Offer advice

[Minkyscamp]

We have a second viewing on our property at the weekend, with a couple who have said they are very keen. I’m keeping everything crossed we will be under offer sometime next week.

if this happens we will be making an offer on a house we’ve seen, so just looking for some thoughts on offer level as it’s been a long time since we’ve done this and the market has obviously changed a lot.

The house is listed at £900k. It’s been on the market since June 2025 with no movement on the price in that time. It’s owed by a developer who bought it just over a year ago as he wanted a paddock that came with the property. He paid £970k for the house and the paddock. The house has sat empty for all that time.

The estate agent said the paddock is available too if we want it for an additional £50k.

In an ideal world, we’d buy the paddock too, but we don’t really want to spend any more than necessary as this is stretching us.

Any advice on our offer in these circumstances? I’m thinking around £860k but wondering if we can justify starting any lower? I don’t think they’ve had a huge amount of interest thus far, but the market is really picking up around us so who knows.

Offer £900k with the paddock thrown in

@Currentskinyes that was our original thought, but on reflection I think ideally we need to spend less so going to focus on just getting the house for as low as possible.

we may be able to get an option on the paddock, so we can buy it at a later date, so I’m thinking to try and get the house for as low as possible with an option.

I would be worried about land being sold adjacent to a property I was buying

@Currentskin Agreed. But if we have an option to buy that won’t be a problem.

Your call

no way would I be buying a property with adjacent land selling

Are you buying on your own or with your husband?

It might be a problem if they sell it to someone else surely? An option to buy is just that. It doesn’t mean they can’t sell it to anyone else in the meantime and if that comes with planning permission for more homes you could find yourselves with neighbours you didn’t plan on having.

@Currentskin sorry - maybe I should have included more details but didn’t want to waffle on… it’s a bit complicated, but the developer only wanted the paddock so that he can run a sewer through it in the future. He also owns a field nearby which he may try to build on in the future - this is not a problem for us as won’t affect the property - and the best option for laying the sewer is through this paddock.

There is no prospect of anything being built on the paddock - it’s steeply sloping and inaccessible.

So we could buy the paddock and he would retain the right to put in a sewer if he wants to in the future. But not sure we can afford this. Or, we just get an option to buy, which means we’d get first refusal if and when he wants to sell it in the future.

In many areas of UK houses over a certain threshold can sit on the market for a long time and the seller takes this on board. The house hasnt been reduced to me that states seller isnt desperate to sell.
The bottom line is offer what you like but its also fair to be told no. The seller will have a bottom line.
Example we bought in dec 2024, house was o/o 550k, been on market for coming up to 1 year. I offered 480k which was cheeky and was told absolutely not. They had prev had an offer of 520 and had declined this. So i offered 520 and despite grumbling i got it for that. So more than I would have really liked but less than they wanted. Negotiation only happens with a start point!

@JolenesBestPalYes I thought the same re there being no price reductions over that time. 855 would be 5% off, which doesn’t seem overly cheeky. Guess we will just have to try it and see.

In your opinion OP, why hasn’t it sold yet?
I’d assume it is either overpriced or potential issue somewhere. Or he has had offers and is sticking out for a price.
I read what you say but that does seem an odd thing to do from his perspective. Is there something else behind all this?
any restrictive covenants, clauses…?

@Tortephanttbh there are so many houses over around 800k in this area that aren’t selling. A few agents have said to us that the VAT on school fees has had a big impact as this is in an area with several good private schools and poor state schools. But I think the market has just been slow up until very recently.

it also has a unique garden. Lots of mature trees, specimen shrubs etc but little grass. Which means no play space for young kids, but it would be way too much work for many older people.

Plus a strange layout downstairs (adapted for older couple) which needs sorting.

Despite all of that I don’t actually think 900 is overpriced having been searching for quite a long time.

i really don’t think there is more to the paddock issue, but would obviously investigate it further if we proceed. The fact that the vendor isn’t fussed whether we buy it outright/have an option and first refusal or just leave it indicates to me that there’s no agenda. I’m a property lawyer so will def look into the legalities if we get further along.

He’s obviously in absolutely no rush for the money if it’s languished for 8 months with no reduction

Does he own a building or additional land in addition to the paddock? If not, why does he want to build a sewer on it?

Id go £850 for the house. I’d not worry about the paddock as it doesn’t seem useful to anyone as all. It can’t be built on and he only wanted it to run a sewer through it. It has no value now really.

@isthesolution Thanks, yes this is where I’m heading I think. Maybe start at 850 and see what the reaction is. Fingers crossed we get to making an offer next week!

If the paddock can’t be built on and it’s only there to run a sewer through it, what advantage would you have in buying it. I could see that, if it was likely to be built on, it would be better for you to buy it, even if you did nothing with it, but I don’t really see why you’d spend 50K on something that you can’t do anything with.

I think 5% off in this market is quite reasonable. It’s all very well for people to say they’ll refuse to drop the price and are prepared to wait, but when you see the same house at the same price on Rightmove for months or even years, it puts people off.

@Buscobelthanks. Yes you’re right, I’ve been wracking my brain to think of all eventualities. I guess it’s just that the paddock forms an integral part of the view from the house so I’m just paranoid.

You don't often get the opportunity to safeguard a view for the future, so with that in mind, I'd buy the paddock.

Absolutely agree
Steer clear unless you buy the land

In terms of offer advice OP would need to know
area
condition of property
proximity to schools and amenities
average £/m2 of similar properties recently sold

A developer (so professional investor) who bought it a year ago for £970k is not going to sell for a huge loss.

Houses in this price range regularly sit for ages, its not a sign that its 'worth less' its a sign of a smaller market pool.

Well there’s no need to rush, that’s for sure!

A developer bought it
but doesn’t appear to have done anything with it, and is now selling at a loss

Does that not ring alarm bells to you op?

The fact he’s listed it for less than what he paid for it, and decided it wasn’t worth developing - would make me wonder… why?

If the paddock is worthless as development land it should be really cheap £50k sounds like a lot, how big is it? I would try and get it included for a more reasonable amount whatever you settle on for the house and offer an extra £10k for the paddock. It doesn't sound like anyone else would buy it.