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Original poster

Can I offer on my dream house if mine isn't under offer?

24 replies

AdoraBelleOfTheBoys · 22/03/2015 16:06

Apologies if this is a stupid question in advance :)

Our house has been on the market since yesterday. We've had two viewings, got four more next week. It's a fixer-upper so mostly developers looking at ours, the EA (who seems very lovely) seems to think it will sell very quickly.

We got a bit excited and viewed our dream house yesterday. It's the other half of my best friend's semi-detached, perfect in every way, under our maximum price. We Are getting the mortgage agreement in principle tomorrow. But we don't have an offer. The house I want has been on the market a year, they had a buyer who pulled out a few weeks ago and they've gone back on the market at 10k less than previous asking price.

Can I call up and make an offer? I'm so in love that I just want to slap the asking price down and no messing about. Even though technically I can't as we don't have an offer

DH is (probably thankfully) more cautious. I can't, can I. I'm just going to have to wait, and get my friend to make bad smells and loud music when they have other viewings, aren't I?

OP posts:

Snowberry86 · 22/03/2015 16:08

I believe you can offer but they won't stop marketing the other one until you are a serious buyer, I.e have an offer on yours.

We are in the same situation. Found our perfect place but ours only went on market yesterday!

WishUponAStar88 · 22/03/2015 16:08

You can certainly offer - we did. But it's up to them as to whether they accept given that you haven't sold yours. If they're in no rush and you offer asking price they may accept. The worst they can do is say no!

specialsubject · 22/03/2015 16:08

yes, you can offer, but they probably won't take it off the market until you have an offer on yours.

doesn't hurt to open negotiations, though, especially as it sounds like yours should shift quickly and they want to get moving.

Viviennemary · 22/03/2015 16:12

You can't make an offer because you're not really in a position to proceed if your purchase of the new house depends on the sale of your own. A lot of estate agents don't accept offers if your house isn't sold stc.

SunbathingCat · 22/03/2015 16:14

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

BasinHaircut · 22/03/2015 17:31

Of course you can. Just be honest about your position and its up to them whether they accept your offer or not but you are in a relatively good position being friends with the next door neighbours.

GiddyOnZackHunt · 22/03/2015 18:18

Of course you can offer and if you know them through your friend you could go directly to them and discuss it. You probably can't avoid the estate agency being involved but you could sell yourself directly to the seller.

ThroughThickandThin · 22/03/2015 18:24

Make an offer! Especially full asking price.

They won't say yes. They can't because you aren't in a position to move. But should you get an offer on your place, they will look favourably on you and may just eclipse someone else.

There's no downside to offering, with your knowledge that they won't bite your hand off.

RaphaellaTheSpanishWaterDog · 22/03/2015 18:46

We did this last year. Saw our dream house on RM - it had been SSTC and sale had fallen through so I felt it was meant to be - but ours was not even on the market. We had been doing up a real wreck (total gut job) over three years and it wasn't quite ready to sell (dammit!) but would be in a matter of weeks.

As the house was so perfect - and 150+ miles away in an area we didn't know - we decided to view just to make sure it was right. I should add that this was a real 'one-off' period house unlikely to be found (in our budget anyway!) again. It was love at first sight so we made an offer, but the vendor - who had already bought a new house and moved out - didn't take it seriously. We explained ours would soon be going up for sale and we'd be back with another offer when ours was SSTC.

It took a few weeks to get ours finished and an offer on the table - market was slowish in our price bracket in Wilts - but when we did we were straight back to the EA with an offer which was accepted next day! In the interim we kept in touch with the EA of the dream house, keeping them abreast of our situation so they knew we were very keen. We priced ours realistically in order to achieve a quick sale and when we found a buyer the chain was short plus we weren't getting a mortgage which I think worked in our favour somewhat.

Hope it works out for you too OP!

FunMitFlags · 23/03/2015 06:39

Hard as it is, I wouldn't. You can't proceed with it because you haven't sold your house.

The best you can hope for is that it is still on the market when you have an offer on your house (which is quite likely if it has been on the market for so long). Then you can go back with an offer that might be lower than than the one you would like to make now because their house has been on the market even longer by that stage.

Sounds like yours could go under offer quickly though so hopefully you shouldn't have to wait too long.

FuckyNell · 23/03/2015 06:43

What's for you won't go past you op :)

YonicScrewdriver · 23/03/2015 06:47

Sure, make an offer but make your position clear.

