Paying money to vendor to take off market?

[Tapira]

I have seen a lovely house that is perfect for us, but we haven't sold our house yet. The vendor has received our unofficial offer and seems interested, but I am worried a cash buyer or someone who has sold will come along soon.

Is it possible to offer the vendor money in return for taking the property off the market? Obviously we would have to have solicitors involved. Does anyone know if this is possible, or has anyone done this?

I've seen on Phil & Kirsty giving an enhanced offer with the condition that they stop marketing the property.

I don't think there is any guarantee of anything until you have exchanged contracts.

I did think about increasing the offer, but it is at the top of our budget and the house needs a lot of work, so it isn't something we can do.
What I was thinking of doing was offering a set amount per month until we sold our house, but as the house is an inheritance maybe it won't be interesting to them? I don't know how it would work legally, but I was hoping a contract could be drawn up. I'm starting to think it isn't possible!

We did a similar thing with our house. We offered the asking price on condition that the house was taken off the market and no one else saw it. If we hadn't desperately needed a house and could have risked being gazumped we could probably have negotiated a few thousand off the price

If you were offering that to me I wouldn't take it, sorry. But thats because I want to move asap and I don't want to be waiting around for someone else to sell their house. But if I had no time scale on moving then I would take it. So I guess it depends on the vendors situation.

If it's an inheritance that they are trying to sell I'd be very surprised if they were interested in an offer like that.

But it could take you 6 months to sell yours Would you accept an offer from someone who hadn't sold theirs and then take yours off the market? I don't think you would. There could be a cash buyer just round the corner.

You just have to hope and pray it doesn't go before you have sold yours.

We lost the house we wanted 1 day before we sold ours. Not meant to be!

You're probably right, it is unlikely that the vendors would agree I will see what a solicitor thinks, just in case it is an option, but I will try to accept that if we lose it it wasn't meant to be.