Anyone else putting their home on the market in early 2025?

[newhomein2025]

Just that really - I'm going to be putting my home on the market soon, and hoping to find something to buy too. It's due to divorce, but I'm actually feeling ready to move on and find a wee place just for me and my teenager. I'm slightly dreading the process, and all the associated hassle, and worried that I won't be able to find somewhere I can afford nearby, but excited to start again. Anyone else planning on selling and buying in 2025 and want to keep me company?

Thanks for letting me know. Maybe we are being to cautious waiting until our vendor has somewhere then! Although I presume the paperwork for their sale would take pretty much as long as ours so I guess it won't slow things down too much if we wait.

So we’re in a strange position. We have 2 parties in a slow bidding war on our property, they’re both keen but taking days to come back with their next offer. This has been going on for the last 10 days, last offer was made on Thursday, other party has been given the opportunity to respond and just silence. Would it be unreasonable on Monday to ask for best and final offers to be submitted by 12pm Tuesday?

The next thing is we’ve made an offer on another property and was told by EA this morning that they are happy with our offer but haven’t officially accepted it. They are bidding on their onward purchase (vacant property) and want to wait to see if they are successful before accepting our offer! So this makes me think that if they don’t get their purchase they may decide not to sell. DH thinks they are waiting to see how much they end up having to bid and will ask us to increase our offer to make up the difference. I think I’ll be having a large glass of wine tonight!

@Hermioninny - IMHO you would not be unreasonable to get a BAFO by a set time from the two bidders. I got involved in bidding war where there were at least 4 other bidders - we all had to submit BAFO by 3pm on the Monday - seller then had a couple of days to decide.

Spent weekend looking at houses again. Saw some dissapointing ones in person BUT saw one online that we LOVE.
I'm ready to make an offer without seeing it, but obviously won't.
We have to go on holiday to see it as quite far, but booked appointment.
When you make an offer, I presume you need copies of ID, MIP, proof you sold and proof of current address? Do EA need to see it in person? I know that when we 'sold' house 2 yrs ago and found one we offered on, they wanted us to come and sign 'politically exposed person' declaration and they wouldn't do it via email 🤷‍♀️.
I want to bring everything either us in case we will make offer.
Thanks

No word from my EA or buyer or lawyer yet.

That's so exciting! Fingers crossed it is everything you want when you see it in person!

Yes to all the documents. We did it all over the phone/email when we made our offer. The agent also wanted the details of our mortgage advisor so he could speak to her and be sure of the certainty of us getting our mortgage offer.

we have received an offer! whoop! BUT no where to buy, nothing we even want to view. what a disaster.

we are seriously considering accepting the offer and breaking the chain. but what if we don't find anywhere???? so stressful. im willing new stuff to come on the market.

Not saying you wish to do this, but our current move in a very specific radius was found through us leafleting doors in specific streets and posting on the local residents association wall and FB wall - which brought 5 excellent houses out of the woodwork, all of whom were wanting to save on EA fees (close to a million price bracket so substantial fees). In the end, we viewed all 5, chose 1, instructed solicitors - long story short, now draft contracts/searches on, surveys done - and move fingers crossed planned for a couple months time.

We still study Rightmove daily and nothing has come up! So - not regretting our slightly agressive (!) but very polite letter writing and leafleting and posting! it is how, our forever home was found after all :)

FYI here's the letter we used -

Hiya,
Hope you don't mind us reaching out so directly - but we are a couple with two children at X local school in this village - looking to buy our forever home in the area - and wondered if you, or someone you know might be looking to sell in the near future, but haven't got around to listing yet? We have sold subject to contract our house in Y area, with Z estate agents - to a first-time buyer. If you are thinking of selling do please write to us for a friendly, informal chat. Our details are below.
Name and Name
Contact details.

5 fantastic off-market houses wrote back in a week - and we saw same day for all :)

One of those 5 was our gem :)

yes @Movinghomes . this is exactly what we have been talking about this afternoon. same budget and also looking at village location with a specific radius. interesting that it brought out 5 potential properties! thanks for posting your letter - very helpful! i think we need to do it.

