Purplebricks offer system and negotiation?

Soph1988

Hi all,

I'm a long term lurker and have avoided signing up until now - me and my partner are in the process of looking for our first house to buy. We have viewed a great property valued at £162500 and made an offer of £154,000 online via the PurpleBricks website.

Our offer was declined, which we assumed would happen and then the negotiation should start, right?

Instead our offer was declined and the seller left no comment or feedback as to why. I assume it was lower than they were hoping, but is it odd that the seller didn't come back with a request for a higher figure or suggest an amount they would be happy with? Isn't that the way these negotiations work?

I'm unclear on if this is just an odd way of offering (via online messaging really!) or whether this is just how it is done now - do we just go back with a higher offer, do we throw our final offer price at it or do we walk away? Do we call Purplebricks on Monday and ask them for feedback?

Any advice appreciated!

G_M

I think PP support is pretty basic.

You want to raise your offer? put in another offer!

You don't think it's worth more? Walk away!

Soph1988

Sorry G_M, what is PP support?

Is it not normal for the other party to come back with what they would accept? Would we just keep going up until we got an accept? (if we wanted to do that)

agrinnall

I think it was a typo for PB (PurpleBricks). You certainly can't rely on getting a counter from the vendor, you're the one who knows what your financial status is so the ball is in your court to make another offer or not.

Soph1988

Thank you for clarifying and for your advice!

messes

It may depend. I made offers on a property via Purplebricks who they had chosen the EA does viewings option, so while I made my offer via the website I was speaking with the EA following the offer. This did eventually lead to the EA telling me the amount they would accept.

But I found the vendor equally uncommunicative via the site, in that they just declined offers with no comments. Didn't really seem much of a negotiation.

Soph1988

Ah - see this was the home owner showing us around. We have been really put off by this offering system - it just doesn’t feel right. Surely it should be just a tad bit more personal? For us, we’re parting with a lot of money. I just have real doubts if a seller isn’t willing to discuss the negotiations or reply to our comments? I have reason as to why our offer was the way it and was and even suggested ‘it would be lovely to discuss this further with you’, thinking that would invite discussion.

So far our experience with PB as buyers hasn’t been great. A couple of very mis-presented viewings (I’m pretty sure one had something photoshopped into a photo...!) and one viewing where the woman was absolutely mental. I mean - nuts. She kept going on about how much she loved her house and that we were in her home and we should be careful where we stand and not to make a mess.... it was very very strange. She also had crosses and bible verses written everywhere in those vinyl stickers... :eek:

Thrugelmir

Soph1988 wrote: »

Our offer was declined, which we assumed would happen and then the negotiation should start, right?

Not if the seller doesn't wish to, at this point in time. Up your offer if you are still interested in the property.

steampowered

It is a very common strategy for people to reject the first offer outright, and start negotiating on the second offer.

People know that a first offer is often just testing the waters.

Soph1988

But isn’t negotiation part of selling a house. If the shoe was on the other foot I’d offer an amount I’d be happy to accept and 2k on top for another small negotiation...

It just seems very odd - if you want to sell the house you make the effort do you not?

I think we will probably just leave this house and move on now. It wasn’t anything particularly earth shatteringly special - just a house that ticked boxes.

JoJo1978

OP, also don't forget that some people may not want to leave the house they are selling at all, people have all sorts of reasons for moving.

And even if they are keen to move the selling process can take months and be very stressful. Life has to go on while strangers traipse through your home and critically evaluate every detail. So maybe you need to make allowances for what you perceive as crazy behaviour?!


For others it is a business transaction plain and simple, so they aren't interested in contact with you. As others have said, that contact and willingness to negotiate may be more forthcoming when they receive an acceptable offer.