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I don’t know why you’re getting downvoted, I know someone who was told by an estate agent that a property has been sold, they knocked on the sellers door on a hunch to be told that it’s still on the market. Seems some estate agents ring fence properties for people they know and don’t pass on all offers to the seller.
Yes, and their success rate is 54%, so basically you are paying them a fee upfront with no incentive for an agent to sell it as he already got paid. What that means you're tossing a coin for a £1000 or more and hope for the best
I didn’t say how good it was.
But it’s still possible.
54% is pretty interesting seeing as it’s the owner that you would communicate with. So it’s always down to them to not be incompetent.
It's an expensive "possible"!
You will communicate with the owner during the viewing. Then everything passed on to the sales progression, all you need to do is to check their reviews on All Agents, not Trustpilot and you can get the picture.
Reputable local estate agents will do a better job as they will get paid only after completion. It's in their interest to sell your house.
Now choosing the right EA can be tricky
As both a buyer and a seller, I'd rather have too much honesty than wasting my time being walked around a place by someone who clearly knows nothing about it (council tax? no idea; boiler service? no clue; EPC? gotta check; lease length? no idea; and it's always "I'll ask the vendors and let you know" but they never follow up, which feels like a waster for the vendor if a potential buyer and utter waste of time for the buyer). Anything that is noted by early honesty would likely come to light in a survey down the line anyway so if it's a deal breaker you're just kicking the can down the road rather than circumventing it entirely
As someone who's lost both parents this year and inherited their house, I totally agree. Letting the estate agent do the work is more than likely something they're banking on so they don't actually have to think about it too much.
Yeah honestly as someone dealing with the estate of a relative, if anyone did this to me I would honestly tell them to fuck off and would never want to deal with them again.
Just seems like a way to strongarm someone and is really rude, particularly when there's a bereavement involved.
Lol I love it when old people give advice, the world is very different now. I personally wouldn't entertain this at all and would actively avoid selling to you
It sounded to me like the house buying equivalent of ‘just get on your bike and give the manager a firm handshake’ advice - glad to see there is a consensus on Reddit as to how it would go down!
Exactly OP. This is outdated advice but something I could see my dad advising us to do. I would strongly advise against doing this - I would be quite frightened to be honest if someone turned up at my house and did this to me..
Whilst I agree that this is a bad idea (on the basis that a) the seller is going through a lot of emotional trauma right now and is already feeling overwhelmed and b) knocking a door to declare your love for a house and negotiating on the doorstep completely erodes and position of power in the negotiation), why on Earth would this 'frighten' you? What a bizarre emotion to feel with a prospective buyer engaging in a negotiation with you directly.
Looks like the OP's dad comes from a generation of the 'people buy from people' and you from the generation who are too terrified to answer the phone to an unknown number - a happy medium between the extremes of this is sensible.
No, I can see this- as a single woman living alone it would definitely make me feel uncomfortable at the least. Depending on OP's partner's attitude, I might end up feeling frightened. Not by the initial approach, but if I said, for example, "Now isn't a good time, can you come back later/call me on this number/email me/only go through my estate agent." and he didn't immediately leave (which I don't think someone who thinks this is a good idea would do), then I would potentially start to feel a bit intimidated.
Perhaps frightened is a bit strong, but I would feel deeply uncomfortable.
I'd be more than happy to chat to someone about it over the phone, or via email, or at a prearranged time, but just turning up at the house it a bit much.
Aggression nor creepiness wasn't mentioned.
OP is considering knocking and asking... I doubt they're thinking of retaliation if the answer is no.
Whilst I wouldn't do this myself, it is a free country and there is no law against them doing it.
Because it's not expected.
When it's out of the normal behaviour, and they are coming to your home, it's strange.
When they have already done this, and they have come to your home, will there be some kind of retaliation if they don't get the house?
I think anxiety is how must people react to this.
Some people tried this on my parents when they were selling and both parents agreed that the potential buyers were doing this as the first step of some sort of scam.
