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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:
FlyingFang · 15/05/2023 17:49

Congratulations! Is yours on the market yet?!

thedogisstaring · 15/05/2023 19:41

Excellent OP! Am really pleased for you! Exciting times ahead! 😁😁

NellyBarney · 15/05/2023 20:59

Congrats!! Fingers crossed for a smooth completion!

Original poster
december2020 · 17/05/2023 12:46

Thank you everyone!
We should have it on the market this week (hopefully). We're using the same estate agent as the seller and moving as quickly as the agent and photographer can move (we're not the hold up).The sellers had full transparency of our selling situation when they accepted the offer - so nothing has been kept under wraps or hidden from them.

Turns out some other buyer has already tried to gazump us but thankfully the seller and estate agent think it's morally wrong and are sticking with us.

Very intense.

OP posts:
Alexalee · 17/05/2023 12:55

I'll be honest. I am amazed they have accepted your offer as you aren't proceedable
If I was the seller I would still be marketing it until you were under offer. Seems you have found a very trusting seller

Roselilly36 · 17/05/2023 16:07

Alexalee · 17/05/2023 12:55

I'll be honest. I am amazed they have accepted your offer as you aren't proceedable
If I was the seller I would still be marketing it until you were under offer. Seems you have found a very trusting seller

It’s great news for you OP, but I do agree with @Alexalee they aren’t acting in the best interests of their client, but obviously want your instruction. Perhaps the buyers aren’t in a rush to sell, who knows, but you may well find the vendor and the EA position changes once they have the instruction, so just be mindful of that especially if you haven’t sold after a couple of weeks. A long way to go, but at least you have a chance. Don’t be fooled by the EA’s charm, morals soon go out of the window with EA’s in my opinion!

Original poster
december2020 · 17/05/2023 16:20

I totally agree and I'm not counting my chickens until contracts have exchanged and the completion date arrives.

So very aware of the back foot position I am in and that anything can happen - especially in a situation like this!

And thank you for keeping me feet on the ground! It's what is needed!

OP posts:
MaggieFS · 17/05/2023 16:33

How exciting. Good luck selling!

LadyEloise1 · 17/05/2023 16:47

Hoping all goes well for you @december2020 🤞🙏

HagsGlen · 17/05/2023 16:58

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.

Many estate agents won’t keep people who haven’t actually thrown their hat in the ring updated on offers — I’ve certainly been told by different EAs in two different countries that if I wanted information on current offers, I would have to have bid on the property myself, they wouldn’t be keeping a bunch of people updated.

brawhen · 17/05/2023 17:05

Exciting for you!

Just to add another success story - we did the same. We were completely honest with the seller & agents throughout. We moved in 3 months exactly after the day we saw the dream house was on the market.

In our favour - dream house in more of a niche (rural) location, house we were selling in a sought after town location.

DH says his winning tactic was to develop personal relationships with both our buyer and seller (chain was just us three) which encouraged everyone to stick to their agreements...

Original poster
december2020 · 31/05/2023 10:45

Thank you so much everyone! and I love the success stories!

A small update: we have found a FTB buyer for our house (to keep the chain short) and now moving along to the next steps.

I know anything can happen between now and completion so not getting too excited yet and keeping my fingers crossed.

OP posts:
lemonyellows · 31/05/2023 10:54

This is great news. Keeping everything crossed you!!

LadyEloise1 · 31/05/2023 11:52

Congratulations @december2020
Hoping all goes well.

AllotmentTime · 31/05/2023 12:13

Good luck OP and a word of advice- to stay the most appealing buyer, keep keeping everyone updated. Check in regularly with the EA, "just calling to say that we're still waiting for x but as soon as we have it I'll ring you" type things, cc them on emails where you can, etc. Be just shy of annoying 🤣 you want a situation where any time that the vendors wonder what's going on your end, they instantly know from their EA, and they never have a feeling of insecurity about you.

And obvs keep MN updated too 😁

Original poster
december2020 · 26/06/2023 10:38

A small update:

Things are progressing -

Our mortgage application has been approved, surveys and home buyers report done. We're waiting to receive the paperwork to answer our buyer's last enquiry and then waiting on answers back from our seller's solicitor.

Everyone is still gunning for an August completion date, I'm not letting myself get too excited yet as anything can still happen, but at least it's moving.

OP posts:
Original poster
december2020 · 26/06/2023 10:44

We were lucky enough to have secured a buyer within a week of putting our house on the market so that helped a lot (though nothing is for certain until completion day so I'm still a little nervous).

OP posts:
Batalax · 26/06/2023 10:57

How exciting.

Original poster
december2020 · 21/08/2023 18:47

If anyone was still waiting for an update, we've had lots of back and forth, and a lot of delays from solicitors (all parties) but keeping my fingers crossed that we are close and hopefully we get to exchange this week (being optimistic but still).

I could really see this as my our long term house where the kids can grow up and we can spend decades so trying not to be too invested until contract exchange.

OP posts:
Buttons0522 · 21/08/2023 19:01

Have you exchanged yet OP? We were a few weeks ahead of you when you first posted and we are STILL waiting to exchange. Many complications at the bottom of the chain and we are slowly losing the will and the dream is slipping away! Why is it such a convoluted process?!

becksbeer123 · 21/08/2023 19:04

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This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines.

Original poster
december2020 · 21/08/2023 19:31

@Buttons0522 not exchanged yet sadly, really hoping for this week (or next) it feels so close but so far. The process is so convoluted and SO slow - it feels like everything is drip fed and this could easily be sent in bulk and it would shave weeks of the process! Where are you at with the process? Keeping my fingers crossed for you!

My understanding is that the buyer had multiple offers, some higher than ours but they picked us for whatever reason. Potentially a factor of our LTV, still a reasonable offer above asking price and they liked us the most as a buyer. Of course all speculative, but they and the estate agent told us they liked us the most and wanted the house to go to a family who would cherish the house like they did.

OP posts:
angieboo1 · 21/08/2023 19:51

I’m currently sitting in our dream home after this scenario.
We viewed the house and an offer was accepted on the Friday.
Our house was on the market on Monday and sold by the next Monday.
We moved in last week! We feel so lucky it happened the way it did.
We did no redecorating, we just cleaned everything and de-cluttered a bit.

webuiltthiscityonrockandwheat · 21/08/2023 20:07

Dream homes are the best! Fingers crossed it goes through OP! When we moved into our little house I really admired the much bigger house next door. I used to think what if we could buy that one day. Turns out our neighbour was looking at our house and thinking what if I could downsize to that smaller house? We lived there for 6 years and then tried to sell with no success until we chatted with the neighbour and she said she wanted ours and we wanted hers so here we are next door! Love it when things work out like that

MelonsOnSaleAgain · 21/08/2023 20:11

Well we managed it but it was a couple of years ago when things were selling quickly. We offered on ours on Friday morning (mortgage offer in place) and had ours sold under offer by lunchtime Monday. We had already been talking with agents.

so I guess it depends!! How quickly is stuff selling. How ready are you.