indeed your other Must Have house which looked a bit PD James/Nursing Home Murder type place to me.

However...My sister, who unlike me is wondrously well-heeled, fell in love with a grade 2* listed house. And bought it. More than a year later she has yet to find any agreement with the planners and the listed building people. Talk about jumping through hoops. "you have to keep the flagstones; they're original". Two weeks later: "oh, actually we think they are seventies cement composite. You can take them up." another fortnight passes. "those flagstones? They'd better still be there. They were mentioned by Pevsner as dating from 1688," etc etc etc.

The planners and listed people don't seem to know their arses from elbows. The removal of VAT from listed building repairs is a jeffing nightmare. Trying to get any straight answers is impossible. Dsis is trying to put the job out to building tender but can't in any confidence discern what they are actually allowed to DO.

If she'd known then what she knows now Dsis would not have gone near a listed building.

Doh not walliams. That other very tall chappy. Went out with joely Richardson? Can't think of his name.

Anyway, still think you will end up broken spirited at the hands of the planners. But beautiful, atmospheric house from outside.

Please could I have the link PM'd. I am obsessed with property porn on here!

Would the downstairs layout not be somewhat irritating? The longest an skinniest of kitchens and - considering the size of the house - no one really big important reception room? Difficult to knock down walls with that kind of listing. Just a thought.

OP, you will be in with a chance if you are proceedable, i.e you have a firm offer on your current property or are a cash buyer.

Me too mee too meee to!

"advice on a strategy to get an offer accepted"

Be in a position to proceed

If it's the one I think it is, having missed the link but having had an intuitive look on Rightmove, it's absolutely amazing. A proper forever house. Really best of luck getting it. I do think you'll have to try to affect equanimity for a bit - if they're holding three open houses they're expecting a lot of interest and not going to take it off beforehand; I think trying to get them to do that will just fan the flames. Whatever happens I think it might go for quite a bit more than the guide price though. DB had no luck at all offering at guide prices on doer uppers in that area (this was a few years ago now. He gave up in the end..)

Thanks for taking it down Olivia!

Bivalves, Jamie Theakston is the chap you are referring to. I believe he is next door but one. I would have that long room as a utility/drying room and make the reception room next to it into the kitchen. It has nice quarry tiles. Ideally we would knock through those two rear receptions to make a big kitchen diner, but actually the rooms are large enough for it not to be essential if we couldn't get permission for that.

We're not proceedable - got to sell this house first. But it is a very saleable house in an area where property is moving quickly if priced sensibly. We could get it on the market this week.

Ogre that is not encouraging! But useful to know.

Bivalves I also meant to say at your sister's experience! We have a friend who had similar hassle from his conservation officer when renovating a listed arts and crafts house - they memorably wanted him to keep a nasty and clearly 1980s plywood cupboard. They managed to get everything done within a few months though.

Gah! Missed the link. Ah well - thrilling that you've found a house you both feel so strongly about and sympathise with your agonies.
Thing is, you can never second guess what any other potential buyer might be in the position to offer, so you need to be incredibly strong and if it goes to sealed bids, offer based on a figure of what you consider to be realistic based on your finances and what it is likely to take fixing up - £200k min? (guessing...)
If you don't have a buyer lined up for yours though, sounds like a bit of a mountain to climb....
If it's meant to be, it will. Open houses always are scary as loads of viewings in progress demonstrating popularity of the property. It may well go a bit flat and languish..... You need to cool down and consider everything very carefully - go take further viewings and be ruthless about your critique. I wish you all the luck.

(If you do get it, and rediscover the garden, will you be doing cream teas? )

Did I miss the party? Well I've had a little look and presuming I've found the right house, I love it.

I looked at picture 1 and thought - ok thats sweet.

I looked at picture 2 and took a sharp breath! I totally get what you are in love with!

That is a very special house.

I really think holding tight is the right way to go, there are lots of other nice houses that are modernised available in that price bracket, and I think most people who are not crazy will lean away from a house with this much work and stress.

I think you will get this house. Get yours on the market today.

I have had a little root around too and think I have found the house.

I could imagine feeling the same way about it as you do. Its lovely and has bags of potential. I never 'got' what you saw about the Brighton one - but I am a Northerner so maybe these subtleties have passed me by.

There will undoubedtly be a lot of people at these open days. People like me who want a nosey around, what is without question a fine house and who don't have any interest in going any further, so don't let the hoards of people push you into an ebay bidding style frenzy.

The EA knows you are seriously interested now and it is in their interest to achieve as much as possible so they will keep you in the loop as such. I am sure there will be others interested and it may well go to sealed bids but I wouldn't have thought it will go to a developer - there won't be enough profit in it for them.

I agree with Oreo. Stay firm for now AND GET YOURS SOLD ASAP

It is very overpriced compared to other grand houses in that village. I would caution against, but can see that you are smitten!

Boo, I missed the link and can't seem to find it like all you other clever clogs!

Did a small search and found it. It certainly has potential but it needs a serious amount of money spent on it, and looking at the floorplan, a lot of internal reconfiguration to make it liveable IMO. Is this possible on a Grade II property?

The clawback clause also impacts the value, as although you are not intending to build on the garden it restricts future buyers.

It may have a lot of viewers at open days but I think the number of people seriously willing to take this on will be few, so I think you are in with a chance.

If you have stacks of cash and patience then it really could be a beauty.

You need to pm me a link. I am absolutely in a state of shambles having missed the link due to Olivias swiftness..... I cannot BEAR that there is a house people are discussing, and I cannot blardy SEE it....