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Original poster

I just saw my dream house come on the market, my house isn't even up for sale, do I have a shot?

131 replies

december2020 · 02/05/2023 20:15

Literally the dream forever house!

My house isn't on the market yet (market was so slow) but I could show intent and how serious I am by moving very swiftly to get everything in order and get it on the market asap. I have been transparent with the estate agent on this and we have a viewing this week.

I'm already getting papers in order and getting a quote for a painter decorator to get the house ready.

I wouldn't need to increase my mortgage, but would need to port it, my lender allows this - I checked.
I'm calling them tomorrow to chat through any other criteria needed etc. and will set up an appointment.

I know it's a long shot, but do I have the slightest chance that this could pan out?

OP posts:
KittytheHare · 02/05/2023 20:18

Honestly I can’t imagine any seller having the patience to wait for you to sell your house.

tweener · 02/05/2023 20:18

If you're wanting to decorate before selling the house then as a seller I wouldn't sell to you.

If you're willing to list the house as it is, and hopefully sell quickly then I'd consider your offer (unless it took a while to sell or I had more proceedable offers).

coodawoodashooda · 02/05/2023 20:19

You never know. Good luck.

Lastminutebride · 02/05/2023 20:20

Yes we did. We saw a house we loved so managed to get ours on the market within a week and sold it after 3 days.
our house was market ready though so no delays in decorating etc.
we also viewed and let the sellers know how interested we were and kept them updated but couldn’t put an offer in until ours had sold.

so yes it is possible.

Heroicallyfound · 02/05/2023 20:21

What papers? 🤔Surely you just need to sign a contract with an estate agent and get photos done as soon as they can book a photographer? Get on the phone to your mortgage company to sort a port. Sort out ID for a solicitor next week. I wouldn’t be faffing with painting!

Original poster
december2020 · 02/05/2023 20:22

I thought as much - I'm just going through the disappointment that my dream house came on the market and I'm not in the position to be considered for it.
Thank you for keeping me within reality!

OP posts:
TheSnowyOwl · 02/05/2023 20:23

I imagine you will be able to put in an offer and (at best) it will be accepted but on the understanding more viewings will go ahead with the potential for another offer to be accepted and the sale to progress with the new buyers.

I would look to market your property as it currently looks. You can always decorate whilst waiting to find a buyer and update your photos.

LaLaLaNotListeningNotListening · 02/05/2023 20:23

Don’t bother with the decorator and just get it listed if you really want the dream house.

BendingSpoons · 02/05/2023 20:23

We saw a house we liked so put our flat on the market and sold it to the first (and only!) viewer within a few days. Apparently there were 2 other buyers who had offered the same as us but took longer to sell their place, so we got the house.

Is the decoration essential? How long will it take?

Original poster
december2020 · 02/05/2023 20:24

Also good points on the painting and just to go with as is to speed it up!
Thank you!
I am going to try for sure - just having no expectations this may actually work out.

OP posts:
Original poster
december2020 · 02/05/2023 20:27

The upstairs is all good to go (bar painting a couple of doors.

The staircase probably also needs a bit of a paint job.

The kitchen/diner and lounge would ideally need a skirting update (I'm not handy) and lock of white paint (though not totally essential.

But also a good idea of putting as is and updating the pictures if it takes a while to sell.

OP posts:
AlrightJulia · 02/05/2023 20:32

You absolutely do not need to waste money you may need to move on decorating. Any potential buyer will probably decorate anyway. You need to instruct an agent, get it photographed and get it on the market as it is ASAP

Polik · 02/05/2023 20:34

If it was me, I would not offer on the dream house until you accept an offer on yours. I would

  • Get yours on the market ASAP. Like tomorrow. Don't decorate etc, just instruct an estate agent.
  • Price yours at a price to sell quickly
  • View the dream house and make it clear to the estate agent you are interested. Ask that you are called if any offer comes in, so that you can counter offer.

If you offer without being proceedable, your offer will just be used as leverage to get more from anyone else who offers so the sellers get more.

