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Original poster

Listings, viewings and offers thread 2!

999 replies

drspouse · 15/03/2017 10:19

We've filled up the old one! (maybe someone on a mobile device could add a post with this link though?)

OP posts:
ElspethFlashman · 20/05/2017 11:15

This house is all DH and I can talk about this morning. Confused

Let me ask you all a question. If you knew you weren't proceedable for 8 weeks, would you feel you had to offer full price to keep the vendors interest?

This vendor was on at (frankly ludicrous) 495 three years ago. Different agent. He got no takers unsurprisingly so just took it off the market. Now the market has changed and it's on at 430.

However he has no place lined up to go into - once closed, he will find a place to rent whilst he looks to buy. He's a widower all on his own in a big 5 bed and it's just too big for him.

So my worry is that he could just take it off the market again if he doesn't get full asking. Especially since apparently 3 years ago he considered it worth half a mill!

But our reserve at auction is 450. It only leaves us 20 grand over. The house is immaculate inside - no new kitchen/bathrooms needed. And it's a new house. But you never know what may lurk underneath!

So my instinct is to start at 400. But DH says fairly reasonably that we would probably end up close to asking anyway, so what's the point? And we would literally be just sitting around for 8 weeks waiting for someone to offer him full asking.

WWYD?

Fortheloveofscience · 20/05/2017 11:22

I don't see the point in offering if you're not proceedable. You lose bargaining power and don't really gain anything since they'll continue to market while you're trying to sell.

Thethingswedoforlove · 20/05/2017 12:00

Can I join? Just going on the market this week. Board is up but not quite on rightmove as photos not yet completed. Not in a hurry to sell. Not currently living in the property. Feels very nervous as is quite an unusual place and no idea how hard it will be to sell it!!

ElspethFlashman · 20/05/2017 13:32

Both points true. But then do we just silently watch the house slip away to someone else?

Is that what you all would do?

Fortheloveofscience · 20/05/2017 13:40

Genuinely yes - and I'm not just saying that, we're in a very similar position.

The facts are that making an offer when you're not proceedable doesn't increase your chances of getting the house, but does increase the chance you're going to pay more for it.

I's call the EA, tell them the situation and ask them to call and let you know if there's any other serious interest in it. That way if they call and say someone's making an offer, you can consider offering more to tempt the seller to wait for you. And if you don't get a call then once you're sold you're in a stronger bargaining position to get a good price.

ElspethFlashman · 20/05/2017 14:25

That's a bloody good idea. Hadn't thought of that. Get someone else to offer first and see what it is.

Thanks! I'll do that!

PaulDacresFeministConscience · 20/05/2017 14:26

Elspeth I agree with science

As you know we're in the same situation - and all we have been able to do is to call the vendor's agent, express our interest and say we'd be willing to offer FAP once we're in a position to proceed. Agent fine with that and told us they'd keep in touch to let us know if anything happened - other offers basically - because until we are in a position to proceed the vendors won't take it off the market. Their position is understandable because I'd be doing exactly the same in their shoes.

You can call and express your interest, but until you've sold your place then there is nothing more you can do. Unfortunately that means that someone else could come in and buy it before you're in a position to proceed, but them's the breaks.

ElspethFlashman · 20/05/2017 14:43

Yes I'll call them next week and ask them to keep us in the loop. Won't mention anything about price though.

Fantasy scenario nobody offers for it and we get it for less than FAP!

It's a bit rural which hopefully will mean it's not snapped up too quick. That makes me sound like a cow but you know what I mean!

PaulDacresFeministConscience · 20/05/2017 14:47

Oh I am totally with you on the fantasy!

Nothing today so far. Waiting for the phone to ring is awful.

Outbackshack · 20/05/2017 15:29

3 more viewings yesterday. All rejected it :(

xandersmom2 · 20/05/2017 15:37

Buyer here also waiting for the phone to ring in vain....

After several months of looking there's only one house in our price range we're interested in, and vendor has (so far) spent 2 years trying to find somewhere to buy. We told EA to let us know when vendor decided to proceed as we weren't interested in making an offer and spending money, only for her to sit there and do nothing.

EA called last week to say vendor was going to view a property yesterday and that she was 'very excited' about it, thought it could be 'the one'. EA said we're currently the only interested party and was going to call us to let us know if it was 'all systems go'. No phone call as yet... Sad

m0therofdragons · 21/05/2017 07:50

Tried to make an offer on the house we saw yesterday but EA closed at 1pm! It hadn't occurred to me that they would as it's a big chain EA. Now have to hold on until Monday. We're going in with a low offer as our best and final (various reasons- been on market since last summer but other things too). Going to be really sad if we don't get it.