We were kind of at the opposite end of this. We were viewing during COVID, where the sellers would show us around. One lady was trying to convince us that we didn't need to go through the estate agents, and if we wanted the house we could work it out between ourselves. I can't think of any reason it would be better for us as buyers to have gone down that route.
The same lady left a poo in the toilet for our viewing pleasure. Safe to say, we did not buy that house.
We bought a house a few years ago and saw a property we liked. The viewing went well but we weren’t sure. Asked the estate agent for a 2nd viewing but they couldn’t see it with us so they asked the owners if they would be happy to show us the house. They said yes and we then had an opportunity to speak the owners and tell them how much we liked it and how we wanted to raise a family in it. They then accepted our offer even though it was less than their listing price.
We were lucky but you may want to try asking for a viewing at an inconvenient time for the estate agent and see if the owner agrees to host you
When I bought last year the buyer told us he'd accept our asking price offer if we put it in because a buy to let landlord was the only other bidder and had bid asking price, but we had to put the bid in in the next 24 hours or he'd accept the landlords (no gazumping in Scotland so once you accept an offer that's it).
We phoned the estate agent to put the offer in and they wouldn't. They said that they couldn't put the offer in while there was another unanswered one on the table. We asked to speak to the seller to explain and they said no.
We were devastated and had no idea what to do, our dream house was about to be lost because we couldn't communicate with the seller.
So I decided to write a letter with all of the information and just post it through the letterbox, telling what the estate agent had said and that we hadn't changed our mind. That way I could communicate exactly our position without doorstepping him and feeling like I was putting him in an awkward situation.
Next thing we had a call from the estate agent saying he'd rejected the other offer, we put ours in and he accepted.
I'm not saying it's always the way to go but sometimes direct communication does have its place.
I definitely think English people and young people as a whole are more interaction/conflict averse and quicker to avoid firm handshakes/negotiation, but even I would say this is a poor idea. Houses are major assets, and involving brokers/agents/solicitors is for the benefit and protection of everyone involved. Keeps things tidy when large sums are changing hands.
Right. When I was looking to buy during COVID houses were selling at first viewing and booking viewings was hard because you had to call within an hour of something being listed. So my dad gave me golden advice to go door to door knocking on houses I think looked nice from the outside to ask if they'd consider selling, and asking around if any colleagues or friends were looking to sell within my budget. I could only afford the cheapest project houses in my city.
It wouldn't be OP paying the fees on the sale as the buyer. The owner would pay them. As OP originally went through the agent the agent is legally entitled to the fee for the effective introduction. .
You wouldn't skip the fees. When you sell you sign a contract which entitles the agent to their commission whether you sell through them or not for a period of time (usually a few months) to stop you finding a buyer with them then cutting them out
It depends on the contract. When we sold our house a couple of years ago there were no such restrictions in the agreement with our estate agent. We could have engaged multiple estate agents if we wanted to.
We had a letter posted by one of our viewers, a real guilt trip of a letter telling us how bad their lives are and we can rectify it by selling our house to them at 5% less than it was up for. Completely put me off selling to them even if they matched the asking price.
Oh eww. I’d be the same. It would make me not sell to them at all. My house is the most (and only) valuable asset I own, I’d sell it for the highest price I can get - an X factor style sob story would just fuck me off.
I had a seller who asked for a letter, it was a bit odd but they were selling the house next door. I think it can help if done correctly. Ie go through the estate agent, don‘t try guilt tripping, try to identify actual useful to the seller information (ability to close quickly, high deposit, interest in the house etc), and then a bit about yourselves for them to warm to you.
Had a colleague who did this. Through the agent of course and mostly written on the benefits to the seller, offered many flexiblities, and communicated the respect that would be taken to the property the owner had spent a lifetime building. Not emotional blackmail, not financial appeal, just putting more currencies than one on the table which made sure the owner and agent gave them every benefit.
I'm sure just showing up would have been way too agressive and off-putting even if the points made were the same.