If you don't offer until you sell, but ask to be informed if another offer is received, it helps you several ways

  • when you sell yours and come to offer, you will know that no other offer has been made. This puts you in a good position.
  • if someone else offers, you can face the crunch point then with how high you will offer. Plus by that point your can at least say you're on the market and priced to sell quick.
  • If someone else offers and they don't consider your offer because your not proceedable, no matter how high you offer, then you know you never would have been able to get it anyway.
bellsbuss · 02/05/2023 20:34

We had this , always wanted to live on this road but houses never came on the market. On the day one did we rang our mortgage advisor and he was able to release a large deposit from our existing home get a mortgage in principle for the dream house. We knew we had to move fast so and back then you could get a mortgage offer really fast.

boonboon · 02/05/2023 20:35

Can you go ahead with a buy to let mortgage on your current house?

We did that to show intent and got an offer accepted, we then put our house on the market and sold it instead of renting out.

TimeToBreakFree · 02/05/2023 20:39

Put in the offer and take it from there

HouseHuntingShenanigans · 02/05/2023 20:44

Want to offer a bit of encouragement as we were recently in a similar position. Maybe the only difference is we had had out property valued recently (not sure if you have?) so we were on the EA’s radar vaguely.

So we spotted the house. Went to view. Loved it. Put in offer. Was accepted.
The owner gave us a month to get ours firmly under offer.
So we instructed the agent on the Tuesday. Photos/measurements etc done on Thursday. It was “offered” to everyone already on their books to come for a viewing. On the Saturday we had 9 viewings. Got offered full asking price.

We are now well into the process, surveys and whatnot done. Keeping everything crossed there are no last minute glitches.

So, it can be done! Good luck 🤞

TokyoSushi · 02/05/2023 20:47

If it's just come on the market, yours could be on the market in 48 hours if you really pushed, so you wouldn't really be that far behind them if you priced to sell...

Good luck

Inapicklee · 02/05/2023 20:58

This was me (minus decorating).
I’d been keeping half an eye out for a very specific type of property that frankly I didn’t have the budget for. Didn’t have mine on the market as I suspected mine would sell fast and I didn’t actually think I would find what I was looking for.

My dream house popped up (it was reduced and I think this is probably quite important in that it had been on the market a while and not sold). We viewed it and made an offer at asking price. Initially rejected due to not being proceedable. We went back to them with an increased offer and asked for a 2 week grace period to sell our house.

They accepted, we sold ours within the 2 weeks and I’m now sat in my new living room. It was horrendously stressful but it all worked out.

Sprig1 · 02/05/2023 20:58

Just get yours on the market as it is and price accordingly.

Karmatime · 02/05/2023 21:06

You could easily have your house listed within a week. Don’t bother with redecorating, just have a massive declutter, tidy and clean. Price it realistically and you will have much more chance of an early offer. Things are not as manic as they were last year so whilst you are less likely to get a bidding war within days on your property, the same will apply to your dream house so hopefully that will buy you some time. Good luck! 🤞

FlyingFang · 02/05/2023 21:08

We did it! They accepted and gave us 6 weeks to sell. We got it on the market and an offer on ours accepted in that time.

NadjaCravensworth1 · 02/05/2023 21:10

I tried this and the seller waited a couple of weeks but ultimately accepted another offer. I thought our house would get plenty of interest as it's very unique and characterful but market appears to be at a standstill.

CrispsnDips · 02/05/2023 21:19

Our dream house came up on the Monday, we viewed it that evening and asked the Agent to market our house with a view to buying the dream one, then sold ours within three days.

On the Friday we discovered that someone else had offered on the dream house and were in a position to sell so, by lunchtime, we both had to put best and final offers in and draw a line under it.

Both offers (over the asking price) transpired to be similar but the sellers chose us ! Happy days…we got our dream house 🥰

FoolsOld · 02/05/2023 21:33

We did! Dream house which had sold then come back on the market. We looked even though we weren't proceedable -still not sure why the EA let us! That was the Thursday, put ours on with same agent, they photographed Monday, let a couple who had lost out on two similar properties view it early. They offered full asking to stop it being advertised during the viewing. Had our offer accepted 45 mins later. Been here three months and I still pinch myself that it's my house.