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Original poster

Should we accept the offer??

133 replies

LavenderLxx · 20/08/2025 17:21

I’d like to pick your brains and see what you all think…

My brother and I are selling my late fathers house. It’s been on the market for 4 weeks at £800,000.

We’ve had 6 viewings and had the first offer a few days ago. The first offer was for £750,000 which we rejected. They have just come back with a second offer of £760,000.

They have sold their house and their buyer is in a rented place. My brother and I are in no mad rush to sell but the estate agent has said how slow the market currently is and how they’ve had some houses that have sat there for ages and then the price has had to be lowered to less than the original offers.

Just wondered if anyone had any words of wisdom? Should we push for a bit more? Hold out at £800,000? Accept their offer?!

OP posts:
dogcatkitten · 20/08/2025 17:25

I would probably accept, it may be ages before you get another offer. I don't know where you are or how low you pitched the original price though. The market seems to be really slow most places, and may be falling rather than rising, only you know the full story.

Mayflower282 · 20/08/2025 17:29

Yeah prices are coming down near me. I would counter offer £775,000 with a promise of completing within 8 weeks.

Haggisfish3 · 20/08/2025 17:29

I would absolutely accept!

SkunkCostFallacy · 20/08/2025 17:30

Tell them you'll accept 775K because you'd like to see your family home go them.

Igmum · 20/08/2025 17:32

I’m team 775k as well and would probably finally settle for 765-770

OttersAreMySpiritAnimal · 20/08/2025 17:32

When your EA talked to you about comparables and pitched the asking price, what was the discussion? Do you have an idea of what you'd accept? You can always revert with a counter rather than a flat no and see what happens.
The market is slow, and if the house needs work it's going to take longer to sell than something similar in pristine condition. Does it need work, it's it dated?
My neighbour had just taken their house off the market having had no offers in 6 months. It's not particularly overpriced, there just aren't many serious buyers around in our area in their price bracket.

user1471538283 · 20/08/2025 17:34

I would accept the offer. The market is very quiet and they are proceedable which is like gold dust.

For every month your DFs house sits there it will cost you money if the pipes play up or the boiler needs a servicing.

Absentmindedsmile · 20/08/2025 17:37

Assuming it’s mortgage free I’d accept the offer. No chain. Motivated buyer. No greed. Sorted.

PotteringAlonggotkickedoutandhadtoreregister · 20/08/2025 17:38

I would bite their hand off

Original poster
LavenderLxx · 20/08/2025 18:11

The house needs very little work - some decorating upstairs and possibly a new bathroom in time; but has been modernised quite recently everywhere else. It’s also got good scope for extending without losing any garden.

My brother and I had previously thought that we’d accept £780,000, so think we might go back and say we would accept this (but would probably accept £770k if they offered that)

My husband also suggested saying that we need them to complete in 8 weeks - but how would we hold them to that? (Sorry - I’ve never sold a house in this country!)

OP posts:
Moveoverdarlin · 20/08/2025 18:14

I would go back with ‘We’ll accept 780,000 cancel all future viewings and we’ll complete in 8-10 weeks.’

If they come back with anything over 770k just accept it.

Hellohelga · 20/08/2025 18:23

I’d accept

Chewbecca · 20/08/2025 18:29

I would try to haggle them upwards a little.

I wouldn't bother with a deadline, it's meaningless.

housethatbuiltme · 20/08/2025 18:29

Completing in under 8 weeks is unlikely (they would have to skip searches because the times are unreliable, ours took 2 months) and not in their control (external wait times, slow solicitors who use 3-4 months as standard) so unfair really.

Very few houses in England complete that soon in this day and age, I was a first time, no chain, cash buyer and it still took 14 weeks and we did everything fast and right.

Even if I liked a house I wouldn't be bullied into not doing searches/surveys and other 'buyer beware' pre-sale checks if I wanted them.

Bodgejobvendors · 20/08/2025 18:29

Where is the house? Unless you’re in London all markets seem very slow in this price bracket. There are just not that many people who can afford £800k. (And if you are in London most areas have been falling anyway, even though the pool of buyers should be bigger).

I’d accept it. What’s the point in pushing them for another £10k? And no you can’t hold them to an eight week completion. What would you do, pull out and start again?!

LemondrizzleShark · 20/08/2025 18:33

PotteringAlonggotkickedoutandhadtoreregister · 20/08/2025 17:38

I would bite their hand off

So would I! It’s 5% under asking, that’s a perfectly reasonable offer in a buyer’s market.

rainingsnoring · 20/08/2025 18:35

Given that house prices are falling in many areas currently and your own estate agent has said that your area is slow with lots of homes not selling, I would accept their offer and be relieved. What makes you think that you might get 800k and why do you need them to complete in 8 weeks? 8 weeks would be very quick for the UK. It's probably a bad time to be putting a lot of pressure on buyers if you are trying to sell as there are a lot of rumours about different taxes being imposed on sellers, instead of buyers at the time of property transaction. They may well want to see what is announced in the budget rather than rush a purchase.

Original poster
LavenderLxx · 20/08/2025 18:35

We’re in Surrey.

OP posts:
rainingsnoring · 20/08/2025 18:38

'My neighbour had just taken their house off the market having had no offers in 6 months. It's not particularly overpriced, there just aren't many serious buyers around in our area in their price bracket.'

That's (very likely) because it is over priced relative to what people can afford! So many seller and agents still don't seem to have realised that the reason why 'the market is dead' or 'there are no buyers' is because they have over priced. There would be buyers otherwise.

YoungSoak · 20/08/2025 18:39

Does the house need to go through probate? If so that takes time so 8 weeks to complete the sale is unrealistic and wouldn’t be your buyers fault. I’d counter at £780k and accept anything over £770k

Advocodo · 20/08/2025 18:40

I think you hold the cards here. It’s a slow market and more importantly a stipe of the year and you have a decent offer after only 4 weeks. What is your competition looking like. They are the ones who need to move and they will be under pressure to find somewhere and you are in no rush. I would be inclined to give them a counter offer. However I would add that I haven’t bought or sold for a long long time so maybe sprint listen to me!

XVGN · 20/08/2025 18:43

Just accept the £760K. If you mess up the sale trying to squeeze more out (it's only 5% off) then you risk losing around £2.5K gross interest per month on what you could have had.

Cantsleepdontsleep · 20/08/2025 18:46

Accept it.. (or counter offer for not much more). Personally I’d just accept it. Say next week a pipe bursts, or a tree falls on it, or someone breaks in…. Or it just doesn’t sell…Maybe unlikely but there’s so much you could kick yourself over if you don’t accept for the sake of what really is a low amount given the value of the house (and even less when divided into two..)

SeasalterSadie · 20/08/2025 19:07

My house was up for 525
First time buyers in rented offered 500
Accepted without hesitation

Bluevelvetsofa · 20/08/2025 19:16

Do you know how the market is in your area?

Buyers in a good position are worth their weight. I wouldn’t try to push them too much further, because they’re in a good position too. It would be a shame to lose such a proceedable buyer for 5%.

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