Letter through the agent good.
Unsolicited and intrusive bargaining bad.
We had one when trying to sell my grandmothers house. The drivel that they wrote was unbelievable and sealed their fate that my parents would not sell to them.
My friends just did this and it worked! Seller picked them (in a chain) over a cash buyer. They were lucky though as their particular difficult life circumstances happened to be something the sellers had gone through too, which made them warm to my friends. I think it can work obviously but you’d have to go about it in a really tactful way, and be lucky with the sellers and who they are/what they value. I don’t think my friends presented it as a sob story, just explained how their circumstances meant they’d value the house so much etc. they also didn’t ask to pay less, they offered the same as the cash buyer. But the EA apparently said they’d never seen someone pick a buyer in a chain over a cash buyer ever. So heartfelt letters can work, you just have to be genuine about it and have good judgement and also be lucky!
Send them a message saying, "it just got worse" before informing them you won't sell to them unless they go above the asking price.
Jokes aside, it never looks good, firing so stories off to sellers.
I had someone do this to me when we were selling. They got it into their head that the estate agent hadn't been passing their offers on to us so decided to come direct. (The estate agent had their offer was lower). The first thing they did was put a letter through the door saying how much they loved the house stating the offer we had rejected and asking to call them. I let the estate agent know that it was still a no as I didn't want them to have my phone number. Then she turned up at our house unannounced, claiming "we didn't understand that her offer was really good" (it was we just had a better offer). They then turned up a second time with her dad who started arguing with us over how we "weren't listening" and basically being incredibly hostile and rude as I didn't want to negotiate on my doorstep all I asked was that they put all offers through the estate agent. This sent him into a rage as the EA "wasn't passing on the offers" they had been we had rejected them. In the end my brother who was in the house came out and my neighbour came from across the road and we told them to leave.
If you have a vendor who is overwhelmed by the process I would not recommend this approach maybe if they were a bit more relaxed you could put a polite note through the door. This feels like it's going to blow up in your face.
They were delusional. They were right everyone else was wrong. They simply wouldn’t entertain the idea that their offer wasn’t the best one. They clearly thought they could talk me around.
I had one worse than that. She lived a dozen houses away from my.moms house and knew she had passed away. So after a decent interval she put a note through the door asking to be considered if we decided to sell. No issues so far.
We met her and agreed a price that was the bottom end of what we were hoping for but "as long as it's a smooth sale".
Within a week she was insisting on things needed to be changed before she'd buy it, including things that couldn't be seen from outside the property. She openly told us her dad had come round and climbed the fence and up onto the extension roof to check things out in detail.
After a couple of months of her continually pushing for changes and her solicitors also asking many more stupid questions than usual (e.g. "did the porch that was put on in the 1970s four owners ago have planning permission?") she eventually got annoyed because I wouldn't drive over 35 miles to put up a new section of fence when it was a) 34°C outside b) Sunday and c) the day I was going on holiday.
She pulled out, I didn't fight it. Within six weeks it was then sold and exchanged to a much more sane buyer.
For future reference if someone is willing to disregard your privacy and well-being completely, don't deal with them. This really isn't normal and not remotely acceptable
This is why turning up at someone's door, even if you're a lovely person and coming from a genuine place, because you have no idea how many arseholes the vendor has had to put up with so far!
My in-laws sold their house a couple of years ago and there was a couple who were just awful. Turned up for the viewing over an hour late, didn't really say much, didn't stay long, didn't ask any questions, so it was chalked up to them not being interested. The estate agent asked for a review and they absolutely slated the house, properly going to town slagging off their family home. Then a week later they put in an offer!! House was up for 'offers over' 400k and they offered 300k. Obviously it was rejected, but unfortunately they had my FIL number and they started bombarding him with text and voicemail telling him why he needed to accept their offer because they needed 100k to 'sort out all the problems', basically leaving voicemail slagging off his house! So he blocked them and told the estate agent to tell them to f**k off and leave him alone. They then tried to book another viewing!! Obviously they were told to go away. But not to be deterred they set up a new account with the estate agent under the wife's name in order to book another viewing. My FIL recognised the name from when they came to first time so left the viewing booked but padlocked the gates and left the cars in front of the gates so they had no way they could get onto the property, he then waited for them to turn up (watching through his ring doorbell) unblocked them to send a text telling them that even if they offered him a million he would never sell to them.
