Just seen a great house that is STC

[herewithmyfrog]

I have just seen the perfect house for me - I'm a single parent and ticks all my boxes as it's a stones throw from my current home so I wouldn't have to go through too much upheaval on my own.

It is STC on rightmove and on the estate agents own website, I've only just seen it this evening and rightmove says it was only put on yesterday so I have only just missed out.

Is there anything I can do?
I love this house so much, it would give me and DD double our living space and I could afford the mortgage, I love the area as I already live here, this is almost unbelievable.

Please someone say there's hope?

Maybe it's the perfect house for the buyers too, right area etc etc.

I’ve never done this, but I think this early in the process when no money has been spent on surveys or solicitors I would try offering them more money. Otherwise the chance of it coming back on the market aren’t great. It’s a rubbish system, it really is, but that’s how it is.

The buyers probably think it's the perfect house for them though, the problem with house buying is that on the whole everyone has a hugely emotional attachment to the property they want to buy.

We've just made an offer which has been accepted so it's SSTC and I would be devastated if someone gazumped us.

Gazumping should be illegal, its just totally shitty behaviour.

SSTCs do fall through, one just up the road from me went back on the market a couple of weeks after being listed as STC. I bought my current house after it was SSTC then the buyer started playing silly buggers trying to negotiate the price down over daft things as they couldn't secure the mortgage at the price they'd offered. Owners re listed and I bought it.

Can't hurt to contact the EA but don't be a shit and try to gazump existing buyers.

Don't gazump, that is shitty. Other people have dreams too.

My in-laws wanted to buy a bungalow locally to me. They faffed a bit & it went under offer.

I saw the estate agent & said how interested they were & if anything happened to ring me.

He turned up a few weeks later to say the sale had fallen through, we viewed, they offered & now live there. Done it up tho, as it was in a perfect location for them, just not up to their usual standards.

Lots of sales fall through, it's always worth a chat. Just don't be an arse hole.

I'm not going to be an arsehole and I'm not going to Gazump.

I'm invested because yes, I have to be that interested as otherwise I wouldn't bother.

Just to explain my situation I'm mortgaged but would just port my mortgage which would only be about 25% L2V on the new property and pay for the price difference/costs in cash.

My house would have offers immediately it is on the market I'm very confident of that, based on my experience of my very immediate area.
I am not keen on putting my house on the market until I see a house I want because I have very specific needs/wants and it could take years for a house I actually want to come on the market. I'm not going to move or rent just to be in a position to proceed to the sake of the 24 hrs it would take to put my house in the market and have offers with a few days.

I ended up contacting the EA and registering my interest and I also popped a note through the door of the house I'm interested in leaving my details if the sale fell through

I am not keen on putting my house on the market until I see a house I want because I have very specific needs/wants and it could take years for a house I actually want to come on the market.

Unfortunately with the housing market as it currently is, this is what you have to do. If somewhere suitable comes up, you’ll be competing against people who have already sold theirs and the vendor will go with them over someone who hasn’t even got theirs on the market.

It makes it really difficult when in your position, only wanting to move if somewhere suitable comes up. But it’s the unfortunate reality of the current situation.

Then you stand very little chance of securing a new house

Some agents put that as soon as an offer is accepted and some don’t until exchange. Ring the agent and see.

@herewithmyfrog I’m not sure whereabouts you are in the uk, and what your local housing market is like, but your plan would put you at the bottom of any ‘potential purchasers’ in my neck of the woods. (Home Counties).

I heard yesterday of a house that had 18 offers on it.
The vendors discounted those with a mortgage in the running.
Which left 5 cash buyers vying for it… crazy.

Sounds like I haven't got much chance then, I'm not a cash buyer and I really can't put my house on the market and sell it and then expect my buyers to wait 18 months or whatever until I find a house I want to buy.

I'm not in the position to be able to pay stamp duty/moving costs on an interim property (and end up in the same position).

I also have pets and don't want to rent (it would cost 4 x times what my current mortgage is and the worry about house prices increasing continuously while I step off the housing ladder would not be worth it.

Hopeful fate will intervene and I'll get there, despite the obstacles, you never know!

I've heard a lot of cash buyers turn out not to be cash buyers, but I hope it works out for them.

@herewithmyfrog - the EAs around here weed the cash buyers out quite quickly. I was required to provide proof of cash within 24 hrs of making an offer.

Luckily, I wasn’t in the running for the house with 18 offers!

I’d maybe do a mail drop to other houses you like the look of… and see what happens.

Some buyers lie though. They show proof of funds so they could buy cash, but some choose to get a mortgage all the same and don’t disclose upfront.

I have just spoken to the agent and agreed to put my house on the market so I am ready if the sale on the house I want falls through. (Same estate agent as my 'dream' house).
There are a couple of things about the SSTC house I would definitely change long term, but much fewer than all the things I would change in my current home!

I showed the agent my current mortgage statement and my current savings balance so they know I good for the money if the same in the SSTC house falls through.

It's still in the lap of the gods, but I'm doing my best to help them help me

Thanks for all the advice in this thread, I've never bought one on my own (bought current house with my ex as FTBs and he handled the sale at the time, and I bought him out when we split).
It's been a learning curve, so thanks again.