Mind you - such a direct approach will doubtless annoy/irritate/even offend some people. You've got to say - sorry, but it is what it is/so what?! Because - in the end - out of the 500 houses we leafleted (!!) and out of the however many who read our post on the residents association - it is enough that 5 off-market houses became available to our eyes (and our eyes only, as they were off portals) and even if 460 threw the note in the bin, and even if 475 grumbled about it - so what?

Good luck!

@StrawberryThief1930 amazing you have an offer!

I like the idea of using the letter posted above. My mum reminded me the other day that she bought the house I grew up in in the same way… she just liked the house and the area and put a note in the letterbox saying if you’re thinking of selling then call me and they did! Sometimes you get lucky!

Although now I think about it this must have been long before houses were advertised online! Lol

It turns out we were misled on Saturday, our offer was not based on the seller being successful with their purchase, they actually arranged further viewings and then today received an offer from a FTB. We countered but so did FTB and we decided to just drop it. On the whole a hugely disappointing experience. Really worried now that we won’t find something suitable as so little still on the market in our budget.

V sorry to hear this @Hermioninny - have you considered off-market properties as per my posts just above? A bit more labour intensive but if you have a specific set of requirements/radius worth a shot?

But also to say that if you have STC then it is so hard to get an offer accepted/taken seriously and such things (like losing out to a chain-free or surefire STC) happens. Perhaps focus on being firmly STC and see if that improves your desirability and in the meantime also keep eye out for off-market houses?

Our search radius is roughly 25 miles and semi rural so I don’t think off market is an option for us at the minute, I have 2 under 3 so finding it hard to find time as it is. We aren’t SSTC as we have 2 couples in a bidding war however the purchase property was listed with the same EA so they are fully aware of our position. Not much else we can do until one of them maxes out. I’m sure it’ll work out but I’m just feeling really disheartened today.

Hello folks - just a wee update that the sellers accepted my reduced offer so everything is going ahead. Phew! Hopefully date of entry will be 2nd June. Am madly decluttering now for my downsize! Am finally starting to believe that this is for real and will actually happen.

Glad your sellers were sensible @newhomein2025

@newhomein2025 Good that your Seller was decent about the reduction. I am the same as you - downsizing - just offloaded 3 sofas and cleared one loft. Another loft in progress and then the dreaded garage!

@newhomein2025 that's great news! Ah I know it's amazing how much stuff we have that we don't need.

We are still waiting for our vendor to find an onward purchase, I wonder how long that will take! Feeling impatient 😂

We are also waiting. It’s only been 3 weeks though. How about you? Another house has come on the market with vacant possession, and a lot cheaper than the one we are trying to buy. Wondering if we should go and take a look.

Hi all.

Update for us.
Had a call from my EA following the appliance thing and they aren't pulling out bacause I said no.
They asked more practical detailed questions, so they are serious. No word from lawyer yet. Their buyer would like 4 weeks between exchange and completion so heading right way.
AND the house that's perfect on paper we drove past today and seeing it tomorrow! Also miraculously it's chain free too.
Soo exciting.

@rhubarb007 Ooh, that’s exciting. Hope you love the house!

@rhubarb007 that's great. Fingers crossed for the house you are viewing!

@IWasBornIn1989 only 2 weeks haha I need to be more patient but equally with the lack of houses coming on it does worry me. If I was you and something I liked came up I would be tempted to go and look as there's no guarantee your vendor will find somewhere and ultimately you will lose your buyer. It's such a hard call though and annoyingly for us half the houses that come up for sale are under our agent, who is also our vendors so that's when I am not sure if we would view as then they would know we are looking.

House was listed yesterday and EA has 8 viewings booked for next week. He said 2 are buyers who have been outbid on similar houses in the last few months so fingers crossed.

Saw the house. It's the one!!