should we reduce our (already accepted) offer?

[MamaChris]

we have had an offer accepted on a house we want to buy, but had to go very close to the asking price. Silly that we didn't ask explicitly, but just assumed the washing machine/dryer would be included (as ours are). But they plan to take them with.

We're maxed out financially on this. Can we reduce our offer by, say, £650 to pay for the cost of buying new, or is that just cheeky? And if we were to reduce our offer, would we do it through solicitor or estate agent?

Sorry I am with goldnepeach, if you can't afford to buy without family help then don't buy, the way that the economy is going anything could happen, I know you are starting a new job in January, but no one knows what is going to happen to interest rates.

I don't actually think it is a reasonable assumption to make at all - would you have just assumed they were leaving any of their other non-integrated appliances/furnishings?

I have been renting for years, and only if a property is rented as 'fully furnished' would I expect a washer/drier. The last two properties I have rented have not had them, and its certainly not to be expected.

Why on earth should the vendors pay for your somewhat obvious oversight? The washer/drier are theirs - just because you didn't realise, doesn't change that. I have to say, quibbling over a couple of hundred quid when the house costs 280k seems silly. Just buy some cheap reconditioned or second hand ones.

My thoughts may be regarded as particularly unhelpful, but .....if you are financially maxed out to the point that a £650 washing machine/dryer is too much on top, I think you are buying a house you can't really afford.

The news has been dominated the past few weeks by the banks/credit markets collapsing, and how the housing bubble has finally burst. There are endless stories about defaults, repossessions, etc. It is one thing if you are already in the situation and must try to find a way of coping, but in your shoes, I would not be entering into a deal that would require such a restricted budget with no room for unexpected expenses.

I think you will look a bit petty if you go back and want to reduce the price because of your own mistake about something like this.

They are not leaving the appliances. You need appliances. Standard procedure is to ask if they would be prepared to sell the appliances then make an offer for them.

Don't want to be harsh, but when moving there are always extra expenses - the removal firm might cost a bit more than you think, there might be a hiccup with searches or some legal issue requiring more letters from the solicitor, quite often you find something extra wrong with the property which you need to put right once you get in there, any number of things. Is your budget really so tight that you don't have a couple of hundred quid wriggle-room for unforeseen eventualities? I don't think I'd be happy moving in those circumstances, as it leaves you extremely vulnerable.

You argument doesn't hold water:

• If have a large deposit, then you DO have enough money to buy a new washer/dryer.

• If you do not have a large deposit, and yet cannot afford to spend 400 quid on a washer/dryer, then you are taking on a mortgage that is beyond your means.

(N.B.: I have had 2 friends have offers accepted at 30% below asking price on houses around 200k in the last 2 weeks)

Agree with goldenpeach and anarchy, sorry.

I sold my flat a few years ago to a lovely guy called Pete.

I got a call the day before key exchange, to say that because my windows (the best and newest in the street) didn't comply with some random directive to do with blind people (it was a first floor flat ffs) Pete wanted 1k knocked off.

I was at an all-day conference for work and simply didn't have time to think or to negociate, so I just said 'yes'. What else could I do - I had plans in place to move house the next day. I was white with rage and when I think of it, I still am.

For the sake of a measly 1k that guy (or more likely, his solicitor) was willing to turn a great house sale into an exercise in agony and awkwardness. I was there when they guy arrived with his van and I couldn't look at him. Tbh he looked positively green with nerves.

I have to say I think you should stand by your initial offer. There's a long running debate about this in the Saturday Grauniad money section and of course there are two sides to the debate, but I just think it is wrong.

Sure it's a buyer's market but nobody should take that as license to act like a total arse.

tbh for the money you'd spend on having contracts redrafted, solicitor's time to negotiate etc you could have bought a basic wm or offered to buy theirs and save them the hassle of moving it. You don't need a £650 washer drier really, your mistake sorry.