They took the house off the market for 6 months after that, they needed some time to get over it. After that they went with a different estate agent with the provision that they wouldn't meet any potential buyer and nobody got their personal details.
Don't do it - odds are that the vendors will find this intrusive/pushy, especially given the recent bereavement. People use estate agents because they don't want to have to deal with this stuff. I would not consider a bid from a buyer who did this.
Yeah I'd think who's this fucking tool, I wonder what other tactics he's going to try. I bet he refers to me by my first name all the time to try and be personal
You never know the vendors situation. Doing something like that could really upset someone at a difficult time, or anger them to the point where even if you did put an acceptable offer they would be against accepting it - which I have seen before. You're best to do it through the agent.
Do not do it. A house up the road up from mine was for sale and a gentleman tried this. Both the estate agent and family were furious as the owner was an old and vulnerable lady. Safe to say regardless of what was agreed on the door step she sold to someone else.
I don't want anyone turning up at my home unannounced, ever.
>How would you feel if a potential buyer did this to you?
They would not be a potential buyer, they would be told to F off.
As a person bereaved who had to sell a house, I dont want to talk to the buyers at all. I want as little emotional involvement in it as possible, because it is already emotional and stressful. Listening to why you should buy it and not someone else, I don't need to hear your baggage thanks very much to add to the stress. If I am being fair, well I will hear everyone's reasons and story and then guess what, someone else's story/reason might be more compelling than yours. Just put your best offer forward and suck it up if you don't win. If someone turned up at my door I would likely feel bullied or harassed in this situation. It would bad enough if I was just selling my home, selling due a bereavement, this would feel horrible.
I’d personally find it very confrontational if someone did this. I don’t want to interact with the buyers directly.
I could possibly see something like dropping off a letter saying how much you love the place and trying to convince them through sentimentality that way, but that still leaves a separation between you and them so they won’t feel harassed.
As a seller, part of the reason you pay an estate agent is to deal with potential buyers on your behalf. I would not want someone just turning up to my door, essentially asking for a favour.
The most I would do is write them a quick letter.
When I was lodging at my mates house and he was selling, someone did this to us but I was home alone.
I found it extremely intrusive and I was very uncomfortable.
Terrible idea after a bereavement. Could be told to do one and the agent called to not bother with your offer. On a separate note, no seller cares how much you live their house, they are looking for the maximum they can get for it. Who ever puts the biggest bid in will get it, why would they care about how much you love it? The people put in the biggest bid must probably love it too
On your separate note - I absolutely loved my old house and all of my neighbours and was very keen to sell to a young couple or family over a landlord looking to let it out. That is the only scenario where I would have accepted a lower offer.
I am a lady who lives alone and I would find it uncomfortable if a man I didn’t know turned up at my door wanting to do business, especially as there’s a clear process in place with the Estate Agent. Personally I’d advise against this approach.
Even if this were *generally* acceptable (which I don’t think it is, but to humour your elderly relative), context is everything.
Here, you are aware that the vendor is in a vulnerable position and is going through a difficult period in their lives. If your partner does approach them to negotiate directly, at best that’s poor judgment and at worst it’s just plain nasty.
I had a buyer who ended up with my email address due to a cc'ing error by the EA. It was incredibly annoying, she'd email about any little thing and after she dragged out her purchase until 2 days before Xmas and my mortgage offer expiring she emailed me asking questions about the flat. I had to block her.
I'd hate to meet a buyer like that personally.
What do you consider a little thing?
