making a counter offer for a house STC

kokolino23

Hello,
I was wondering if anyone of you has been through this before. I'm looking to buy a house and even though I'm in a very good position (nothing to sell and mortgage approved) I still struggle to find the right one. I registered my details to a lot of estate agents but still no luck.
The most annoying thing is that I can't really get viewings ?! After I saw a number of properties on rightmove or zoopla, I rang them up but I've been told that they've been sold, even though on the site is not yet STC.
Anyway, I've spotted a house recently, I rang them up the day after and what a surprise: "Has been sold!". I'm wondering if I can still put an offer and the agent has to present it to the vendor? What's the legal situation on this? I've been told that they can't show me the house because it's been sold. Surely, that can't happen as only came on the market on Thursday ?! So annoying. I'm tempted to knock on the door and speak directly to the vendor but surely they've got a contract with the estate agency. Why I can't view the house and put an offer through ?!
Cheers

Annie1960

http://www.tpos.co.uk/downloads/TPOE27-1%20Code%20of%20Practice%20for%20Residential%20Estate%20Agents%20(Effective%20from%201%20August%202011).PDF

See para 7.

EAs must pass on any offers until contracts are exchanged.

Dan-Dan

kokolino23 wrote: »

Hello,
I was wondering if anyone of you has been through this before. I'm looking to buy a house and even though I'm in a very good position (nothing to sell and mortgage approved) I still struggle to find the right one. I registered my details to a lot of estate agents but still no luck.
The most annoying thing is that I can't really get viewings ?! After I saw a number of properties on rightmove or zoopla, I rang them up but I've been told that they've been sold, even though on the site is not yet STC.
Anyway, I've spotted a house recently, I rang them up the day after and what a surprise: "Has been sold!". I'm wondering if I can still put an offer and the agent has to present it to the vendor? What's the legal situation on this? I've been told that they can't show me the house because it's been sold. Surely, that can't happen as only came on the market on Thursday ?! So annoying. I'm tempted to knock on the door and speak directly to the vendor but surely they've got a contract with the estate agency. Why I can't view the house and put an offer through ?!



Cheers

Karmas a git..........

Okydoky25

Sooo you put in a higher offer which is accepted. The previous buyers lose out on possibly their dream house. Move on 2 months day before exchange and oh no so one comes in with a higher offer and your sellers being the money grabbers they have presented themselves as accept.

betmunch

kokolino23 wrote: »

Why I can't view the house and put an offer through ?!
Cheers

If an offer has been accepted it is likely to be on the condition there are no more viewings.

No reason why you cant make an offer mind. That said I wouldnt accept an offer from someone that hasnt even seen the house.

kokolino23

Fair enough but in my opinion the EA didn't play right in this case. I've checked rightmove every evening and didn't see the house. According to them, the house came on the market on Wednesday morning and they already had 7 viewings that evening. Someone made an offer and had been accepted. Fair point until now.


The EA had my details and they knew what I was looking for. They contacted me before regarding different properties and I've received emails update when a new property came on the market. NOT for this one though ?! It's hard for me to believe that the property was advertise on Wednesday morning and they already had viewings on that evening. I'm not saying it's impossible but something doesn't sound quite right here.


When I rang them up on Friday morning and explained them about the whole situation, I insisted to check my details, which they had. They did apologise about the situation but this doesn't give me the chance to view the house so I can put an offer on the table.

BarleyGB

Out of curiosity, what's stopping you viewing, I've taken days off work rearranged appointments to view the properties I want.

I'd be bloody furious if I was gazzumped post offer acceptance, especially now I've started accumulating costs.

These people you're prepared to gazzump who've made the effort to view and got an offer accepted, are you going to reimburse them?

kokolino23

Quizzical_Squirrel wrote: »

It actually came on to the market several days before Wednesday and people were probably already lined up to see it before you even knew it existed. It didn't just pop-up from out of nowhere on Righmove on that Wednesday.

It takes a good week from sales instruction to the property appearing on Rightmove. The agents have to see the property, arrange for a photographer, get the contract with the seller signed etc.

