Advice on this bad house bidding experience...

grussell wrote: »

Yes. Countless. I had to chase them many times.

Well, if they were talking to you countless times maybe they didn't feel the need to have additional conversations with you if there was nothing further to tell you.

I think what you’ve experienced is fairly normal. Yes there are agreements struck much more simply than you’ve experienced but there are also many, many protracted, sometimes contrary negotiations that lead nowhere. It’s a normal part of house-hunting I’m afraid.

If this is the first house you’ve liked and bid on, I’d suggest some changes to your approach to the next one. Firstly, don’t make yourself look desperate by continually ramping up your offers. Your timeline doesn’t show how long you left it between upping your offer each time but if it was fairly soon after each rejection, the vendor would simply think “this person’s taking the mickey” or perhaps “they’re clearly keen so I’ll keep knocking them back assuming they’ll keep increasing their offer.” If I was the vendor I’d think both and when you stop offering, I’d leave it a while and perhaps go back and ask if your last offer still stood (assuming it was acceptable to me). Secondly, don’t make so many offers, for similar reasons.

You said it was already reduced, probably in response to limited or no offers the first time, so your even lower offer was rejected even though you think it reflects the real value. Do you think they should give you a double reduction?

Finally, you will have to accept that if it’s a house you’re really set on, you have to work to the vendor’s timetable or walk away. Their EA is working for them and has no obligation to do anything other than act in their interests.

grussell wrote: »

Definitely not going to defend my emotions after having four offers rejected. I am human, after all. I really felt like this was the “one”.

Ideally, however hard it is, you need to try and keep your emotions in check otherwise buying your first property is going to be more of a nightmare for you than it normally is. It might feel like 'the one' now, but there will be another 'one' around the corner.

grussell wrote: »

I do think that to wait four days for a vendor to reply to an offer without as much as a courtesy phone call to explain the delay lacks some professional etiquette.

The vendors will probably have other things to deal with as well as selling their house. Don't take it personally.

grussell wrote: »

Not only that but after matching the vendors request, my offer was further declined. Is anyone not the slightest bit shocked at this?

Not shocked at all. It took you an additional 3 offers to get where they told you they wanted to be after the first offer. They had more or less said they'd meet you in the middle but you still didn't really get close with your next offer.

Maybe they were waiting for someone else to make an acceptable offer who they thought would be easier to deal with, and when that happened your offer was rejected. Or in the time it took you to get to their requested price, someone had gone above 162.

The vendors may have thought you were a time waster, or that you would keep going up and up with your offers.

Anyway, buying a house is a learning curve, and this will only help you when you find another one you like. Good luck.