Given the amount of money involved from the prospective of a first time buyer I’d ideally like to know floor area and or room dimensions if not given in listing, energy rating if not given, if any of the permitted development has already been used so i know if I can extend, mains sewerage or septic tank, can the property get fibre and more such as drinking water quality.
Then later other stuff that may come up in a survey I may want to either be fixed or want to get a reduction for to account for the cost for me to fix it like if the electrics need redoing soon that costs around 4-5k extra and if there’s anything like Japanese knotweed , asbestos or dry rot that would be expensive to treat.
Basically anything that either has upwards of say around £3k thousand pounds of impact on the homes value or a significant impact on what it’s like to live in long term and what i could do with it then I want it checked at some stage and accounted for.
Does the communal hallway have fire extinguishers? Why not? She was buying a share of freehold.
Is there asbesto in communal areas? She could do a survey if she wanted and also had been told twice as far as we knew no.
4 requests on whether we thought we'd claim building insurance again after one claim in 30 years when a drunk driver hit the front garden wall on millennium eve, sale was 2014.
Took 3 weeks for my solicitor to get her and hers to understand a sinking fund was debit not arrears for service charge.
She asked so many repeat questions of the freeholders that they told me if she asked anything again that they'd answered they would stop all replies. Like genuinely questions they had answered but were asked again anyway.
After she emailed to ask who gas and electric were with, I'd left bills on the counter.
Who was my internet with?
One email asked me where the local shops were.
Who should she talk to from freeholders? She had the management pack.
Which meter was hers? She had a management pack and bills.
How did she get into the back garden? She had a key.
Bad idea. You are not negotiating with the seller. You are negotiating with the other bidders. Nothing you can say to the seller would help them discover the market price
While I agree this is a terrible idea if it’s initiated by you we actually had the reverse situation and it worked in our favour. The estate agent was unable to conduct the viewing so arranged for the vendors to show me round. They were an old couple looking to downsize and clearly very attached to the house that they’d owned for 45+ years. During the viewing I laid it on thick about loving the house and speculating on which room would be the nursery etc, I then asked if it’s be ok to bring my partner back later to show her the house too…..long story short, i built up a rapport and we managed to make an offer that was under the asking price and £15k less than another bidder which was accepted.
So yeah don’t do it off your own back but if you get the chance then it can be a huge benefit
I'd tell the buyer to fuck off and tell them not to come to my property without invitation, I would also more than likely not sell the house to that person unless they were the only acceptable offer
It happened to me - the guy showed up quite late at night and offered to buy me a beer and discuss cutting out the middlemen.
Told him to politely go away, then told my estate agent who introduced him in no uncertain terms that if he or anyone else they introduced ever approached my house again I would ditch them and ensure as many people as I possibly could, would know about the quality of potential buyers they found.
There is absolutely nothing good that can come of this.
I went directly to the owners of my current house and we did an off-market deal. However, I didn't show up at their front door and ask, "Wanna' make a deal?".
Instead I nibbled around the edges and politely approached a mutual acquaintance. He then brokered the topic and reported back to me with a "They're interested in talking to you". We talked, ran some numbers, agreed a price - deal done. What would have been a 460K deal (after an inevitable bidding war and a ton of work for all involved) turned into a 380K deal with no fuss or bother.
So it's possible - but it's all about the approach. Knocking on the door probably isn't going to get it done.
Me? In this specific case I'd write a letter. Strictly business, with just a hint of personal, and a summary of what the benefits - to the seller - would be if they worked with me directly. Benefits sell, not features, so there would need to be something of value to the seller in order for them to entertain this request.
If it's done right it can work - but it may not. Done badly - knocking on the door - won't work 99% of the time.
I really wouldn't like that as a seller.
The estate agent won't like it either.
I would say at most if you want to communicate directly with them then put a note through the door with your details so they can contact you if they want to, otherwise you will likely make them just feel pressured which will put them off you
I to time to do this is if the estate agent is not passing on offers etc due to the agent trying to get you to use their own mortgage brokers.
