Direct Approach to Seller

ConfusedofYorkshire

warehouse wrote: »

OP, if the estate agent moved their lips then chances are they were lying.

Write a nice note, pop it through the letterbox of the house in question and wait for a call.

I agree with this. It sounds like the EA didn't try to arrange your second viewing after saying they would. I don't agree with gazumping but it doesn't sound like the vendor has all the facts.

hazyjo

But they'd obviously accepted an offer on the Saturday. Don't see how that means the vendor didn't have all the facts. The OP won't be offering without viewing, and it doesn't look like the vendor wants the hassle of another viewing, and/or doesn't want to now tell the buyer that they have another viewer who may offer more. Not really the done thing...

The vendor may well think the buyer is testing them anyway to see if they're still conducting viewings after accepting their offer. Not unheard of.

Jx

Halle71

Talc1234 wrote: »

Is this due to BTL speculators (like you) who target starter homes thereby pricing families out of the market?

I wouldn't have an issue if you bought studio flats, student accommodation or commercial properties to fund your retirement

I'm not sure how a 4 bed house with garage in London can really be classed as a 'starter home'.

So you are saying that families should not have access to good rental properties? I should have also said they could not have afforded to buy for the 3 year period that they will be in London while the wife finishes her PHD (so I am providing student accomodation ) before they move back to their home town of Bath.

And what about FTB I would price out of the market if I bought studios?


Our reasons for buying this property were:
* It is 5 minutes away from our house which enables us to manage it efficiently and be responsive to our tenants needs.
* It is a more prudent investment than 2 leasehold studios/1 beds.
* We both work full time, have two very small children and I have ailing parents. We would not have the time to manage more than one property well.

We are looking after our future, after all, no one else will.

What type of property were your BTLs and what was your motivation?

uzubairu

hazyjo wrote: »

From the other side of the fence... if I were selling a house and someone made an acceptable offer, I would cancel other viewings.

If I had other viewers lined up who I thought might better the offer, I'd let the viewings go ahead - unless the first keen buyers offered the asking price.

Some people can't be arsed with all the hassle of getting a house ready for viewings and are happy to accept an offer even if there are other interested parties.

Lastly, some people are honourable in that if they accept someone's offer, it doesn't matter how much someone else offers, they will go with what they shook on. (Been there, done that - and would hope others would do the same, but am well aware from the forums on here that many wouldn't.)

I would tell the EA to contact me if it falls through but I wouldn't try to gazump someone else.

Jx

That's what our vendors did last October.
We were the 3rd viewing that day and there were 3 more lined up afterwards.

We loved the house and offered the asking price, and the vendors asked the EA to cancel all the remaining viewings.

We completed the sale of our old house in November and are in rented, whilst the vendors look for a new home.
They've kept us informed of where they are up to ever since.

Fingers crossed that they find something by the end of May.

shireknight

For all you know the agent hasn't passed your interest onto the seller for their own ulterior motives or maybe the seller genuinely isn't interested in receiving anymore offers however if you really want the house then it's certainly not going to hurt to make the seller aware that you're interested though I think you'll have to lay all your cards on the table to do it.

Basically what I mean is you should write your offer in a note and just post it through the door, don't knock and don't just write a note saying your interested because if they have already got a serious offer that they like they won't want to go back to square one again with someone else, it's possible that by stating a definite amount you're willing to pay you might just spark their interest in your offer.

kay_1

We done this. Popped a note through the door saying we were really interested and certainly would have offered asking price. Their estate agents got in touch the next day and were pretty peed off we had done that. Our offer was higher but they decided to stick with the original offer as they were obviously decent people that didn't want to get it gazumping. Still I'm glad we did as I would have kicked myself if I didn't try everything possible to get the house.

Prothet_of_Doom

Talc1234 wrote: »

Now I have heard everything!!!

Congratulations on buying your 'lovely' BTL and depriving someone of their home

To the OP : contact the vendor directly, you have nothing to loose

Or rather helping a family without the financial means to buy to find a home which they can call home.

Indeed. I would have knocked on the door on Sunday, and said "I've just seen your house advertised and I'm really really interested"

Hoof_Hearted

To be fair to potential purchasers, when we sold we took all the booked viewings in the first two weeks or so before making a decision. We just felt that it would be sensible to evaluate all the offers and buyer positions before making a decision.

hazyjo

Prothet_of_Doom wrote: »

Indeed. I would have knocked on the door on Sunday, and said "I've just seen your house advertised and I'm really really interested"

I would hate someone turning up on my doorstep when I'm using an EA to avoid it, and would be even more wound up that you knew it was U/O and still knocked. EAs tend to go mad at you too if you let 'doorsteppers' in.

Jx

Dan-Dan

House sold to an investor on the EA`s mates list

bet your life on it