Estate Agents not letting us put in an offer?

[Abcdefghijklmnoo]

Hi all. We have no experience with dealing with estate agents so I was hoping someone would be able to advise on the below!

We really want to put in an offer on a property. It’s listed on Rightmove (and has been for 5 weeks), and is a £900,000 house on a street full of £2m+ properties. The area is full of elderly people in average properties that are then typically snapped up by developers and resold for insane amounts.

I initially rang hoping to view the property after it has been on the market for 2 weeks. I was told that there are to be no more viewings as the seller has accepted an offer in principle, but was waiting for them to sell their own house. End of call.

I rang back a week later and asked about the house again as it was still on RightMove. I was told that it was still on Right Move as it hadn’t sold as the seller was waiting for the buyers own house to sell. I asked if I could view as I may want to put an offer in too and was told no as the buyer had accepted the sellers offer (then surely it should be taken off of Right Move?).

A couple of weeks on and the house is still available to view. I rang off of another number and was told the same story again.

Can anyone shed any light onto this? Surely if the sellers are waiting on the buyers to sell, then they may still be interested in receiving new (potentially higher) offers? I can’t help but think something dodgy is going on by the estate agents as the house is such a bargain in a very desirable area.

Quite. Which is why this whole scenario seems suspicious.

The first scenario happened to me. The agent told me the seller had accepted an offer from a friend, when in fact it was a friend of the agent and that’s why they didn’t want to pass the offer on. It fell apart eventually though so the agent messed the seller around.

No it’s rare for a seller to put it in writing that they want no further offers.

Usually they just tell the EA verbally no more viewings.

They have to forward any offer received in writing. Make the offer credible on an objective basis (how proceedable you are etc)
If it’s probate there are fiduciary duties towards beneficiaries to get a good price and some can keep marketing until the end.

What I’ve also seen done is that it’s kept on the market by the EA, they refuse all viewings, tell the seller there is no interest and then push a mate’s low offer through and say it’s the only interest we’ve had and strongly suggest they should accept the shitty offer.

They should be telling their seller they’ve got someone interested in making an offer.

They’re obstructing the OP from being able to make a written offer, and they didn’t inform her that if she did so they’d be obliged to present it.

The way round it is to make a verbal offer.

@Abcdefghijklmnoo agree with putting a note through, also knock on neighbours and explain you are keen to offer but EA don’t seem to,pass on- have they details of relatives, could they share your details directly? I would then make a formal offer for asking, by email so there is a record, to the EA, who are obliged to pass that on. And I would say that too to the EA, to make my expectations clear. I reckon you are correct, underpriced to sell to a developer mate. Sadly more common than it should be….

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Op, Rightmove / Zoopla are often the last resort for estate agents.

You admit you have zero experience with estate agents but won’t take any advice from anyone.

💯

If you accept the OP hasn’t made an offer yet I don’t know why you would bother to stress it’s the law to pass on any offers received.

That is surely irrelevant until and unless OP does make an offer at around the 900k mark (without viewing the property).

OP has caused a lot of confusion by the way their title is misleading.

@Twiglets1 because she was asking advice / for comments. My view is that she should make an offer in writing regardless of the EA.

Pure speculation - definitely in this case and possibly others.

How is it the last resort? We have never gone around and simply just registered with agents so how would they have contacted us. We just looked at properties on Rightmove and asked to see them. Never got offered anything ever in about 6 property moves that wasn’t listed. Even the one we did end up buying the last time which was a call from an agent was listed on Rightmove but it was overpriced so he was calling to let us know they would take an offer.

Yes speculation. At the same time nothing to lose by giving the EA an offer in writing. Will put the EA in a pickle I’m guessing.

Do you really think it’s sensible to offer about 900k on a property you haven’t viewed?

Sure you can withdraw the offer later but that looks like an underhand method to get a viewing. Which a savvy seller would see straight through so the whole idea is ridiculous.

In London, RM is often the last resort for EAs. Sure they list on there, but the properties get snapped up before anyone on RM has a chance.

Another guess that it would put the EA in a pickle.

Most EAs would be only too pleased to get a good offer from someone in a position to proceed, it wouldn’t put them in a pickle to get their commission sooner.

It’s not unusual in the markets I’ve been involved with (west London). And yes speculation but I’d guess the seller isn’t hands on in this case.

Sure. See previous posts.

Another guess!

What about guessing that the most likely solution is often the right one. Maybe the EA is being factual that the seller doesn’t want any more viewings because they have accepted an offer and agreed to give those buyers time to sell their own property first.

This happens fairly often so isn’t a wild scenario.

Exactly. I’d say it’s super common, at least here in London. I dealt with three different agencies (buying the old house, selling it, buying the new one) and none of them would do viewings once an offer is accepted. You give someone your word that you will sell, that person then spends time filling out mortgage forms and hires a solicitor who starts their checks, just to be told weeks later that oh sorry we had a higher offer? It’s common human decency and I really don’t understand some people on this thread that are saying it’s okay to bully your way through and snatch the house that’s being sold to someone else

We don't know what instructions the EA has from the vendor

The OP just needs to step back, persistently bothering the EA and vendor / vendors neighbours will not get her offer looked at.

Yes but again it is unusual for a buyer to not stipulate that the property must be immediately taken down off any website. There is no way I would have committed to any spending on the move if I knew other people (like the OP) could still view it and take and interest and potentially try and put and offer in.

Stopping viewings is not the same as stopping offers.

Your quoted experience is of 2 purchases and 1 sale which is not a big sample.

i’m in London and as a buyer and seller who has sold multiple properties that is not my experience at all.