Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Property/DIY

Join our Property forum for renovation, DIY, and house selling advice.

Original poster

How many houses did you offer on before you were accepted?

55 replies

FupOff · 19/04/2022 10:17

I’m feeling quite despondent today. We made our 4th house offer last week after it went to best and finals as usual, to then get a call today to say it was ‘very close’ but a higher offer was accepted. The EA can’t divulge the winning offer but knowing it was close is frustrating. The house was on for 275, we originally offered 280 and increased to our best and final of 285. It was the perfect house for us and houses coming to market in our area is slow to say the least even in the run up to Easter. I’m just wondering if I am the only one? I feel like I will be private renting forever at this rate. Or maybe it’ll be 5th time lucky for us Sad

OP posts:
giggbig · 20/04/2022 16:57

I've lost out on two & really loved one. We offered 25k over. The thing is I'm sure some over more with a hope to reducing it after surveys & mortgage valuation. Maybe I should use that tactic.

AnotherEmma · 20/04/2022 17:07

FupOff · 19/04/2022 10:17

I’m feeling quite despondent today. We made our 4th house offer last week after it went to best and finals as usual, to then get a call today to say it was ‘very close’ but a higher offer was accepted. The EA can’t divulge the winning offer but knowing it was close is frustrating. The house was on for 275, we originally offered 280 and increased to our best and final of 285. It was the perfect house for us and houses coming to market in our area is slow to say the least even in the run up to Easter. I’m just wondering if I am the only one? I feel like I will be private renting forever at this rate. Or maybe it’ll be 5th time lucky for us Sad

What is your maximum budget?
It's a seller's market at the moment, with demand far outstripping the number of houses being sold.
If it's your "perfect house" you're going to have to offer more than 3.6% above asking price, I'm afraid.
Could you have afforded to go higher?

Buddywoo · 20/04/2022 17:07

Probably shouldn't say this but here goes. I was an EA for 30 years through slow and fast markets. In a fast market where it went to best and final offers I used to leave the potential buyer I liked best until the last. When I phoned for her final offer I used to 'guide' her so that she was the one that succeeded.
Not ethical but personal relationships matter. Make friends with the EA!

Phos · 20/04/2022 17:11

We had a slightly different experience. We put in an offer on a house and even though we weren't actually the highest bidders, the lady chose to accept our offer as the others were BTL investors. However whilst everything we going through, she withdrew from the sale as something went wrong with the house she wanted to buy.

The second house we offered on again the offer was accepted, I think we were first in and they were keen to get going as there was a particular property they wanted. Everything was going through and then we got a call to say they were pulling out of the sale as they house THEY were buying had had the vendor pull out of the sale as apparently the doctors had told that vendor that mumsy was far too old and frail to move down south. I call BS tbh, I think they got scared by house prices.

The first time I was sad, the second time I was absolutely furious.

Third house we had our first offer rejected and our second marginally higher one was initially rejected then the vendor changed his mind and accepted it when I refused to go higher again.

giggbig · 20/04/2022 17:46

@Buddywoo the EA gave us an inkling but it was too high.

Ariela · 20/04/2022 18:09

I'd have offered a less logical amount eg 286,500 To beat all the 285ers

Bedsheets4knickers · 20/04/2022 20:20

If we all stopped going into bidding wars it would probably help to fix this current issue and save us all a few Bob .

AstroJess · 03/04/2023 07:41

Me and my husband are currently going through this. Live in North Devon and trying desperately to avoid areas we know are ‘bad’ (I.e known drug areas, high antisocial behaviour areas) and places where there are good early years schools as we are buying now so we can start a family. We’ve been looking for well over a year now, seen about 20 houses, put offers on 3.

The first was best and final offers, and we were limited going over asking price because we only have a 5% deposit.

The second was a nice big house with terrible parking and in a slightly dodgy area, bathroom head height would be a problem for my husband, broken window in attic room, and electrics looked out of date now so probably would need redoing soon. It needed work to say the least; we’ve offered £10,000 under asking, no one else is biting (been on since September 2022), and we keep reminding them that we’ve put this offer on the table, EA have said that it’s a good offer for the house and have advised them to go through with it but they’re not budging. When I was last in contact with EA I asked about it again and she said it sounds as if one of the couple doesn’t want to move unless they can sell it for their full asking (or over), so I’ve given up with that one because it needs too much work for us to be able to consider it a house to stay in for a while and we won’t have the money to fix anything if our monthly mortgage payments are too high.

Third house was smaller but in a much nicer area, and much more outside space.. it’s been on the market for ages after original buyer pulled out after survey came back saying it had damp issues (it’s an Edwardian house that’s been rented, so duh?) and needed a firewall installed in the attic (surely landlord should have had this done a long time ago to be allowed to rent out!?).. we put an offer in £5,000 below at the end of last week, which EA said was a good offer considering the issues, and that the vendor was going to get the firewall done. EA called us back the next day saying someone viewed and were in a ‘better position’ that us, couldn’t give us anything more than this until she called back later saying that vendor went with them, one of their dads is a builder.

F this market, F our luck.

Greenfairydust · 03/04/2023 08:12

Three.

  • 1st one: offer was initially accepted but I was gazumped later in the process. Turned out for the best as I realised later there some issues with the location
  • 2nd one: made an offer of 5% under asking price. No reply. The property was marketed with 2 agents. The agent I viewed with had to chase the owners for almost 3 weeks before he could get a negative reply out of them. The vendors said they would accept a higher offer of X. By that time I had enough of their behaviour...
  • 3rd one: buyer initially did not want to accept my offer of 10K less than asking price but then found somewhere cheaper than expected to move to so accepted my offer 2 weeks later.

