Anyone had any joy when appealing to sellers??

[Lizzymc1984]

Sorry for long post. Will try to get to the point!
I live in London with DH and our 4 month old. I grew up about a mile away from where I live, and where my mum still resides. Although close by, my mums street is so much nicer. Well kept houses and a lovely park I played in as a child. I really want the same for my DS - the school locally is better too. DH and I had been thinking of moving because the residents on our road don't take care of their properties and some of the houses are shabby. Some houses are owned by landlords who are filling every room with tenants. We are just a bit fed up with looking at rubbish in front gardens and people sitting and smoking on our wall.

Anyway a house has came up on my mums road and it is perfect. All except the price. It would put about £100k + on our mortgage. I know it will stretch us massively but it ticks so many boxes. My son will grow up with granny nearby and she will be a massive help. As my mum is getting older it will also help me keep an eye on her. The price it's on for seems good for the area but is too much out of our price range. My mum has offered to help financially but I have said no. She is almost 70 and works full time (this is her choice, she's always been work mad!!). She is thinking of reducing hours which might mean she can help with childcare and therefore reduce our nursery fees which will help. My DH recognises it's a great deal but is worried, as am I, about stretching ourselves so much.
The owner is in a retirement home but I knew her and her husband (RIP) when I was growing up. Not very well but my mum is well known on the street as she is the resident nurse and has helped some of the neighbours over the years if they have been unwell. I have read recently about ppl writing letters to appeal to the owners and was wondering if anyone has experience of this? Just wondered if I wrote about growing up there and that we are a small family starting out it might make them inclined to consider our offer. Am I being unrealistic??
Btw I recognise I am in a privileged position to own my home so don't want to seem ungrateful. Just if anyone has any insight.....

Hmm, £60k is a lot. It depends if you are chain free etc too.
I may be making an awful generalisation but in the last of year of living this housing obsession, the most overpriced houses that stuck on the market were those being sold by relatives of elderly people.

I have been watching three near me who are still on the market now and we started looking this time last year.

In all honesty though, my principles against selling to a BTL would only have gone up to about 10k, it depends on how much of a proportion 60k is of the house though.

I think you are quite honestly taking advantage of an old lady. How would you feel if someone was trying that on with your mum?

Bear in mind as well if she was to sell it to you at below market value (but why on earth should she?) then she is risking all sorts of problems in terms of deprivation of capital for care home fees.

It wasn't the OP who mentioned £60k, she just said her offer would be around 8% under the asking price.

Sorry, my mistake.

Unfortnuate we are talking approx 60k. I know, a huge amount!!

Is this not the OP, I am getting confused?

I am a total softie with stuff like this, but I'd not consider an offer 60k less than market value. Sorry, op. I really don't think that's going to fly at all.

It wasn't the OP who mentioned £60k, she just said her offer would be around 8% under the asking price.

Yes she did - 09.17 post.

Even if £750k is priced to allow for an offer below, i can't see anyone facing care home fees taking that hit. It's a year's worth. You would be massivelytaking the piss.

Her NOK are obliged to get the best possible price for the house to assure that her care is paid for.

When savings fall below a certain level the state steps in but they make sure that everything has been done to realise assets first.

Yes SBF you are correct. £60k - I know it's hugely unrealistic

user as I mentioned I would consider (or not) approaching NOK, not the lady directly. So if the role was reversed it would be somebody approaching me rather than my mum. I would take this to mum to discuss of course if appropriate but don't feel we are taking advantage as such.

As mentioned by you all I think it wouldn't be accepted, letter or no letter. In the cold light of day I think we won't pursue esp as we are supposed to have work done from May.

Right house, wrong time perhaps! If DS wasn't going to nursery soon we could have considered full price. £11k/year for 3 full days! Am in the wrong profession. Thanks all!! X

you can't afford this house but want some total stranger to make up the difference for you even though your mum has offered?
Why not let your mum help but give her a beneficial interest in the house so that when it is "the right time" for you, you can repay her?

