Going to view a house today that I want badly !

[skidamarinkadinka]

Gorgeous 1930s detached house, needs alot of modernising, huge garden, big drive and garage. It's on a main road into town but all the houses on this road are the same and just so lovely to look at.
We are not on the market yet but plan to get the same estate agents to list us asap. We need to move, we've outgrew this house in the last two years.
They want £450k. It was reduced in October.
Feedback has been the main road putting people off and also the work that will need doing.
How can we up our chances ?
We can probably go upto £430k but that would be the maximum.

It’s meant for you! I’m jealous.

Good luck - hopefully you will have no trouble selling your house now.

We got a house before putting ours on the market - for slightly under-value as well as it was on sale for a year and was empty (the owners died during covid and had lived there since it was built so everything was tatty and needed updating)

They gave us 6 weeks to sell our house so we went home and did it all really quickly and managed it in 5 weeks. We did end up getting slightly less than we might have done for our old house if we'd had more time but we knew exactly the minimum we needed to make it work so just took the first offer for that amount. We have no regrets at all and have fixed it up slowly for the last few years.

I did this in 2019 and managed to get the same agent to sell mine within 24 hours. That was in day 1 of my dream home hitting the market so I absolutely had to pay the asking price as I couldn't keep my keenness a secret lol as I needed them to really work on selling mine! If the house has been on the market a while that may be less of an issue. Just be honest with the agent and use the same one to sell if you can, so they have a bigger vested interested in the transaction.

I know just need to sell ours now ! The agent is coming round early next week to value and take pictures so we've got the next few days to tidy up/finish some things up.
I have a good feeling, there was similarities there, mainly being she wants it to go to a young family and have the memories there that they have. A real family home. And that's what we want. I can see the kids playing in the garden.

Am I right in thinking the estate agent will push this sale if they get double the commission?? I would love to offer full asking price just because she was such a lovely lady, but we can't afford £450k. What would be sensible ?

It sounds lovely but you need to be clear headed about what you can afford bearing in mind the work you might like to do to it.

I have a good feeling, there was similarities there, mainly being she wants it to go to a young family and have the memories there that they have. A real family home. And that's what we want. I can see the kids playing in the garden.

We moved into our house aged mid 20s with no kids and raised children there. Sold it 20 years later to a couple a similar age. I could tell they loved it and hope they raise a family in it too, and are very happy.

@deydododatdodontdeydo that's so lovely of you

There is so much original character, nothing major has been done

Will that "nothing major" also exclude repairs and necessary updates - especially as the vendor's very elderly and may have been happy to live in it "as is" without any disruption?

It's great that you love the place OP and I'm honestly not trying to rain on your parade, but please do be very careful here; even what seems a lovely purchase can quickly turn sour if it becomes a money pit, especially if you've overpaid for it

Of course there's nothing to stop you offering subject to survey, but I really would get the professionals onto it asap

Think I'm going to need all the advice I can get now 😆 I don't want to offend offering under asking, I really got such a good vibe off the owner she was so welcoming.
The house next door sold for £475k 😐 this one was reduced to £450k so I can't see them wanting to go any lower... but maybe for the right buyer ?

So hope you can make it work, OP.

When we sold our house, we had raised our two children there, bought the house from a couple who had a big family, it was a large home. When we sold, we visualised a young family, but no it was all retired couples that came to view, I was so surprised.

What condition was the house next door in? That can make a huge difference.

@Puzzledandpissedoff thank you, and yes dh is the one leading with his head, but I think ultimately he's happy to offer.
When do you usually get the survey, is it before offering or after an offer has been accepted ?
Never done this before !

I'm not sure ? I can't see the listing anymore. But they have extended the back

You get the survey done once your offer is accepted, but you would usually make that offer subject to survey, so you reserve the right to negotiate further based on the survey results.

The house next door is not a useful comparison if you don't know the condition, and if it was extended it's already a different house. If you look on Sold Prices on RightMove, you should be able to see the listing from when it was on sale. Or Zoopla has similar.

It's usually done after making an offer, OP - after all there's no point spending money on a survey if it's not "yours"

Since it's gone unsold I'd personally start at £400k, but there's nothing to stop you offering full price and then negotiating based on reports. The estate agent will certainly try to claim that the price "reflected the work needed", but that's a buyer's decision to make not theirs - especially when, as said, it's not exactly been snapped up

This.
It could sell tomorrow.
No one will take any offer you take seriously.

You can normally still see the photos of a previously sold house on zoopla I think. If you put in the postcode then find by house number. Our photos are still on there from the house we purchased over 10 years ago!

I wasn't in a proceedable position before we offered on ours, we had been looking for nearly a year so I did things the complete opposite way. Viewed and offered on a house, as expected they wouldn't formally accept until we sold ours. Sold ours within 4 days (totally unexpected as next door neighbour had been trying to sell for 4 months) and went back and made a formal offer which was then accepted. You don't always have to do things the "right" way, if you show the EA you're serious and you will also give them the business of selling your house, they might return a few favours.

Found it ! Absolutely loads more done to it, more modern and already extended to start with. Big open plan kitchen diner and new flooring throughout. Also upstairs has been reconfigured

Bit of a left field idea, @skidamarinkadinka, but how do you feel about putting a link to the place on here?

Obviously it can't be the same as a professional actually inspecting the place, but from experience you'd be deluged with posters suggesting things you'll definitely want to look into

If next door sold for 475 and has been extended and done up then I would start with an offer of 375.

I'm too worried their daughters are on here ! Maybe if we get the place lol

Really ?