Funnily enough the sellers for the second property I offered on got back to the agents to say they would accept my initial offer after all but by that time I was committed to buying property number 3.

Meandfour · 03/04/2023 08:15

Offered on first house which was accepted but they pulled out further down the line as their mortgage was declined.
In hindsight it was brilliant because then we got our current home which is pretty much our dream house and got it on our second offer.

CellophaneFlower · 03/04/2023 08:16

F this market, F our luck.

It's a buyer's market currently though, this thread was a year ago when it was the opposite and houses were going for over asking.

Greenfairydust · 03/04/2023 08:17

@AnotherEmma

''It's a seller's market at the moment''

That is no longer true in many parts of the country as the cost of living and higher mortgage rates have started to impact people's ability to borrow/buy.

VegetablesFightingToReclaimTheAubergieneEmoji · 03/04/2023 08:20

I was toying with if I could be that prick that over offers knowing the survey will come back with a list of stuff I can negotiate down to what I want and can pay.

I don’t think I can, even though I know many many will

Meandfour · 03/04/2023 08:21

CellophaneFlower · 03/04/2023 08:16

F this market, F our luck.

It's a buyer's market currently though, this thread was a year ago when it was the opposite and houses were going for over asking.

To be fair, that’s still happening in some parts of the country.
My cousin put their house on the market 2 weeks ago, had 4 offers and it’s sold for 10k over asking.

CellophaneFlower · 03/04/2023 08:33

Meandfour · 03/04/2023 08:21

To be fair, that’s still happening in some parts of the country.
My cousin put their house on the market 2 weeks ago, had 4 offers and it’s sold for 10k over asking.

Show quote history

I get that, but in most areas the days of bidding wars are over. PP is offering under asking and not getting the properties. Was just pointing out the market is a whole lot calmer than it was a year ago.

CellophaneFlower · 03/04/2023 08:38

Greenfairydust · 03/04/2023 08:17

@AnotherEmma

''It's a seller's market at the moment''

That is no longer true in many parts of the country as the cost of living and higher mortgage rates have started to impact people's ability to borrow/buy.

That poster commented a year ago when it WAS a seller's market.

Greenfairydust · 03/04/2023 08:41

@CellophaneFlower

?

It isn't now.

CellophaneFlower · 03/04/2023 08:44

Greenfairydust · 03/04/2023 08:41

@CellophaneFlower

?

It isn't now.

I know. But it was when the quote you used was posted.

GordonsAFGirl · 03/04/2023 09:11

We have succeeded on property four. Although there were many more that we were not allowed to view or bid on.
It has taken us two years and cost £10k in wasted fees.
House 1.
Surveyed, legals done waiting for exchange. The vendors parent dies, they withdraw due to inheritance. Never returns to the market.
House 2.
Gazumped. We were told for £50k, apparently only £10k but horrible estate agent who has an issue with us as a family. Racist.
House 3.
Owner decides to speed things up by listing the house as a 'modern auction' lot. Any buyer expected to pay her selling fees of £43k on acceptance of offer. The house didn't sell and the agent told me that if I bought it later they would sue me for the money. I had viewed it and offered through the original agent. Solicitors were instructed. Another set of fees. House is Airbnb.
House 4.
Offered and accepted with 3% discount.
Not my style as modern ex rental (landlord selling all rentals) but the location is good.
We move at the end of the month and it has exchanged.
We live an hour from London with good schools. We are moving out of our chi chi town and closer to a very large town with younger people. We have lived there before so it's fine for us. Our DC have grown up.

AnotherEmma · 03/04/2023 09:37

Greenfairydust · 03/04/2023 08:17

@AnotherEmma

''It's a seller's market at the moment''

That is no longer true in many parts of the country as the cost of living and higher mortgage rates have started to impact people's ability to borrow/buy.

That post was April 2022. Not sure why you're arguing with a year-old post?!

Of course the market has changed in that time and is still changing. It is also very location-dependent.

Snugglemonkey · 03/04/2023 09:46
  1. We lost our to higher bidders,but also to lower cash bidders.
Original poster
FupOff · 03/04/2023 11:15

It is funny to see this old thread of mine resurrected!

To update, I am now actually sitting in the house I mentioned in my OP Grin The original offer fell through and our offer was accepted, finally moved in November!

OP posts:
beguilingeyes · 03/04/2023 11:17

beguilingeyes · 20/04/2022 16:44

I feel incredibly lucky. Our house went on the market last June, sold immediately and the sale fell through so it went back on the Market in September. I'd been keeping an eye open as we literally lived in the next road. It was the first house we viewed and our first offer.
We offered 15% over asking and we're accepted pretty much straight away. I think the vendor was in a hurry by then.

Quoting myself here, but it wasn't 15% over asking, that would have been nuts...it was £15,000.

CellophaneFlower · 03/04/2023 11:22

FupOff · 03/04/2023 11:15

It is funny to see this old thread of mine resurrected!

To update, I am now actually sitting in the house I mentioned in my OP Grin The original offer fell through and our offer was accepted, finally moved in November!

Ahhh, that update is definitely worth a zombie thread! Great news OP, enjoy your home.

Faz469 · 03/04/2023 11:26

Fust house offer was regected and we couldnt afford more.

We put in an offer of the asking price on the second house we went for but the sellers took their time making a decision n we found a house slightly smaller but in better condition and in a better area while waiting.

When the sellers of the first house asked for more money we pulled out and went for the 3rd house and our offer was accepted on our second offer. We only bumped it by 1500 and agreed to meet in the middle.

But they'd had someone pull out and were eager to get moving. Plus we had a ash buyer for our house.