I'VE FOUND MY DREAM PROPERTY- how do I navigate the viewing/putting in an offer?

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After looking for months and viewing over 57 houses (in random locations- we can work anywhere because of WFH), I've found my dream- ABSOLUTE DREAM- property!!! It's in an area I've been praying a house becomes available and it has!!! It was added on Rightmove today and I want to view it NOW! I've sent the EA an enquiry but want to know how I should navigate next steps? I want to offer without viewing but that's not an option so apart from dancing through the house when I'm there, what should I do? Should I share how excited I am and how much I want the house or should I play it cool? I don't want to be overpaying for the house but want it regardless. It's currently £55K under our max budget. Should I put in an offer on the spot or play it safe and do the overnight thinking thing? Please help me secure this house!

Not all vendors are impressed by gushy praise and bunches of flowers. I’m interested only in the strength of the offer and the amount.

Hope it goes well OP!

I don’t have any advice for you but I’m so excited for you!!. I will keep everything crossed that you get it, it sounds perfect. I still remember the excitement when I saw our home, it needed so much work but I loved it. I started crying when we viewed it. Thankfully the people we bought it from were lovely and didn’t think I was weird. We still send them pictures now of the work we’ve done to it and the DC living in it. It’s so exciting when you find the perfect home.

Oh OP, I can feel your excitement - I have everything crossed for you!!

We were looking for a house for five months and suddenly one came on the market that needs a lot of work but it's absolutely perfect and unlike anything else we'd seen. We went to see it and offered full asking price on the spot. We were the first viewing of the day and the next people had already arrived. No chance of stopping the rest of the viewings for that day, even if we'd offered more.

We ended up in a best and final bids situation with three of us pitted against each other. It was AWFUL. We had to wait from the Saturday until Monday evening to find out.

I think we were JUST about the top price, but the feedback we got was that they picked up because of our circumstances. We're buying this house to build an annexe for my DM and there's already a small annexe at the side, with room to extend it. We didn't realise but that's what they did with the house originally - used the annexe for an elderly relative. So they picked us because they understand how hard it is to find that kind of property and loved the idea that we'd be using it for that reason.

I completely embarrassed myself on the phone to the estate agent because I was so excited - when I rang a couple of days later someone completely different picked up the phone and said "Ooooh you're Spiders - your name has been bandied around the office quite a bit in the last day or so!"

Other people will have better/different advice, but we showed our hand from the start and the estate agent knew how much we wanted it. I explained our personal circumstances and how much we wanted the house, and the reasons why, and I explicitly asked him to pass the information onto the vendor when communicating our bid, just in case it made a difference. And it did! Our vendor is lovely and we're nearly at the point of exchanging. I really really hope this works out for you!!

When we were in a similar position (in 2014, not recently), we emailed the estate agent straight away after the viewing (which 20 buyers/couples attended as an open house), giving an offer at 10% over asking and setting out all of the reasons why we are great buyers. I included info like: "We have a mortgage approved for £X, we are bringing £X budget for repairs and have refurbished a property before so won't be put off by negative survey results, we can be flexible on exchange and completion dates etc".
Then I followed up straight away with a call. We got the house!

I made an appointment with a realtor and got a preapproved mortgage, then looked at about a dozen houses over a year period. When I found a good one, we went back but with db and his parents. (Our first house and we wanted the il's wisdom in houses) Dh liked it, so we decided to make an offer, what they were asking, and they accepted.

Oh, and when we got the keys, and went inside, a gift basket and welcome card from the realtor was left in the kitchen, with wine, flowers and wine goblets.

When I put my late parents house on the market . We had loads of offers
Even though I got an offer of 5k over the highest over of 20k
I sold it to the one that offered 20k
They were first time buyers and family with a little girl who reminded me of me 😂
Plus the higher offer was a builder and no way was I having my parents curse me for selling it to a builder who would flip it or convert into to flats

When we put our last house on the market we got a lot of interest and a lot if viewings within days. We got an offer of £280 (was otm for £300) almost immediately but I wasn't going to accept that and take the house off the market when I'd seen from the interest that we were going to sell easily. We agreed £295 with someone within a week. They were a couple who were going to live there that's all I remember. I didn't feel overly sentimental about the house.

