Estate agents not letting house go on the market after offer!

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So if the house was off the market while you were waiting for the landlord, surely it hasn't been on the market!
When you say you've 'reduced the price' - from the three years ago price?  Have prices dropped since then? 

I get the feeling that there might be more to this story than is posted here - House seller wants to sell for a certain price and then when they are offered more money they don't accept?  If I was the Estate Agent, I'd be inclined to think that I was being messed around too.

If you're selling a house, it would seem unlikely that you'll be offered council housing either ..... 

orangecrush

Rinzler said:

Sorry I forgot to mention the house was on the market for 1 year but we had little no to interest even with planning permission agreed.

We agreed an offer with a landlord who asked us to take the house off the market (for 2 years) for him to tell us last minute that he didn't want it. Which is why we are quite apprehensive to agree to this buyer.

In those two years we saw many houses that we liked but missed out.

We put the house on the market again  after taking a break from being so disappointed and upset over the time wasted. We only had offers of £40k under the asking price. We then eventually reduced the price by £20k and now the last few weeks these offers and interest has flown in.

In the two years wasted by the landlord the planning permission has expired and we are in the middle of reapplying for that.

The agent is asking us to move into council houses which is only what we can get at the moment with the money offered for this house. I have been looking every single day but the houses are in really bad areas.

We have lived in this house for over 30 years it is a great house but the area has been taken over by students and landlords. I do not want to sell this house only to go to another bad area which is why we are really taking our time with finding a house.

Tldr: The house was started on the market 3 years ago. 2 of which were wasted by a landlord pulling out of a personal agreement.

So you kept going for 2 years waiting for him to get ready to exchange?! Why the heck did you wait for 2 years?! This is so bizarre. Just sell the house to the most committed buyer and get on with your life. 

OR
If you can’t afford to buy something else, stay where you are. It looks like you’ll be staying where you are anyway if you keep waiting for more offers. If you want to keep selling, change estate agents. This one clearly has had enough (for whatever reason - not blaming you) and that it sounds like you need a fresh start.

pinkshoes

Rinzler said:

We have lived in this house for over 30 years it is a great house but the area has been taken over by students and landlords. I do not want to sell this house only to go to another bad area which is why we are really taking our time with finding a house. 

In which case, I would suggest accepting the offer, and then completing and moving into rented accommodation until you can find something else... 

It will then put you in a much stronger position to buy something else.

You can get a 6 month rental contract, or if you speak to air bnb hosts, sometimes they are happy to take on a longer term tenant at a reduced rate, particularly once the summer hols are over. 

Mickey666

Can I ask about the planning permission?  What's it for and why is it necessary to sell the house?

firsthome2020

You sound like the seller of the home I’m trying to buy! From the perspective of a buyer I would definitely recommend rejecting their offers if they aren’t acceptable to you and maybe remarket the house when your in a position to sell however, you risk still not being able to sell at a price you are happy with. As a buyer on the other end of the stick I have offered only slightly under asking, waited 2 and a half weeks to find out my offer is accepted but the property is not being taken off the market. It’s incredibly frustrating and doesn’t instill much confidence should the sale get under way. I would rather have my offer rejected and then I can decide whether I want to go any higher or walk away! 

AnotherJoe

firsthome2020 said:

You sound like the seller of the home I’m trying to buy! From the perspective of a buyer I would definitely recommend rejecting their offers if they aren’t acceptable to you and maybe remarket the house when your in a position to sell however, you risk still not being able to sell at a price you are happy with. As a buyer on the other end of the stick I have offered only slightly under asking, waited 2 and a half weeks to find out my offer is accepted but the property is not being taken off the market. It’s incredibly frustrating and doesn’t instill much confidence should the sale get under way. I would rather have my offer rejected and then I can decide whether I want to go any higher or walk away! 

I wouldn't say your offer has been meaningfully accepted. 

Flugelhorn

firsthome2020 said:

You sound like the seller of the home I’m trying to buy! From the perspective of a buyer I would definitely recommend rejecting their offers if they aren’t acceptable to you and maybe remarket the house when your in a position to sell however, you risk still not being able to sell at a price you are happy with. As a buyer on the other end of the stick I have offered only slightly under asking, waited 2 and a half weeks to find out my offer is accepted but the property is not being taken off the market. It’s incredibly frustrating and doesn’t instill much confidence should the sale get under way. I would rather have my offer rejected and then I can decide whether I want to go any higher or walk away! 

Keep looking  - the vendors will only mess you around

davidmcn

Mickey666 said:

Can I ask about the planning permission?  What's it for and why is it necessary to sell the house?

Given the comment about it being in a studenty area I presume it's for use as an HMO. Though I'm not sure why it ought to mean deferring accepting an offer, as surely the potential buyers are already aware of the planning position and are either prepared to wait or take the risk (and renewing the planning is unlikely to take all that long).

[Deleted User]

firsthome2020 said:

You sound like the seller of the home I’m trying to buy! From the perspective of a buyer I would definitely recommend rejecting their offers if they aren’t acceptable to you and maybe remarket the house when your in a position to sell however, you risk still not being able to sell at a price you are happy with. As a buyer on the other end of the stick I have offered only slightly under asking, waited 2 and a half weeks to find out my offer is accepted but the property is not being taken off the market. It’s incredibly frustrating and doesn’t instill much confidence should the sale get under way. I would rather have my offer rejected and then I can decide whether I want to go any higher or walk away! 

If I were you i'd be demanding they take the house off the market or you walk away. They are clearly waiting out for a better offer. 

sweetsand

When I first read the OP I thought what a waste of time but then I re-read the OP and came to the same conclusion. This is one of the reasons from experience we do not buy in a chain as so many people can't make up their minds.