Gazzumping and some shady stuff.... is this normal?

illsp

I've been looking to get a place for the past month or so and found somewhere we thought was great :j

After a bit of haggling with a couple of conditions we eventually went up to the asking price on the condition that they take back the keys from the agents to stop further viewing and had the offer accepted. We were a bit worried through the process whether there actually was anyone we were bidding against or whether there was just some sort of shadow to push up our own bid.

After a few days we were contacted by the agent and told that vendor had an offer through a different agent for the same amount from someone who had viewed the property after our offer and that unless we increased he would go with them.... after another couple rounds of haggling and frustrating agent times the vendor said that he would do a sealed bid and the highest offer would win.

We thought quite hard and decided to put in some extra and we have since been told that we were the highest offer, but that the vendor is still considering the other lower offer :mad::mad::mad:


We found out from the agent that the other offer has allegedly come from the house next-door from an older woman, but we have on one occasion actually seen the vendor go next door and open it with a key together with another young couple. Is it just me or is there something weird about this. We're second time buyers so I have no idea if this is the norm... last time I bought was in the dip and was the only person bidding.

my instinct is to reduce to the asking price and telling him where to shove it if he doesn't like it... is that me being naive?

bebewoo

They are messing you about, you did the sealed bid. That should have been the end of it.
I'd leave them to their shenanigans and walk away.
Unless you really love the place.

illsp

that's the problem :S the house is lovely but the owners just seem ridiculous.

Thrugelmir

Play hardball tell the EA you've had enough of the messing about. That you've dropped your offer back to the asking price. They've 72 days to decide.

moneyistooshorttomention

There was a somewhat graphic comment earlier today that I had never heard before (ie FOAD). I looked it up and thought "Hmmm" and I would be inclined to take that attitude to this vendor personally. If you cant even rely on sealed bids with them...then I don't think you can rely on them full stop.

They just sound too slippery and shifty by half. I doubt your chances of getting this house by the feel of it ...no matter how much you try and pin this vendor down.

I've had one like that before (the House that Shoulda Been as my starter house) and he slipped and shifted around like this and I tried to virtually glue him down to the Board to make him "stick with it" as to his agreement with me. He just slid outa sight and I'm still waiting to hear back from him over 20 years later.....

I think you've got "one of those" by the sound of it....aka An Indecisive Weakling.

Hope you find another house that will suit you better, with a straightforward vendor this time.

ACG

When things like this happen it really annoys me. There is no house i would want enough where i would find it acceptable to be messed around by the vendor or agent.

Personally i would put my offer back down to the asking price, tell them its on the table for 24 hours and i expect it to be removed from the market if they accept it, otherwise im pulling out.... thats if i did not pull out immediately.

illsp

Thanks for the comments everyone! Glad it's not just me thinking this is wrong.

EA is suggesting that this isn't abnormal so really useful to get confirmation from some sensible people!

pinkshoes

Drop your offer back to the original amount!

ACG

It isnt abnormal, it does happen but it doesnt make it right or mean you have yo deal with them.

The amount of people on here i see say "my dream home" but i would put money on it that house had never come up for sale in the first place they would find another dream home... If you do pull out or lose it, there will always be another you like just as much if not more.

I put an offer on a house that i thought would have been great, estate agent played stupid games telling me it had been accepted and then 24 hours later saying it was between me and someone else?!?!? Then said whoever comes to the office (45 mins away) first gets it. I cant really write what i said but it was along the lines of forget it... 3 days later, i get a phone call asking if im coming down to sign for it - i just laughed and hung up. I ended up with a similar house in a nicer area for less money - albeit it needed work doing to it, but to me that meant blank canvas :-)

Paully232000

We saw a house before the one we have just moved into and for various reasons didn't even put an offer on it. We thought based on look, location and price that this would be a very good choice. But from the behaviour of one of the vendors on our viewings we thought he would just be too much work, and when we said the reasons for not making an offer the EA intimated that we were not wrong.
Chose another house that we live in which needed a bit more work and couldnt be happier with decision. There is always another perfect' house around the corner in my opinion.

FTB_Doll

We had this happen to us.... We walked away and found a better house a week later xx