When I bought my London flat in a v competitive market a while ago, I did a few things to make sure I got it -
-rung up the estate agents the instant I saw it and made myself available for immediate viewing (during work hours so before all the other viewers got there in the evening)
-made an offer to the estate agent on the spot when did the viewing
-promised to have solicitors instructed, MIP in place and searches started within the next three days
-offer was accepted on those grounds and I then got them to cancel all the other viewings.

I think it helped that I was a FTB with no chain, and it was a bit different to your situation as it was previously an investment property so no emotional attachment from the sellers but I would definitely set out your situation to the estate agents in advance, and ask what the sellers want so you can meet that.

I have just sold and bought in West London/Surrey. Nothing to buy and lots of pent up demand.
You have lots of good advice here. My own experience of the current market- we went on market mid week and agreed viewings at the weekend as that’s when the agent was available to show the house and put aside one whole day for viewings. She said that was standard for their agency when taking on a new property.
We had 19 viewings over the weekend. 15m slots. Most people said they would be making an offer and were open about it.
Got 12 offers on the Monday. Asking or over apart from one. Several personal statements from families describing why they wanted to live in the house. Agent told everyone to submit best and final by close of play Tuesday.
We took the highest offer from a no chain person to help us when we are buying. Buyer v happy. On the Wednesday we had two more higher offers but refused.
I couldn’t view anything until under offer so started viewings. Nothing on the market worth buying as anything decent goes in days so I was on all agent lists and ready to view anything suitable. All that was available was way overpriced, currently let, needs renovations or compromised in some major way (next to motorway, windowless rooms etc!)
Interestingly over half of what came up has been ex rentals. I finally went to see one of these overpriced tired ex rentals that’s been hanging around for weeks but over my budget. I made an offer and it worked and am currently proceeding.
One agent told me they have 40% of normal stock. It’s an odd market.

What I learned is that it’s OK to be open with agents. It’s not all secretive. It’s OK to say you have a higher budget but not comfortable going over X for a property given the uncertain market so you wouldn’t increase any offer. I found all agents to be perfectly open and reasonable.

You need to not over invest. You need to be very clear about your limits. Negotiate clearly with the agent - and be friendly to the vendor if they’re home!
My experience may be different to yours if your local market is less crazy so fingers crossed.
Best of luck, it’s a stressful time.

You sound super excited, just make sure you stay calm and not come over crazed or chaotic. They've got to know you are a sound and safe set of buyers and you will see this through to complete the purchase.

Good luck OP, I hope you've managed to arrange a viewing.

We actually sold to the first person to view, who was the first to ring the EA. She offered asking. We asked for a little above as we were OIRO and had other viewers. We were keen to sell, they were keen to buy and the timelines worked.
Phone the EA and get in the car.

We wrote a hopefully charming email but made sure it had all the right facts in place, that we were sold ourselves and ready to go, that we were super professional and prepared to bend over backwards to facilitate the conveyancing.

There are so many stories of awful batshit buyers, that it helps even with the agent as they will have to deal with all the shit along the way, to present yourself as enthusiastic and courteous, but also organised, efficient, pragmatic and professional. And offer enough.

As PP said, you don't necessarily have to be highest bidder to be picked - when we were selling my parents house after my Mum died, we had a range of offers. The bidder who offered highest accompanied their offer with a long email saying why it was a fair price, and pointing out all of the faults with the house which would need to be rectified at their expense. This was a much loved family home being sold because of my Mum's death and my Dad's dementia. I burst into tears and told the EA I would sell to ANYONE but them. And sure enough we did! So please, please don't make that mistake! (I'm sure you wouldn't be that tone deaf, but just in case...!)

if you want it. offer as soon as viewing is being done. Dont wait. Its good that its so far below your budget as you will probably get it if you can outbid other people

Hope you had a positive conversation with the estate agents. Try and build a rapport with them, make sure you’re the first through the door and offer immediately to show you’re serious.
Normal rules don’t apply in this market.
Make sure all your legal and financial stuff is lined up and be clear why you’re a good buyer.
Good luck.