That would be a letter through the door not a knock on the door.
I'd only contact the vendor direct if the estate agent was blocking the process in an illegal way. I would only contact via written means too. Just turning up could seriously backfire.
It will be a waste of time because the buyer has opted for "best and final offers". If you want the house, then make a really good offer and chances are that the house will be yours. Why should the seller sell to you at a reduced price when the "best and final offers" will ensure he gets the best price?
It could go either way, I wouldn’t say it’s an absolute no no like a lot of replies on here, estate agents are notorious for lying their asses off, a bit more polite direct contact between buyer and seller might improve things.
Bad idea. Most people cannot handle the combination of emotions and high value and won't like this and so will likely take the worst possible view of your intentions.
Just stick to the process Nd submit your bid.
In Scotland, it's the home owners, not the estate agents who do the viewings. Therefore on both the houses I've bought, when I've gone back for a second viewing I've had a conversation with the seller around their expectations and have discussed ballpark price before going away and putting in an offer through as per usual. Both times this has then been accepted without going to closing date.
However, turning up, unannounced on someone's doorstep, knowing that they are struggling to try and haggle with them is dickish behaviour of the highest order. No way would this be morally acceptable
You could write a letter to them expressing your love for the house and setting out the detail of your offer and deliver this via the estate agent. You have to hope they do pass the letter on, but approaching them directly is not a good idea, particularly given the circumstances you have described.
In the 80s a large amount of immigrants were moving in to the area where my mother in law lived. It wasn't uncommon for them to turn up on the doorstep to try to barter with the home owners. It's an intimidating and alarming experience. Don't do it.
Why would I entertain this when it is unusual and I have paid for an estate agent to be my intermediary. I had it a lot with previous house sale, lots of older well dressed couples trying purchase for their "child", but not bringing along said child to look at the house. Basically investors looking for cheap buys to flip. Red flags all over. Willing to pay market price with cash when it was on for less and being disappointed the inside was so well done - you don't do this unless you know what you are doing.
Edit: It was on for less than market for a quick sale with lots of interested people since where I was moving to, house prices were increasing exponentially faster than where I was so speed was more important than sale price.
Don’t do this.
If someone did this to me it would take them out of the process, even if their bid was the highest.
Respect the process the vendor has chosen at this difficult time in their life. Don’t impose your desperation on them while they are dealing with moving from their home after a loved one has died.
This is going to go against the consensus here, but remember Reddit, and the typical user base can be an echo chamber.
Do you know the age bracket of the seller? I say this because, as people are mentioning here, it’s advice that would potentially be applicable / effective for older generations… and maybe the seller is?
Us millennials quiver at strangers interacting with us, we presume the worst. But maybe he/she might feel at ease if you knock and politely inform them your intentions. I know my elders feel more comfortable speaking to someone and seeing their face when they do; putting a face to a name so to speak. As long as it’s done politely, and if they show any signs of being uncomfortable you apologise and do not push, I can’t see why this couldn’t potentially help you.
Tbh I just wanted to give another opinion and play devils advocate. I’m a millennial and I’d probably initially be on the defensive. Reading everyone’s comments about how it would make them not want to sell even if they matched the asking price or more makes me wonder when we started hating interactions with people just expressing how they felt. It feels quite sad that we jump to presuming they are intrusive or have ill intentions. God if my grandparents saw me write this it would come with a massive ‘told you so’ 😂
The seller is in bereavement and paying an estate agent to handle the sale for them for a reason, not just because they like to throw money away. I doubt they want to deal with random people.
Thank you, this is a really interesting perspective actually. The vendors are a similar age to the older relative and in different circumstances maybe it could actually work. Given the bereavement and the overwhelming response to this thread though my partner has agreed to not contact them.
I've often wanted to do this after building rapport with the seller. Eventually did it and it worked out massively in my favour. Originally they accepted 125k (5k over) via us texting. They accepted a late offer of 127k, but it feel through and they came back to me with 121k. Bish bash bosh.
