How do people buy houses before they hit RightMove etc?

[Deleted User]

We put an offer on our current home before it was on RightMove or the Estate agents website - saw the board going up and rang the agents to organise a viewing.

Rightmove is not the be-all and end-all.

Cakeguts

Pepperoni wrote: »

Thanks all.

We are not first time buyers but do not need to sell our property to purchase our next home. We are going to be letting it - maybe it's a good idea to get the EA round to price it up for renting, so they register the fact that if they find us a new property they may also be inline for managing the rental of our current property??

What makes you think without any research that your current property will make a good rental property? People tend to assume that just because they have lived in a house it will automatically make a good rental property. This isn't the case. Buyers are prepared to make more compromises about a property than renters. What this means is that if you have a house that isn't going to be popular to rent you won't get a choice of good tenants. You will get the choice of the tenants that no one else wants to let their house to.
Please consider what you are going to do if you let your property and the tenants don't pay the rent, or damage the house or both. Can you afford to pay two mortgages if you are not getting any rent? If not then sell the house.

Slinky

We've just missed out on one where we were outbid. I've just posted letters off to all the other houses in the street we could be interested in to see if anybody else is considering moving.

G_M

Tenancies in Eng/Wales: Guides for landlords and tenants
This thread is intended to provide information to both landlords and tenants relating to Assured Shorthold Tenancies (ASTs) in England and Wales.

Topics covered:

* Repairing Obligations: the law, common misconceptions, reporting/enforcing, retaliatory eviction & the new protection (2015)

* Deposits: payment, protection and return

* Ending/renewing an AST: what happens when a fixed term ends? How can a LL or tenant end a tenancy? What is a periodic tenancy?

* Rent increases: when & how can rent be increased?

* Repossession: what if a LL's mortgage lender repossesses the property?

* New landlords: advice, information & links

* Letting agents: how should a landlord select or sack?

rskegg

I started getting a good response when I emailed them all my position (sold mine, mortgage checked, ready to go). I was very specific about what I wanted and laid out that I would 'drop everything' to see a property that met 8/10 of my needs. I was polite, assertive and friendly but left them with no illusion that I was easy commission if they found me the right house. I suspect it helped that I would point blank politely reject a viewing if it was not likely to be suitable - I think that this highlights your seriousness! It's worth remembering that they don't want to be filling viewing slots with long-shots, they want premium buyers.

I also prep my feedback before they call with constructive reasons why it was not right for me, if what you give them is 'buyer suitable', you help them and make them want to deal with you.

Following this, we were into 4 pre-market properties, one of which we got at what I think was a good price. I suspect the trick is to make them realise that you are ready to jump on something fast and are unlikely to fall through, also that you are easy to deal with and straightforward. Like any business transaction in any market, they want it to go fairly, quickly and smoothly so they get paid and end up with happy customers!

Good luck!

Hedgehog99

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