What should we do?

whitesatin

Without posting a link to the house in question (well, you never know who might be reading this:)), I would like your advice.

We have sold our house and have the proceeds of this and also some savings to draw upon. However, as we have both recently retired, we need to think of the future so would not want to spend more than half of our savings).

We have mulled this one over for a while now and are uncertain what to do next. We are very interested in a house which we actually feel is worth the money they are asking, it has been reduced to this over the past month or two. I understand that it was SSTC but is now back on at this reduced price. Anyway, the EA tells us that he knows they will not accept less than the several offers they have had from people who have not yet sold their houses so we have not made an offer yet. Apparently, these offers are close to the asking price.

The difficult thing is that we could go in at near the asking price and probably get the house but then we would probably wonder if we were being played by the EA forever more.

I am not sure that the vendor is even aware of the fact that there are cash buyers interested but assume that the EA is being honest about her feelings, that it is not worth going in at less.

We want to do a second viewing before we make an offer but just can't decide how best to play it.

Any ideas? I know a house is only worth what someone will pay for it and, as I said, we feel it is worth the asking price but should we wait to see what happens and risk one of the other offers becoming proceedable?

ocalllo

Can you have an informal conversation with the sellers when you go for the second viewing and see what they know about offers?
i get asked all manner of things when i have people come to view and i don't get offended. i look at it as a business transaction.

whitesatin

ocalllo wrote: »

Can you have an informal conversation with the sellers when you go for the second viewing and see what they know about offers?
i get asked all manner of things when i have people come to view and i don't get offended. i look at it as a business transaction.

I find that these days, the viewings seem to be done with the EA, I have not met many vendors. I never met the people who are now living in my house and I would have liked to. It just doesn't seem to happen much these days.

I think we will contact agent for a second viewing and see what happens. We could then put an offer through their letterbox, maybe, if we still like it.

Thanks for your reply.

ocalllo

Can you ask to meet the vendors?

if i had a cash buyer i would definitely want to know and would definitely be interested in them.

i have found so many people are looking and putting in offers but have not even sold theirs so a cash buyer is VERY welcoming and im sure your vendors would agree with that too.

good luck

hislan

I am in the same situation - A cash buyer with no chain!

When I looked around houses (quite often being shown by the vendor) I made it VERY clear what a great position I was in (coupled with a lot of 'sucking through teeth and comments about how it must be SO hard at the moment to sell with chains falling through all the time and nobody able to find a first time buyer to start off their chain!!!)

Then, when I went in with a (cheeky) offer I substantiated it by saying it was because I was a cash buyer!!

Don't forget - the EA works on commission - so until he has sold the house he's getting exactly 1% of NOTHING!

Good luck and hold your ground - honestly the sellers will be bending over backwards to attract you!

whitesatin

ocalllo wrote: »

Can you ask to meet the vendors?

if i had a cash buyer i would definitely want to know and would definitely be interested in them.

i have found so many people are looking and putting in offers but have not even sold theirs so a cash buyer is VERY welcoming and im sure your vendors would agree with that too.

good luck

Thanks, ocallo. I could ask to meet the vendors, I expect. I feel sure that if they knew we were genuine cash buyers who want to live in their house (not just passing through), they would want to sell to us.

I know what you mean about people putting in offers when they still had to sell themselves, that happened to us a couple of times when we were selling.

Thanks again for your thoughts.

azkaban420

Or ask to do a viewing late in the evening when you know the EA can't accompany you, and say don't worry, we're happy to go alone?

Az