PaulDacresFeministConscience · 21/05/2017 08:18

Good luck mother

I don't understand why EA aren't available throughout the weekend either - seems really daft to me!

Still nothing. Been live on RM since Thursday night and we haven't heard anything at all. Trying not to panic and keep telling myself it's early days but bloody hell this is hard. If we get no interest then we'll have to drop the price. But if we drop the price then we can't buy the dream home Sad Ah well, that's market forces for you!

I am trying to be as pragmatic as possible, but the emotional and completely bonkers side of me is desperate to start accosting people in the street and demanding that they buy my property Grin

m0therofdragons · 21/05/2017 14:21

Paul Keep an eye out for drive by viewers. We've had a few and it's very funny as we're in a cul de sac so very obvious. What kind of house is it? Ours is an ideal 3 bed family home that's bigger inside than it looks so as soon as we got people in they all wanted it. We did price it fairly I think too so at our price people didn't have a lot of choice to look at and ours is in good order (I didn't realise how good until I saw the state of other people's homes).

Good luck for offers this week everyone!

soundsystem · 21/05/2017 17:30

Gah, the waiting is awful. We should find out tomorrow if our offer has been accepted. I think it's very unlikely, as there were ELEVEN other viewings yesterday Sad

ElspethFlashman · 21/05/2017 17:37

Eleven! God.

PaulDacresFeministConscience · 21/05/2017 17:43

Mother we're in an apartment so difficult to tell if someone's doing a drive-by, as we don't face the road (which from a sales POV is hopefully a positive!). This type of property is always a bit more tricky to sell - we know that - but that makes it even harder to know whether the lack of activity so far is normal. If we were selling a 3 bed semi then obviously I'd have expected to have had some interest!

We researched the market before going on and our place is priced realistically (we think) when compared to others which are local. We aren't the cheapest - but we are newly decorated with lots of 'plus' features that you wouldn't usually expect. But we also aren't the most expensive by a long shot.

DH and I are both very impatient by nature so this is like torture for us...

m0therofdragons · 21/05/2017 18:24

Paul I'm so impatient I think dh is relieved we've sold but now the pressure is on to find somewhere to move to. Shock

Borntobeamum · 21/05/2017 21:51

We had a viewing on Friday. Our 8th
Our house is o themerket at 210k.
They offered 150k.

Our agent told them they were not even going to ask us as it was way too low.
They had to tell us though.

The viewer called last night with 5 kebabs for us. (Quite Bizarre)
The upped their offer to 170k.

Again, we declined!

I found it all rather amusing!

Beckyb1 · 21/05/2017 22:02

They arrived with kebabs?? Eh? Confused

Original poster
drspouse · 21/05/2017 22:06

Kebabs are not equal to £40K!

OP posts:
Original poster
drspouse · 21/05/2017 22:07

Our EA is available weekends. And till 8...

OP posts:
m0therofdragons · 21/05/2017 23:01

Our EA is contactable all the time - small local company, totally hands on. EA we want to make our offer to is much more limited opening hours despite being a well known national chain. The agents themselves all seem nice though unlike a different agent we've dealt with.
Butterflies firmly in my tummy over tomorrow morning's call.

badgercat · 21/05/2017 23:14

Just going to sneak back in here . . . . .

Regarding the offering when not in a position to proceed, we showed we were interested but couldnt obviously go any further (and mentioned to our mutual EA we'd probably offer near asking price), we then received a (just enough) offer on ours so put forward a firm offer to be told there was another interested party (from nowhere?) who had a long chain but got there first, we upped our offer to asking price and was accepted. I really do feel we paid over the odds because they knew how keen we were, I should have stuck to my guns ! Anyway it all fell through and its now sold to someone else!

We are now back on the market, 4 not really interested viewings and no further offers, cant find anything we like in our budget so looking to increase the mortgage - all a bit pointless without a buyer but we need to find something we like or we wont bother to sell so catch 22 !

m0therofdragons · 21/05/2017 23:57

badgercat that's rubbish. Hope it all works out very soon. The whole process is horrible.

The house we like has been on the market since august (it's quirky) but when we viewed it (1st and 2nd time) the agents dropped into conversation there was another viewing that day. I called and asked a few questions (it's really old so not straight forward) again it was mentioned there was another person viewing later that day. Then they called with the answers 2 days later and yep yet again I'm told there's another viewing.

Maybe I'm cynical but it's been on since august and in one week they've suddenly had 4 viewings plus us. Maybe it's true but feels like a tactic.