@bumblebee1000 24 weeks?!! That's a long time!! Do you mind me asking what area this is in?
The estate agent trying to sell me this house hasn't stopped going on about how busy he is, and that April was such a busy month for him for sales, etc (though appreciate that this may not be true, as it took me much longer than expected to sell my house in North East London, unfortunately timing the launch with the start of the Iran war, and my estate agent has been saying how dead things have been and they're usually only this quiet at Christmas time).
House is not on the market yet, and have been told that I'd have to make a good enough offer to justify to the owner it not going on the open market. But then on the open market, it's kind of a niche buy, has no kitchen (apart from the kitchen sink), a beige 70s bathroom, needs a decor update (carpets are an acquired taste and smell of piss, though could be due to cats!), plus it will need at least a partial rewire, maybe heating system updated, secondary glazing, back render fixing, wooden window and door repairs, plus the internal original doors reinstated from the nasty 60s ones. To be honest, it's my kind of house as not particularly a fan of "modernised" and don't want to pay for the privilege of someone else's taste, but also trying to work out what this house is worth by looking at comparables in the area.
And also trying to work out if this particular part of Leigh on Sea is a good area, as I've been concentrating further down, nearer the sea) but now realise that further down, the house I want might not exist!