BasinHaircut · 23/03/2015 06:53

I don't know why people think you can't offer on a house before you have an offer on yours? There is no law!

Worst that can happen us they say no, but you have noted your interest and the fact you would pay asking price.

If they get another (lower) offer before you get an offer on yours you want them to know that you are willing to pay more surely?

I'd do as a PP says up thread seeing as your friend lives next door and go round and speak to them personally about your situation and find out what thier position is.

FWIW we had an offer accepted and removed from the market before our house was even on the market so it does happen. We knew, and the EA knew that we would have a buyer within a week and the vendors were comfortable with it.

Panicmode1 · 23/03/2015 08:11

I would certainly talk to the EA - there is no law that stops you from making an offer - just be absolutely honest about your current position, and keep the dialogue open. As a vendor, I'd be glad to have your offer but wouldn't stop marketing until you were in a proceedable position. Good luck!

StrawberryTallCake · 23/03/2015 08:17

Actually I don't think I would.

EAs not being the most loyal people I believe would use your offer as leverage to encourage other prospective buyers to offer.

bearwithspecs · 23/03/2015 08:32

We did it. Ours wasn't even on the market but we knew it would sell fast. We then used same agent to sell ours the following week. That way the agent had no interest in loosing two easy sales. Loads do it. The only risk is that they carry on marketing it and someone with an offer on theirs is accepted over you

YonicScrewdriver · 23/03/2015 10:48

"EAs not being the most loyal people I believe would use your offer as leverage to encourage other prospective buyers to offer."

Yes, probably. But if OP doesn't offer, they'll assume she's not interested. Cuts both ways!

fhdl34 · 23/03/2015 15:09

We did this twice. First time our house sold 2 days after they accepted another offer, we tried to gazump but vendor did the honourable thing.
This year we went back on the market (previous sale fell through), did it again with another property we loved, they accepted an offer from someone else 4 days before we sold ours. The first time was gutting, the second time I was more realistic. We have now found somewhere else

TranmereRover · 23/03/2015 15:16

"EAs not being the most loyal people" - the EA is being loyal to THEIR CLIENT (the vendor) if they use an unproceedable offer to leverage other offers! that's what they're being paid for by their client - the vendor!

specialsubject · 23/03/2015 15:30

estate agency is a job. In most cases (England/Wales) the agency doesn't get paid unless/until the house sells.

the agent works for the vendor. And it is 'work' - what you do to make money.

loyalty is irrelevant.

Original poster

AdoraBelleOfTheBoys · 23/03/2015 20:31

Thanks for all the replies

I spoke to their EA this afternoon. They had left a message on my voicemail asking for feedback. I explained that we were interested but didn't have an offer on ours, but would be back in touch when we had an offer. Ea was nice, got chatting a bit. They have had over 50 viewings This news has made me want to call back and just offer the asking price, but dh is away tonight so I will have to wait (again, probably a good thing). I'm quite heart-rules-head whereas he is more sensible.

It's all very stressful this ha ha. Shouldn't have gone to view it, should we. As far as I can see none of the people who viewed ours had been in contact. Should I call my Ea and ask for feedback?

OP posts:

mysteryfairy · 23/03/2015 20:42

Is the 50 viewings over the year the house has been on the market and failed to sell? I can't see that £10k reduction will make that much difference unless you live somewhere where house prices are very low and that's a significant percentage of the asking price. I think you're in with a good chance given the history.

BasinHaircut · 24/03/2015 12:08

Hmm, the EA has told you there has been lots of interest to put a bit of pressure on you here to make an offer. Im not saying that they are lying, but its clearly not been taken off the market yet. 50 viewings doesn't necessarily mean 50 potential offers.

Yes id call your EA and ask for feedback from your viewings. You need to know what's going on here before you contact the vendor's EA again.

I still think you should contact the vendor directly via the 'im friends with the neighbours' route. Why not tell THEM about your interest 'unofficially' as it were, rather than pass that through the EA who, whilst working for them and supposedly in their best interests, is probably not a mind reader and may choose not to even pass on an offer from you if you are not in a position to proceed?

Original poster

AdoraBelleOfTheBoys · 01/04/2015 15:25

We have an offer!! And the dream house is still on the market. Fingers crossed for getting our mortgage now - and a bit of haggling on Dh's part. Thanks for all the advice

OP posts:

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