Best & final offers - can I approach vendor direct?

[amandaleeds]

I don't mean try and cut out the agent, but merely to tell them why I want the house in case it sways their opinion. I've found out the house I'm buying 130 Mike's away is owned by landlords living about a Mike from the flat I've just sold (I've moved in temporarily with my partner 30 miles away). I could probably track them down via Facebook or ask friends to drop a letter through the door.

Is that a normal thing to do or do I have to hope that the agent would pass on my letter?

You can put it in an email and the agent should pass it on, usually when we’ve had offers the agent has just forwarded the email from the buyer from what I remember.

Sounds too stalkery and might actively put them off.

It's not a normal thing to do, no. People normally send any messages via the EA.

Please do not stalk someone to find out their address and expect it to make them MORE likely to pick you!

Send an email to the estate agent and ask them to forward it to the buyer - if you approached me direct I would rule you out as a buyer as you are clearly incapable of following procedure. I'd be concerned about what you would do during the conveyancing process if you were already stalking at the start of it.

I think I would be quite uncomfortable with someone tracking me down via Facebook or where I lived. possibly a bit different if they lived at the property you are hoping to buy as it’s obvious you would know where they live but tracking them down would be a no no.

Also as a vendor I’m not sure I would care that much about why someone wanted the house I’d just be interested in their buying position and offer.

As a seller, I would be extremely annoyed at this. The reason you use an estate agent is so you don't have to engage directly in negotiations with potential buyers. It would also suggest to me that you might cause issues further down the line as a buyer by not following the process and and trying to engage direct rather than through solicitors.

Now I recall (I'd blocked this from my mind as it was so flipping stressful at the time) my last buyer was the daughter of a neighbour. I had them on the doorstep several times asking what was taking so long. It was going at the usual pace and I was on top of my solicitors keeping everything going. The estate agent had to tell them to knock it off.

Unless I'm misunderstanding, as the vendor I would kind of think "so what?"- You had a flat near where they have another property. That's a coincidence but it's not a thing in your favour, like being chain free. Honestly, I'd find it a bit odd.

Thanks for confirming what I expected.
I lost out on the previous house as another buyer living nearby approached the vendor to view the home before the launch day.

We sent a message explaining why we wanted the house so much to our vendor when we put in the offer. No idea if that's what tipped it but we got the house so didn't hurt!

This is. Business transaction so send in communication via the estate agent. I would ask for my entire email to be forwarded.

If you had ‘tracked’ me down on Facebook or any of my social media accounts for this exact reason then I would have told you to piss right off and I would refuse to sell to you even if you make me the best offer.

The EA’s are there for a reason. Send the email to them and they will forward to the vendor. It is in the best interest for the EA to find a buyer so they’d be obliged to pass on your letter.

What do you mean by launch day?

I think knowing a bit more about why someone really wanted my house might tip me more in their favour (though only if their offer and position were sensible anyway)….if someone really wants a particular house then they are more likely to see it through to completion and not be weird about minor things that come up on a survey. But what you would say to convince me that you REALLY wanted the house I’m not sure….

Yes, that's my plan thanks.

The agent said buyers could only view on one day then had to submit best and final offers the following day. I found out the winning bid had visited in advance, already viewed, met the vendor etc, been able to ask what price they're aiming for, so perhaps had more persuasion but also had more time to research how much the house was worth to guide their offer.

OK - that sounds very pushy but I assume the buyer at least had the address details from the agent rather than finding them through FB stalking :)

Honestly, that could also have backfired on them if the vendor had put their foot down.

I don't understand you post says 'best and final', your talking about stalking someone but now you saying you lost out previous to a private sale (you can't really loose a house that wasn't yet for sale).

None of it makes any sense.

I think OP - on a different house - went along on the open house day and put in a bid, but someone else had gone the day before and got more info so could make a more informed bid.

It was advertised for sale but agents said buyers could only view on a specific date, then best and final offers the next day. When I viewed it I was told a couple living nearby had already gone round earlier in the week and persuaded the vendor (who wanted a quick sale and apparently didn't really 'need' the money for the next home) to show them around.

Ok so they went round to the actual property and were pushy which on this occasion worked.

That’s very different to stalking people who don’t live in the property.