When a house goes off market?

movilogo

I liked a house and want to make an offer. However EA said there are many other buyers after that house as it was marketed very competitively (I don't know whether he's lying or not, as I've heard this many times and many houses are still on market after several months).

However, for this one, I too think it is a good price.

My question is that, exactly at what point it will go off market?

Can I ask EA to take it out off market and then only I shall do the surveying?

What if I pay for survey and later they want to give it to someone else who offered £1k more (gazumping? )

Biggie

gazumping is highly unlikly in the current market especially near christmas.

In London houses are going a little below asking price rather then asking price and above.

normally the house will go off the market after the survey is booked, you should be able to get a suvey booked within a week if you try, depending on the lender of course....

plane_boy2000

Make it a requirement of your offer - i.e. you will offer X on the proviso that the agent does not marker the propoerty any further.

ManAtHome

If there are many other buyers after it, presumably several will be further down the track than you. You may be chucking survey money in the bin...

courtjester

You can make it a condition of any offer that the property is taken off the market, but don't rely on this as there is no legal right to require marketing of a property to cease and if the vendor chooses to restart marketing, there is nothing you can do or claim in terms of 'compensation'. It is purely a negotiating tool - the only thing you could do is withdraw your offer if the vendor continues to deal with other buyers, but that's the limit of your 'rights'.

nethesi

ONe thing that I found helpful is making it clear to the estate agent/seller, ever so politely that you have no intention of doing your survey etc until the sold board goes up, it comes off rightmove etc etc. You don't need to be pushy about this but I found saying something like 'great once it's off the market I'll get my survey booked' worked for me!

Of course as the others have said there's no guarentee but we found once we agreed the price the estate agent has been hugely helpful. (Sellers have been less so, and we've discovered that they lied to us before we put our offer in, only about something minor and fixable but it does mean that they've lost our goodwill)

A_Nice_Englishman

Make sure you have shown the estate agent that you are serious by supplying a copy of the 'mortgage agreed in principle' letter from your lender and confirming that your current house is sold (if applicable). Arrange the survey as soon as the offer is accepted and call the estate agent telling him when to expect your surveyor (it should be within a week or so).

Note that the estate agent is legally obliged to inform the seller of any offers he receives up to exchange of contracts, even if he has ceased actively marketing the property.

TBeckett100

i told the EA i could buy the house myself if the flat couldnt sell, offer accepted and the house is off the market. just hoping for an offer tomorrow now for the masterplan to have worked.

glossy123

TBH I think the answer depends on the location and very much on the estate agents.

I have put an offer in on a house which has been accepted, and the estate agents are not marketing it any more but it is still on rightmove however now labelled Sold STC.;)

The estate agents selling my house have a very strict code of conduct and once an offer is accepted the house is no longer on the market, but not all agents are so straight forward. My own house is listed as under offer which is correct.:T

In theory the state of the two properties is the same as it is all dependent on the dreaded chain (and also probate issue but that is another story!) yet the agents have a different view.

home_alone

What good estate agents do is take the house of the market but take the names of anyone enquiring about the house in case the deal falls through, which is fair to both sides.

gary