Is offering £210k on a £260k house unreasonable?

[Crazycatladyh97]

Offered 210k on a 260k house
The houses in area didn't go for more than 200k
They bought it for 999k
It's been on the market since January

What's the chances of this being accepted or am I silly for even chancing it

We paid 75k for our house here. Marketed at 120k. So it does happen...but always with a backstory.

We bought in 1994 after many years of significant market price falls.

It had been listed at 120k about 18 months before and no reductions were ever made.

We only had a 75k budget and it was an empty inherited home they were now desparate to get rid of, in a market with few buyers and in competition with a lot of repossessed property.

Our surveyor valued it at 90k - so we did OK - but it was never worth the 120k that was being asked. No one made them sell to us but given the whole situation you can probably see why they did.

Hopefully, as they are still local, they are happy in knowing we've stayed here and its been a lovely family home for over 30 years.

It's too low an offer but try if you like.

No, they are probably still pissed off.

Anything for sale is only worth what someone else is prepared to pay for it.

What you offered is a very good opening gambit. What someone pays for it is a different matter. Good luck, they could be desperate for a slightly higher price than you have offered.

People are weird about low offers here. Like because someone has put a certain price tag on it we all have to tip toe around not to ‘offend’ people with low offers. It’s madness.

if the house if worth more than 210k then someone else will offer higher and they’ll get the house. If no one offers higher they might sell it to you of they might stay put. If you really want it and you think it is worth more than 210k you need to think about your strategy carefully. If it’s only worth 210k to you, offer it, what’s the worst that can happen?

I agree. Also I would never think that someone offering low would mean I held a grudge against them. If they upped their offer I wouldn't cut my nose off to spite my face.

I agree. Some people seem to love taking offence at everything. It's a business transaction. Accept or decline. Perhaps the 'low offer' might be the best one you receive anyway.

Some further info from op would be helpful, rather than just a snippy response to someone who thinks she is being unreasonable. OP asked, poster replied, op got the arse. You couldn't make it up!

What is it about the house that makes the vendor think it's worth £60,000 more than recently sold comparable properties in your area Op?

OP hasn't confirmed whether the other houses locally are the same though.... as others have asked, is it in A1 condition, with new windows, bathrooms, kitchen, an extension etc etc. Does it have a big garden, and better outlook.

I live in a 5 bedroom house next to a two bedroom bungalow. They are not going to be the same price are they!

For a lot of people now the "low" offer is the only one they get, nobody cares if the seller feels "insulted" anymore because people are awake to the fact that they are being ripped off with property prices.

Ceiling price for the road assumes that all properties are the same size/layout, same size plot etc. This is not the case on my road. Even if that is the case a property with new windows, kitchen etc where these are required will be priced higher than one requiring 50k to replace 40 year old fittings that no longer function.

The market only functions if buyers are realistic. Not all potential sellers are desperate to sell and will just sit tight if offers are unrealistic. The idea that buyers control the market and decide what a property is worth is false if a seller doesn’t need to sell at that price.

If another house of similar size and layout sells for less in the area the seller who "doesn"t need to sell" still sees their value go down, sellers don"t control the market, the market is made at the margins - the properties that actually sell - the three D"s are a main driver (much harder to hang onto inherited property property now with all the costs - council tax etc. and all the legal responsibility of renting it out) It is ridiculous to suggest that a fantasy price in the head of a seller controls the market, not how it works at all!

The house I bought and still live in was originally on the market for £270 after a year on the market with no offers, I offered £240 which was accepted and then I got another £6k knocked off after the survey found various issues that needed immediate attention. As others have said doesn’t matter what you think your house is worth it’s only worth what someone is willing to buy it for. This will apply to me if and when I want to sell up.

OP has valid reason, she's assessed the value of the property based on other sold prices and the ceiling price of the street.

Theres no such thing as a cheeky offer. People offer what they can afford, the seller can choose to say no.

There is absolutely no point being 'offended/insulted' by low offers as right now it's a buyers market and that attitude could well be cutting off your nose to spite your face.

I would disagree it is a buyers market, the market would be moving if that was the case? Prices have a long way to drop before it is a buyers market.

https://propertyindustryeye.com/flipping-consigned-to-history-as-profits-diminish/

I viewed a house 3 weeks ago up for 260 which is what the house next door sold for in 2025.
the one I viewed had a garden half the size due to corner plot, needs full renovation due to elderly tenants. New windows/ boiler/ rewire. Opposite a school but ticks most of my boxes.

seller won’t shift below 245 despite the estate agent agreeing it needs more than 15k worth of work to make it up to standard.

They have only had my offer 232k and refused. I’ve left mine on the table and politely declined their counter.
they have to sell due to the owner being in a care home and fees mounting but refuse to budge

I agree. It has to be a clinical process. It's driven by the market, not personal feelings - and it's important to keep a close eye on price fluctuations and one's estate agent.

My neighbour hasn't had a single viewing because they're way above the market price. That's the harsh reality. By this point they must realise they have to reduce and/or accept 'lower' offers.