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Original poster

FTB close to exchange but offered on another house

112 replies

iwasgonnasay · 17/08/2025 20:38

We’re FTB close to exchange but a much better house in a preferable location opened up (more than ours by 25k)
We posted a letter through their door because their agent is our agent already and asked if they would accept the lower amount, of what we already have a solid mortgage offer for.

Anyone had an offer accepted when approaching directly?

OP posts:
Noseprawns · 18/08/2025 08:35

Good luck!! Hope you get the new house 🤞

Aspanielstolemysanity · 18/08/2025 08:41

iwasgonnasay · 17/08/2025 21:21

If this house says no we aren’t looking again. I didn’t look actively I got an email from move to say a house I saved had come back to market. It’s shitty to the seller but they’ve taken 4 months to get to this stage when they promised a quick sale.. it’s timing gone both ways

Four months is quick

FairKoala · 18/08/2025 08:45

workingitout1234 · 18/08/2025 07:21

Ignore all these guilt tripping messages telling you off cos you are first time buyers, those posters are likely older and owning huge houses outright and so it’s alright for them
for us younger people with young families we have to be a bit ruthless in life to get what we want and need. It’s the climate we are in and how difficult it is with cost of living etc

Yes we are older and have moved several times. But we own the houses you want to buy and if you start playing ruthless then we don’t waste our time selling to you because we know you have no intention of going through with the sale if something better comes up.

Your offers aren’t worth the paper they are written on.

I have known FTB’s banned from areas after doing pretty much the same as this poster

Estate agents talk and people get the reputation of time wasters and no estate agent is going to recommend an offer if the person offering has had form of wasting everyone’s time.

bldy · 18/08/2025 08:46

Collapsing the chain, losing others housing, costing people thousands of pound all for selfish reasons and lack of commitment after 4 months... yes completely immoral and not allowed in most countries.

But this is the system in the UK & house prices are immoral for many young people. It's not immoral for the OP to put herself first.

FKAT · 18/08/2025 08:50

It's not to do with whether the OP is moral, immoral or a nice person who puts their family first. It's to do with showing whether you are a serious and trusthworthy buyer. By doing this you have shown to the Estate Agents and two sets of vendors that you are not to be relied on as a prospect and you lack transparency. A house sale is a business deal at the end of the day and nobody wants to do business with someone flaky or someone who cannot see how their actions impact others. This is why vendors don't like selling to FTBs.

FairKoala · 18/08/2025 08:59

iwasgonnasay · 17/08/2025 23:20

New house is same age as the one we live in now, 20+ years younger than the current.. sadly nowadays people just paint everything white and grey add a new carpet and add £40K to their asking
Whereas this is all original 80s decor which just puts people off around here, no want to DIY even when purely cosmetic

Edited

If this house is original 1980,s then it isn’t just cosmetic. Things are around 40-45 years old and a lot of 80s houses were single skinned and weren’t exactly well built.

It will need new wiring, New bathrooms, cloakrooms, kitchen, as well as decorating

Lived recently in a 1980s house and it did need ripping apart and starting again.

Chances are you won’t get the mortgage anyway as the surveyor will point out the rewiring and other issues and at best you will get a mortgage with a retention,

Meanwhile someone with cash will come along and buy it for the asking price and be signed within the week.

MooFroo · 18/08/2025 09:15

iwasgonnasay · 17/08/2025 22:32

Still feel pretty confident in our decision because answers to the points are easy enough.

Current house, no chain
New house no chain
Living with family who want to move, so felt pressure to buy now for current house

Not moving schools either way as 3 miles if old or walkable for new
*current means before and after school clubs

Not excluding EA or unwilling to progress through them, just don’t trust them to put our offer forward / will of course use them why wouldn’t we? Things fall through all the time?

First house is fine, but doesn’t suit us the way the new does, and people live there currently so assume downsizing or moving to care or with family. Same car comes and goes and has done since we lived here for the last couple years.

If nothing comes of it we continue with our first, but this is dream home never comes on the market at this price Vs fine home.

Easy to judge but we live in a stupidly expensive area and a small mid T over a large detached is definitely a no brainer if given the chance. We can only ask!

It’s no great for your sellers but it’s fine for you to do the best thing for you family. A house is a HUGE investment in every way o eg, emotional, lifestyle etc) so do what you have to do.

@iwasgonnasay no idea why everyone is banging on about you cutting out the agency - you’ve never said that, just that you made a direct approach to the owners so see their situation. In current market, it’s a case of do what you have to do to make the sale/purchase happen.

It’s the system that is poorly set up and allows situations like this to happen so don’t feel too bad-good luck with your new house whichever one it is!

FairKoala · 18/08/2025 09:16

bldy · 18/08/2025 08:46

Collapsing the chain, losing others housing, costing people thousands of pound all for selfish reasons and lack of commitment after 4 months... yes completely immoral and not allowed in most countries.

But this is the system in the UK & house prices are immoral for many young people. It's not immoral for the OP to put herself first.

Whilst being immoral in the current system isn’t illegal, it also isn’t conducive to asking someone to trust that after waiting around for months whilst you get your mortgage arranged you are actually going to buy their house.

