Offer accepted-can i ask agent for listing to be removed.

JDi

Hi

Just after some advice on the following. I have had an offer accepted on a house at 5k under the asking price £130k listed, i offered £125k. House was first listed at £145k which was a bit high to be fair but i feel ive got a decent deal anyway.

As soon as i offered, the agent listed as STC, fair enough. Since then the searches and surveys have been done, solicitors are talking and the mortgage offer has been received by all.

The only thing im worried about now is being gazumped as i know the lady was hesitant over my offer. Would i be within my rights to ask the agent to remove the listing altogether or is the STC listing enough?
I know they are under no obligation to but id look at it as a kind of commitment from the seller. Am i being over the top asking this?

Thanks for looking.

G_M

By all means ask, and by this stage it's reasonable.

But if the seller refuses your only options are to withdraw from the purchase or accept the staus quo.

Surrey_EA

You can ask, but as you say the EA is under no obligation to take it off, and they take their instructions from the vendor.

In my experience, gazumping is nowhere near as common as some people think. Not saying it doesn't happen from time to time, but it's fairly rare. All the EA is worried about is getting the sale through as quickly as possible, another £5k on the sale price makes virtually no difference to the EA, and will only create more work.

The best advice is, as you appear to have already done, would be move quickly and push things along. If searches are done, along with survey, and you have a mortgage offer then there's probably not a great deal more you can do to prove your commitment right now. The solicitors are likely dealing with enquiries following search and survey results, so keep on top of you solicitor and hopefully you'll be ready to exchange soon.

JDi

Ill mention it next time i speak to EA but wont hold my breath. On the plus side they are a small local firm so not sure bad publicity is in their interests regarding gazumping. I just wondered if others at this stage get the sold sign put up and listing pulled etc.

Surrey_EA

JDi wrote: »

On the plus side they are a small local firm so not sure bad publicity is in their interests regarding gazumping.

I find it highly unlikely that an EA would instigate an instance of gazumping, if only for the reason I mention above, it makes practically no financial difference whatsoever, and simply creates extra work. In most cases where gazumping occurs the blame should lie with the seller.

JDi wrote: »

I just wondered if others at this stage get the sold sign put up and listing pulled etc.

Is there a board at the property still saying 'for sale' or is there no board at all? Definitely ask for any 'for sale' board to be changed, but if a board is not currently in existence I'd just leave it, perhaps the owner doesn't want one at their property?

Most internet listings stay on the website until the sale completes, so if it says 'under offer' or 'sold subject to contract' I wouldn't worry about it.

AdrianC

If you're worried about gazumping, get a friend to ring the EA and ask about it. Ten to one, they'll say "Sorry, it's sold - but we can let you know if it falls through" or similar.

If they say "Yes, would you like to see it?" - then you've got grounds to have a whinge to the seller, NOT the EA.

rtho782

You can ask the estate agent to hand deliver you a cheese wheel made from unicorn milk presented on a bed of groomed kitten fur.

They can say yes or they can say no. It's worth a shot if you're worried.

AdrianC

rtho782 wrote: »

You can ask the estate agent to hand deliver you a cheese wheel made from unicorn milk presented on a bed of groomed kitten fur.

They can say yes or they can say no. It's worth a shot if you're worried.

Oooh! Excuse me, I'm just going to ring an EA up...

Surrey_EA

rtho782 wrote: »

You can ask the estate agent to hand deliver you a cheese wheel made from unicorn milk presented on a bed of groomed kitten fur.

They can say yes or they can say no. It's worth a shot if you're worried.

Perfectly normal, happens all the time.

GaggingOrder

The main motivation for "Sold STC" listings is, I believe, making the agent look good. As others have said, a new buyer would create additional work so they're not looking for reserve buyers or for somebody to make a better offer. It's more about advertising to prospective vendors that they're good at selling houses in a given area. Some of them even leave listings up long after completion just to boost their numbers.

EdwardS033

Most agents work on a commission of around 1%+VAT or if the vendor is really paying over the odds a maximum 2.5%+VAT so they are hardly going to want to jeopardise an existing sale that is 'in the bag' to get and extra £50-£125.

The STC on the internet is probably as stated above to try to make other potential vendors think they are good at selling houses.