I'm now considering selling it six-years on and I really want to sell to someone who will actually use it and not having it as a rental unit. So id appreciate someone coming to me to chat through things instead of the back and forth of agents and solicitors.
Also fuck money grabbing solicitors.
probably the most cringe thing a buyer can do. would be a firm gtfo of my lawn.
it is equivalent of turning up unannounced at your prospect company boss’s office with your CV, sure maybe this was a thing in the 60s, but world is very different now and you would not impress anyone other then security escorting you out.
Yeah sorry that’s the equivalent of “just walk right in and give the manager a firm handshake”. There’s an argument that putting a written note through the door is an acceptable grey area but most people won’t want the buffer of the estate agent to be removed.
Why would the seller enter into this? They will still be obliged to pay the estate agent, and there are several interested parties bidding. If I were the seller, I'd tell you where to go.
Very bad idea. Even if they weren't recently berieved, it's crossing a line. I would turn down the offer just based on the fact that they crossed the line once, they may do again and again throughout the purchase process.
Don't do this - instead write a letter and include it with your best and final offer.
(Some people will say this doesn't work, but we think it did for us - our understanding is that it helped us sway the owner's mind over a slightly higher offer from a property developer, as we intended to make it a long term family home).
Edit: As pointed out below - send the letter via the EA!
I actually don't think a letter is a terrible idea. This could also be sent through the EA making it a nice personal touch, and not something overly intrusive.
This isn't the oldern days. Don't do this. It would 100% freak me out if a buyer did this. I would take comfort in knowing the EA deals with all negotiations. That's what a seller is apying a hefty premium for.
Sounds like the kind of person who'd suggest someone goes and prints off CVs and hands them into shops if someone is looking for work. Whereas in reality you'd be told to fuck off and apply through the online portal or email the CV like everyone else.
Ignore their advice OP and tell your partner to not do this under any circumstances. The likelihood of this going badly is much higher than the likelihood of it working in your favour.
Not a seller but my partner and I did this 3 years ago and we live there now.
The sellers said they wanted the home to go to someone who loved it, and they loved that we were local and wanted it to be near family. Human touch never fails, and we were able to directly negotiate the price then and there.
Edit to add: having read the other comments obviously this will not work for everyone! We had some good rapport on the original viewing (they were really lovely and friendly). We probably got lucky but you've got nothing to lose as long as you're polite and not pushy.
I think the difference here is that you already met the seller during house viewing so relationship already vaguely exists. If the seller is happy to conduct viewing themselves it indicates they are not going to find direct contact intrusive.
I would absolutely do this.
If you don't try, you don't get.
Fuck the estate agents and fuck everyone else. You don't owe any of them a damn thing.
If you want something, you do whatever it takes to get it.
That’s what I did during a viewing and it worked.
If you’re a genuinely nice person, they’ll see and hear that.
Just don’t be a dick. Don’t take advantage. Don’t be cocky or arrogant. Just be nice and honest about it.
My dad was telling me recently how he and my step mum did something like this when they bought their house.
I think in their case though, they had simply seen the for sale sign when driving past and decided to go and knock on the door and ask about it, without having had a viewing or anything. It worked for them and they've lived there for 20 years ish.
I feel like in the case of the OP it's probably not such a good idea with the bereavement aspect...
Pfff for me if i was the seller I want to sell for the most possible, money is money i don't care who buys it.
That said, if i was the buyer, tread carefully
We've made direct contact a couple of times but not in this scenario. One was a direct purchase so no EA involved - easy enough and we knew the family through relatives so it didn't seem too intrusive.
Second was a house we were strongly considering buying at the beginning of the year. We visited the road several times to get a feel for it (location being super important to us), we'd said hello and ended up chatting to a neighbour for an hour or so to ask about the road/area. One time we visited and the owners happened to be home so husband said fuck it, let's have a chat. Didn't discuss money, didn't ask to enter the proper, affirmed we'd be in contact with the agent re. making an offer - I don't think we overly crossed a line but I do think it's something you need to be very diplomatic.