You can be as immoral as you like. Just expect very few people to sell to you

bldy · 18/08/2025 09:17

A house sale is a business deal at the end of the day and nobody wants to do business with someone flaky or someone who cannot see how their actions impact others.

How do EA cope with gazumpers and the flaky sellers that take their higher offers?

missrabbit1990 · 18/08/2025 09:17

Very very selfish and silly behaviour tbh as this next one could easily fall through and you’ll be worse than where you started.

bldy · 18/08/2025 09:18

It’s no great for your sellers but it’s fine for you to do the best thing for you family. A house is a HUGE investment in every way o eg, emotional, lifestyle etc) so do what you have to do.

Exactly

FairKoala · 18/08/2025 09:19

It’s no great for your sellers but it’s fine for you to do the best thing for you family

And equally sellers will be doing the same and rejecting your offers as you are flaky and not to be trusted

bldy · 18/08/2025 09:20

And equally sellers will be doing the same and rejecting your offers as you are flaky and not to be trusted

But many do this anyway when the buyers are trustworthy & not flaky.... that's the point 😁

bugalugs45 · 18/08/2025 09:21

Assuming it’s just gone on the market I wouldn’t accept an offer that low , despite you being proceedable .
We sold my nans property outside of an estate agent , neighbour put note through the door saying he had heard she had died & as he was current renting was looking to buy .
we got 2 independent agent valuations & sold at the lower minus what what have been minus their fees .
No messing about , buyer was great but aware we were lucky though !

bldy · 18/08/2025 09:22

This is why vendors don't like selling to FTBs.

That's nonsense, I had no issue selling to FTBs. I am not unusual.

Reallybadidea · 18/08/2025 09:22

FairKoala · 18/08/2025 08:59

If this house is original 1980,s then it isn’t just cosmetic. Things are around 40-45 years old and a lot of 80s houses were single skinned and weren’t exactly well built.

It will need new wiring, New bathrooms, cloakrooms, kitchen, as well as decorating

Lived recently in a 1980s house and it did need ripping apart and starting again.

Chances are you won’t get the mortgage anyway as the surveyor will point out the rewiring and other issues and at best you will get a mortgage with a retention,

Meanwhile someone with cash will come along and buy it for the asking price and be signed within the week.

Show quote history

80s houses don't routinely need rewiring. They might need a new consumer unit.

42wallabywaysydney · 18/08/2025 09:27

Yes this is really shitty behaviour. You’re entitled to do this obviously under the English system and as you say you need to put your family first but please don’t try to minimise the impact it may have on your sellers. You could very well be screwing things over for them and their family pulling out after 4 months and close to exchange. I’ve seen better houses come on the market after we offered on ours but I would never pull out right before exchange as I’ve been on the receiving end and it’s absolutely terrible.

ItsBouqeeeet · 18/08/2025 09:27

It doesn't matter what your reasoning is, I feel for the people of the house you were originally buying. Awful behaviour from your side!

Kipperandarthur · 18/08/2025 09:47

Realistically you need to do this through the Estate Agent, irrespective of whether they are the same agent of the current house you are supposedly buying.

If it is also a rare find, I think you will find that you would need to be offering asking price for this other house.

I also accept that you need to do what is best and right for you. But you need to go about it via the estate agent.

housethatbuiltme · 18/08/2025 09:49

bldy · 18/08/2025 08:46

Collapsing the chain, losing others housing, costing people thousands of pound all for selfish reasons and lack of commitment after 4 months... yes completely immoral and not allowed in most countries.

But this is the system in the UK & house prices are immoral for many young people. It's not immoral for the OP to put herself first.

its not the 'system in the UK', couldn't pull this shit in scotland etc...

Just because it hasn't been made illegal technically doesn't make it not immoral. It absolutely is which is why its banned pretty much everywhere else.

In some countries you can marry and rape a child, because its legal there would it suddenly not be immoral... I mean the man doing it is only 'putting himself first'.

bldy · 18/08/2025 09:51

In some countries you can marry and rape a child, because its legal there would it suddenly not be immoral... I mean the man doing it is only 'putting himself first'.

You really to get help, crazy!

housethatbuiltme · 18/08/2025 09:56

bldy · 18/08/2025 09:51

In some countries you can marry and rape a child, because its legal there would it suddenly not be immoral... I mean the man doing it is only 'putting himself first'.

You really to get help, crazy!

No justify really shitty behavior because 'technically legal' people need to get help.

All it is is showing the same crux of your argument in a way that suddenly offends you because it wouldn't serve you.

Boobyslims · 18/08/2025 09:56

I also think you are doing the right thing and asking the question. Otherwise you’ll never know. Good luck.

bldy · 18/08/2025 09:57

Comparing what the OP is doing to rape of dc is fucking crazy and no it doesn't justify your argument. It makes you look like a loon but crack on.

FairKoala · 18/08/2025 09:58

FTB decided after 4 months that they weren’t buying my flat because they found somewhere else. Sold at asking price to cash buyer the following day who exchanged within the week

FTB’s other flat fell through and he returned 10 days later. EA said he offered £30k less and refused to believe it had sold.

Didn’t believe that people with that amount of cash in the bank existed and could sign within a week