Property sold - was told otherwise

zzzLazyDaisy

Katgrit wrote: »

If you offered in March and the sale price was recorded with the land registry in April it could well have been that the wheels were already turning for the sale that went ahead. Solicitors involved, draft contacts drawn up and searches done perhaps. Although even if this was the case the vendors could still have chosen to consider your offer and/or pull out of things with their buyer. One of the Estate agent round where I live is notorious for continuing to advertise nice looking houses in their window even after the new owners have moved in - maybe your EA didn't wish to admit it was already "sold".

This will be right. It normally takes around 12 weeks from offer to completion (longer if there are glitches along the way). So it sounds like the house was always under offer, and vendor was continuing to market it until exchange in case anything went wrong with the sale (as they are entitled to do). So it is likely that the higher offer was always the one that had been accepted and your subsequent offers did not match the original offer. Once the sale got as far as exchange of contracts, it would then have been taken off the market (ie removed from sale).

Before you view other houses it is worth asking if the house is 'under offer' and if so how far the sale has progressed. Of course the estate agent might not tell you, but many will. Also, if the vendor is around when you view, ask them what their plans are - have they found a house to buy, if not would they be willing to go into rented, are they willing to take the house off the market if they accept an offer (most will say not immediately, but many will agree once the survey has been done and the sale is proceeding).

To be honest, the most painless purchase I ever made was when I needed a quick move and expressly asked the EA just to show me houses that were already empty (people die, move for jobs and divorce, and some are repossessions). Yes it does narrow down the pool of available houses.... it also cuts out a lot of the stress, as usually these vendors are serious about selling. But I accept this isn't the right strategy for everyone.

ruggedtoast

andy78678 wrote: »

Thanks for your thoughts,
Andy

I think you should forget about it. You put in a best and final offer that wasnt accepted and the house subsequently sold somewhere else.

If you call the agent demanding satisfaction you will not learn anything that will help you and you'll probably just get a reputation for being difficult in your small area.

Moving on, you can politely decline to raise your offer without being seen as a soft touch by the agent. How much you can afford to pay isnt really relevant, its how much the house is worth to you.

andy78678

Agree that it was either a cash buyer or was already under offer.

At least we have learnt what we are looking at paying for that sized property in that area and what to ask the EA.

Than you all for the advice.