There nothing wrong with putting in a low offer but your reasons come across as precious and like you're a bit of a special snowflake to be honest. Like you're living in your own entitled little bubble and you think that not everyone else has these same things to weigh up when they buy a property. You also seem to think the person selling has oodles of cash and doesn't need a fair price for some reason so can subsidise your dream of your son living to closer to granny (even though you're one street away now?) in the nicest possible way you need to get a grip.

Just seen that you want £60k off
Let us know how that goes.

Sorry, missed that!

Whistling there is no need to get personal!! I can assure you I am neither entitled nor a snowflake. I have worked hard for where I am in life. It's because I have worked hard that I am disheartened with the general state of the road I live in. I do not live a street away from my mum, I said i live nearby. I am not some sort of evil person who is going to force an elderly lady to sign over her house to me!! I was just asking if anyone has experience with writing a letter to sellers.
If you want to comment, and I am grateful for the feedback I have received, please try to maintain some civility!!

I have been civil, I'm just sharing my viewpoint which may well be the viewpoint of the seller. If you don't want to hear honest views you shouldn't post on an open forum. I'm not saying anything personal about you but your reasons for wanting the house are not particularly needy ones are they? It's not as though you're a first time buyer desperate to get your family out of an unstable rented property, you're looking to buy a hugely expensive family home when you already have one nearby but you think because you were born locally you deserve a 69k discount? Unless I'm missing something I would think you were having a laugh!

As I said I don't see the harm in putting the offer in and you may be lucky, however you don't really have any valid reasons to write in your appeal letter so I'd leave it.

Typo 60k

I think there is a huge difference between writing a letter in the hope of finding a property in a sought after area where properties sometimes don't even get to market, setting out your position (FTB with mortgage arranged/cash buyer/in rented/ moving quickly etc) than there is to cheekily ask for £60k off, because you used to live there and you can't afford the asking prices. I think we can all imagine the response you'll get.

Ok Just to clarify as I may not have been clear. I am not going to write a letter saying i want £60k off the property and I deserve because xyz. It was just if they had offers from BTL and were keen to sell to a family, to provide them with context about bidder.

So you knew the lady and her late husband but never met her children when you were living at home - is that correct?

Or didn't they have children and the NoK are for example nephews and nieces who don't know you or your mum?

If it's listed right pricewise as your post suggested then I'd say it's a waste of time.

The audit trail and investigation behind selling a home for care fees is immense and could leave the family liable with regard to deprivation of funds.

60k is a massive amount think the best suggestion here is let your mum help get your dream house then pay her back.

I also think you're getting ahead of yourself.

The person acting for the owner will have to act in her best interest and that means getting the best possible price for the house to pay the care home fees.

Make your offer as normal and see what happens. I'm assuming you'll need to sell your current place too so that makes you less attractive as you'll be in a chain.

You need to stop seeing this from what you want and start seeing this from what you can offer. A letter like you describe might make a difference if you had two buyers offering similar amounts but that's not the case. At the moment you're asking for £60k off because you have a personal attachment to the area. So what if someone else comes along who has the extra £60k?

I must confess I haven't a clue about nursing homes and audit trails etc so haven't considered this. NOK would be her children. I don't know them as they had grown up and left home before we moved to the area
I expect the family to do whatever is best for them and their prioritises. As I have mentioned I know it's terribly unrealistic

I'm not also sure why you are comparing BTLers in a negative light. Of course a BTL wants the best deal they can get, but aren't you doing exactly the same thing? Or does it make a difference because it is for your family and therefore somehow acceptable?

It is a nice pipe dream O/P but I agree that you are being very unrealistic.

I wouldn't do your sums on the basis that your mum will help with childcare. She might not want to (like my mum) or she might want to but can't because of ill health. My MIL helps us but we're careful not to ever rely on her carrying on.

I would have accepted a grand or so under to get a buyer who wanted to live in our last flat, rather than a btl purchaser. This is out of consideration for neighbour. Not £60000 though!!