All this time, everyone in the office knows this property is pending and they start mentioning it to people they know will be interested. People who actually go in to the office to ask and people who are on their client lists. Often agents have a white board up, or something similar, with pending properties on it so visitors can see it and agents can tell people on the phone "we've got this property about to go on the market".

Sometimes properties don't even have time to get listed on Rightmove before they sell.

Yes, completely agree with that. BUT the EA had my details and they did ring me regarding some other properties. They knew I was looking for a property in that area and that price range. When I rang them on Friday morning, I had asked them to check my details and they confirmed that I'm still in their database. When I asked them why I didn't have an email or a phone call as I usually had, the answer was "I don't know! I'm sorry and I apologise but the property is now gone".
What annoys me the most is that I live locally and I've never had the chance to see the property. I've got nothing to sell, mortgage in place already so ready to move asap. Something is not quite right here and I feel like I was denied to have a viewing on that property.


I would put an offer on the table just for the fun of it.

Chyna81

Why an earth would you want to place an offer on a house you have not viewed.

I do agree some Estate Agents are very crafty especially those that offer incentives scheme's they tend to favour buyers that use the scheme or in house mortgage advisor other buyers that do not. Obviously I'm not saying this was the case.

Move on you will find something better.

Daisy_bee

Hey there,
I'm just in the process of buying my first house having had an offer accepted and I have to say that to get viewings you have to be super pro-active ! I was signed up to every agency in my area and in the beginning I would see houses go on right move with no call or email from the agent despite being registered. I used to ring the agents every couple of days to ask what they had coming on their books and also popped into their offices to get my face known. Agents have loads of people on their books and this made me stand out and let them know I was serious! This eventually resulted in them starting to ring me and I even started to get offered first viewings on houses . I totally agree with other posters you have to be creative with time and take time off work or push agents for the first available viewing of the day so you get In there first.

Also just because a house is STC you shouldn't lose heart! The house I'm buying was the first house I rung up about but was told sorry it's Sold STC (despite it not saying this on rightmove!). I told that agent should it fall through then please contact me for a viewing. I then carried on viewing loads of other properties but also would check in with the agent every week to see how the STC house was going. I did feel slightly crazy doing this as he would always sigh and say sorry the buyer is very committed it's progressing . Anyway around six weeks later I get a call first thing one day to say the sale has fallen through and the agent thought of me straight away due to the interest I had shown. Got the first available viewing , made an offer straight after and it was taken off the market with all other viewings later that day cancelled! Be patient but persistent and good luck

ClareTeaches

kokolino23 wrote: »

Yes, completely agree with that. BUT the EA had my details and they did ring me regarding some other properties. They knew I was looking for a property in that area and that price range. When I rang them on Friday morning, I had asked them to check my details and they confirmed that I'm still in their database. When I asked them why I didn't have an email or a phone call as I usually had, the answer was "I don't know! I'm sorry and I apologise but the property is now gone".
What annoys me the most is that I live locally and I've never had the chance to see the property. I've got nothing to sell, mortgage in place already so ready to move asap. Something is not quite right here and I feel like I was denied to have a viewing on that property.


I would put an offer on the table just for the fun of it.

There is no conspiracy here, nothing funny going on, it's just a bit of bad luck. You might be looking in this area and price range, but perhaps so are 50 other people (or more)! Property comes to EAs, they call some people on their lists, get a full day of viewings booked, perhaps with a plan to call more people after that. But an offer comes in and is accepted before they can get to you on their list of 50, 60, 70 people.

I'm sorry if this sounds harsh, but you don't have a human right to see these properties, you need to make it happen in exactly the ways Daisy Bee and Quizzical Squirrel have outlined.

At the moment it sounds like you might be making yourself seem an awkward person to deal with, which I'm sure you're not, but who would you be more likely to call first if you were an EA and had a new property in: the person who complains that they didn't get a viewing, makes the EA check they've got their details right, demands to know why they weren't called and then goes on to put an offer in on something they've not even viewed ... Or the person who's been in to see them, was pleasant and friendly, shows how keen and committed they are by calling regularly and puts in a well-reasoned offer on a property they've viewed?

I know who'd be top of my list.