Hello everyone,
As the title says really. We have sold our beautiful Victorian terrace home after only 18 months as our family (and business) have grown and we desperately need more space. The perfect house has come up on the street next to us. Exactly the same layout and period as our current home, but with a side and rear extension and a garage conversion. We were the first to view it and put in an offer at asking price, but the agent (who also happens to be the agent who is selling our current home) has said that the vendor wanted to continue with all planned open days before discussing offers.
The house is due to go to best and final on Tuesday. There are 5-7 interested parties who have already offered asking price 
. Asking price is 450.
We have no idea how to proceed. Our current game plan is to wait until Tuesday late afternoon (bids need to be in by 5:30pm) and give the agent a call, and hope that he will give us atleast some idea of where current bids are at. I know he shouldn’t, but he did do for a friend of mine who has just bought a house through the same agent and I’m hoping the fact he has a vested interest in us finding an onward purchase as our agent will help our case. Ideally we’d pay no more than 465. Anymore than that and we risk not getting approved for the full mortgage amount and having to borrow from family etc, which we’d really like to avoid.
We’ve considered attaching a letter to our bid, but worried about doing so as we didn’t find out much information about the current owner. We’ve seen her out and about and she appears to be retired, and doesn’t live with a husband or any children. We’re a young family, but I don’t know whether that will help or hinder our case if she doesn’t have children herself. I wanted to mention what a lovely feeling the house has, and how we knew it was the right home for us before we even stepped inside, but I don’t know if that’s too much
How would you proceed? Is putting my offer in so late in the day a problem or not?
We so desperately want the house. The converted garage is just perfect for our business, and I can see our family being so happy there. There’s a beautiful magnolia tree in the front garden that I pass every time I drive out of our road, and I’ve always been so mesmerised by it. I feel like it was a sign this house was ours 💗