Advice on house

thommo9

Try to be brief here, last Tuesday my partner and I viewed a house, fell in love with it and to secure the property we met the valuation but with the offer I specified they either take the asking price and remove advertising and stop viewings or of they want to carry on then I would rescind d my offer. I was told over the next two days that they couldn’t contact owner for an answer. As luck would have it, I was at work on the Thursday and a guys phone next to me rings and basically I overhear the estate agent offering him a viewing on the house and then telling him a couple had met valuation and so the guy would need to go higher. They then rang him again and said they had spoken to owner and he had a viewing in the evening. Obviously I rang up to get to the bottom of it and said in no certain terms if they want to carry on viewings then my offer doesn’t stand but I caught them out in numerous lies. Anyway, the phone call ended with them saying as it stood the vendor had accepted our offer and was going to accept the next day.

The next day we receive a call saying we’d been outbid, in haste I offered 155,000( 5k more than the asking price) they rang back and said we’d been outbid again(that house is worth 145,000 at most but to secure it I met valuation)

Anyway, one week has passed and I noticed the house was still up for sale, so I got a mate to ring up and ask if it was available and they told him it was a difficult situation as the accepted offer hasn’t proven funds yet or been in touch.

Is there a timescale on this? I really loved that house but I feel I can’t trust the estate agents that much considering they spent 2 days ringing people up trying to get a higher offer after I’d met asking price on terms it was unlisted.

Bass_9

It sounds like they're messing you about and using your offer as fuel to attract interest in the house.

They have no obligation to unlist the house but if they were acting honestly (people may laugh at that) they should tell you that they intend to continue marketing it.

If you love the house, give them a final (real) ultimatum that you offer X amount which is withdrawn if they do not accept by a certain date/time, subject to your conditions (marked sold stc). If they don't, ring them and tell them the offer is withdrawn and you have no further interest in the property. Walk away for good and don't engage in any games.

I do sympathise, it sounds like a really frustrating situation but if it goes no where hopefully you will find a better house, something that is 'meant to be'!

Good luck.

P.S. I would put your communication in writing (email) too, i.e. 'to confirm the details of our offer...' as well as ringing. People may think that's overkill but it doesn't harm.

eddddy

thommo9 wrote: »

Is there a timescale on this? I really loved that house but I feel I can!!!8217;t trust the estate agents that much considering they spent 2 days ringing people up trying to get a higher offer after I!!!8217;d met asking price on terms it was unlisted.

If I've understood correctly, I'm not sure what your grounds are for complaint:

• You offered £150k on house

• Before responding to your offer, the EA phoned around other people and said "We've had an offer of £150k on that house, would you like to offer more?"

• And it seems one or more people did offer more

If that's correct, what do you think the EA did wrong?

If you were paying the EA to sell your house, what would you expect them to do differently?


(If you were one of the other people who was planning/willing to offer £160k - wouldn't you be angry with the EA if they hadn't contacted you, and just let the house sell for £150k?)

AdrianC

thommo9 wrote: »

...to secure the property we met the valuation

So this valuation is part of the Home Report in Scotland?

In England/Wales, the only relevant valuation is the buyer's lender's, which is done as part of the purchase due diligence.

...but with the offer I specified they either take the asking price and remove advertising and stop viewings

Right. And did they?

As luck would have it, I was at work on the Thursday and a guys phone next to me rings and basically I overhear the estate agent offering him a viewing on the house and then telling him a couple had met valuation and so the guy would need to go higher.

So the guy at the desk next to you is interested in the exact same house? What are the chances... I presume they didn't ring him out the blue - so he must've already expressed an interest. Was it a second viewing? Had he already offered but been rejected?

if they want to carry on viewings then my offer doesn’t stand

So you just walked away, no longer interested in the property...?

The next day we receive a call saying we’d been outbid, in haste I offered 155,000( 5k more than the asking price) they rang back and said we’d been outbid again(that house is worth 145,000 at most but to secure it I met valuation)

So you've now offered £155k on a house that you don't think is worth more than £145k, and which you'd already told them you're no longer interested in...?


Sounds like they've got you sussed, and are doing the job their customer has hired them to do... Maximise the sale value.

Anyway, one week has passed and I noticed the house was still up for sale, so I got a mate to ring up and ask if it was available and they told him it was a difficult situation as the accepted offer hasn’t proven funds yet or been in touch.

And have you?

Is there a timescale on this?

Get on with it, if you want it.

...but I feel I can’t trust the estate agents that much

Why do you need to? They've done their bit once an offer is accepted, and it's your and the vendor's solicitors talking to each other until the point that the sale is contractually agreed - missives concluded, if you are in Scotland, exchange of contracts in England or Wales. (I have no idea what the NI equivalent is)



You aren't the one that's employing them, anyway - the vendor is. If you want THAT house, you have to deal with THOSE agents. The alternative is to simply rule out any houses they have listed.

ProDave

This sounds like the situation I was faced with many years ago.

The EA kept ringing me to tell me I had been out bid.

I got fed up with this, so unanounced I went to see the vendor at the house. "What other bidder?"

Lying Gits of estate agents.

thommo9

[QUOTE=eddddy;74215400]If I've understood correctly, I'm not sure what your grounds are for complaint:
You offered £150k on house

The house was listed at asking price of £150k, from the information i know i would of said the house would go for between 140-145k but to secure I phoned and said i would give them the asking price if the take the house down and do no more viewings, they replied saying they would ask the owner and let me know if they were happy with that. so i waited to hear back expecting a yes or no, and if it was a no i would of probably put a lower offer of about 145 and go to the 150 when they were asking for full and final offers. but they gave that offer to an independent mortgage advisor who then spent the next 2 days ringing anybody up and telling them my offer. my complaint is if they thought they could get more fair enough, tell me the owner doesn't want to take it down and i would rescind my offer and find out where we was at the end of the week.


Before responding to your offer, the EA phoned around other people and said "We've had an offer of £150k on that house, would you like to offer more?"

And it seems one or more people did offer more

If that's correct, what do you think the EA did wrong?

Basically on the thursday night the estate agent rang me and said the owner was happy to accept my offer as they had only had 1 other offer other than mine and that was way under valuation. I went to work the next day and the guy i overheard on the phone was telling me the mortgage advisor was ringing him up at 8.40pm begging him to put an offer in, problem being he was rejected for a mortgage and is ineligible but likes looking at houses. fast forward to 9am and all of a sudden we are outbid.

I noticed it was still up for sale today and got my mate to enquire and they said it was difficult as they'd not received proof of funds or even heard off the buyer for a week.that tells me the mortgage advisor was blagging every client she could to put a high offer in for commission but they obviously couldn't afford it.