Oh god, GOOD LUCK! Will be thinking housey thoughts for you....

In a similar position, we emailed, rang the agent and made sure we were first in. The agent knew we had sold and were proceedable. They did 2 more viewings after us then took it off the market. This was just pre pandemic though - when things were a little bit mad.

Good luck, OP!! Be nice to the agent, get them on side and thinking you'll be good for them to deal with. During your viewing be calm but very positive, no point playing it super cool. Obviously if you see vendor, be charming and compliment them on how they have it (even if you'll make changes!)

We did the above, followed by a phone call shortly after to offer full asking. Went to best and final so sent formal email to the agent with our increased offer, emphasizing our strong position to proceed, funds, solicitor and mortgage advisor already at hand. Finished with just a couple of sentences that house was "the One" for us, loved it immediately and we hoped to make it our forever home. Worked for us!

I have just bought a house (yay!). It was painful to be honest as we kept being outbid even though we were offering over the asking price. I think the only advice I can give is offer over the asking price but make it absolutely 100% clear that you are willing to rethink the offer if someone else offers higher. I lost out on a house (still a bit gutted by it tbh) because there was a higher offer and they didn't give me a chance to up mine - of course that may not have been the only reason for accepting another offer.

With the house I just bought, they were only accepting viewings from people who are proceedable. If we had something to sell then we wouldn't get a viewing, this seems to be quite common and we were not the only ones in a unique position with cash in the bank and nothing to sell as were renting.

What I did was put an offer in, over asking but not at my top end. The EA phoned me back once all viewings were in and told me that a higher offer had been put in. He obviously couldn't tell me what the other amount was. So what I said was shall we go up in increments and you tell me when to stop. So I went 760, he said no, I said 765, he said no, 770, he said no, 775 he said, ah! at that value my client is going to have a very hard decision to make. So now I knew the other offer was at 775 and I went in at 780 and secured it.

Good luck, hope you like it and get a viewing.

And also, a bit like others have said, I sold my house to someone who I Iiked over someone I didn't like but put in a higher offer. I can't remember the reason why but we did his viewing rather than the EA. The bloke came with his wife, he kept on going on about how he would check all the planning and building regs online as we had done a massive renovation. I was like do what you want but I we have full permission for everything (they way he said it was as if he was going to catch us out on something), he also couldn't direct a single question at me and asked my husbands all the questions and looked at him for answers. Not being funny here but I project managed the renovation and know far (FAR) more about our house than my husband ever did. I could tell you what spec the windows where, when the electrics were done, that date the boiler was serviced, when the gas pipes were laid, when the building regs got signed off, who was the heritage officer (grade 11 listed) etc etc etc.. Bloke didn't want to listen to anything that came out of my mouth (misogynist twat) so I refused to sell house to him on those grounds. He kept in putting higher and higher offers and I said no.

I recently bought a probate property, I knew the seller had turned down a few offers, and it was his childhood home that his parents had owned for 50 years. I got the feeling he'd had people round who had been disrespectful/talking of ripping out kitchens, walls etc as it's a full reno, so I was very complimentary, asked about it as a home not a house. I got it for 10k less than he'd already turned down.

It’s OK to put in an offer later that day, or the next day. Probably not from the car as you drive away, though

I viewed 40 houses when i was looking for my current house. I saw my one and it was perfect. Made a call to the estate agent while sitting in the car after the viewing and offered full asking price and it was accepted and taken off the market within 2 hours. Been here 10 very happy years.

In the current climate i wouldn't be pissing about if i loved the house. Get your offer in.