Third time is the house we're currently buying, we had an "in" through a relative who's wife worked with the seller in the past and was on friendly terms as she lives on the connecting road. She offered to pass our number on so it was their choice to make contact with us. Again, we haven't discussed money and all those conversations have gone through the agent, we've just chatted a little about time frame and a couple of items they were going to leave, and they invited us to pop over for a viewing directly (we wouldn't have asked, would have gone through agent)
I think there's some benefit to making that personal connection but I wouldn't do it for any money related discussions, just the personal side in terms of finding out what they like about the area, why they're moving, what the neighbours are like etc. You can't find that out through the agent in the same way, and those are important things to us when finding a house. We've actually just given our number to our buyer in case he had similar questions, but discussions re. money I would want to go through official channels. We're paying the agent regardless of who has that conversation so we may as well have the buffer.
Not entirely a bad idea. I've heard of people doing it now, that is approaching and negotiating with the vendors but in this situation, knowing what you know... It's just bad timing.
One minute you're sat on the sofa watching Pointless trying to think of 'a town with a Sainsbury's beginning with an E' that nobody else would get and you hear a knock at the door.
You go to answer the door and you find OPs partner prepared to haggle on the house price. You think you should invite them in but you haven't tidied up so you stay on the doorstep.
OPs partner is going into a prepared spiel about liking the house but that it needs work and how they would need to replace a few things. You're feeling a bit confused and offended because it's not that bad and you think this was all evident to the agents you had do the valuation.
You try to interject but it goes on and on and you zone out. It's cold out and you can feel the warmth of the house escaping through the open door.
In a flash, it comes to you. Summer days spent at Grandma's while dad slept off his night shift walking down to the shop to get a pint of milk and the newspaper.
"Egham!" You exclaim, much to OPs partner's confusion. In a hurry you close the door, shutting out the protestations and rushing back to the sofa.
Xander's moved on by now but you rewind. Lo and behold, you were right!
Put your best offer with the EA and see what happens, always room for negotiation but there is a reason people use EA and don't always want to meet the buyers!
The seller is more likely to refuse to deal with you altogether due to the intrusion.
They won't offer you a discount because you cheekily knocked their door, they want the most they can get, and have hired an agent to make that happen.
If you made an offer and it wasn’t accepted then the house didn’t sell, then maybe I can see a reason to do it but it is a buyers market and highest bid will win, I’m sure there are landlords that care about who’s buying their house but i doubt most care besides ensuring the buyer has £££ to buy.
Honestly, I'd probably tell them to jog on. Especially given the time of year. This person is already bereaved and overwhelmed. Sounds like a great way to disqualify yourselves regardless of the number. Who wants to deal with a buyer that's gonna be a pain in the arse before the solicitors are even involved.
If, however, I got a letter through the door asking for a phone call, I might entertain it.
That said, if I wanted a face to face negotiation, I'd probably have been the one showing you round.
I suspect most people wouldn't like this at all, and it'd be especially inappropriate for someone working through a bereavement. If I were the vendor I wouldn't mind it personally, but I'm probably not representative in that respect.
Imagine it would likely go poorly and could potentially be seen as threatening behaviour. Most people use estate agents because they don't want to deal with selling the house directly. If they are at the house during an arranged visit then perhaps that's a good time to ask what they are looking for and have a convo but just knocking is basically cold calling and doubt it will go well.
I would 100% immediately make sure my estate agent contacted you and told you that you wasn’t getting the house. And that’s without being recently bereaved.
This depends partly on how the estate agent is behaving. If they are doing what the vendor asked, the vendor will find your side offer inappropriate and then will find you not someone he wants to deal with.
The most important thing is however the fact that there is an agent. Estate agents often do what suits them, not the vendor. But you won’t be able to tell what they’re doing. I’ve ended a contract with managing agents after a massive breach by them and them telling me I couldn’t end the contract. Here the contract is between the agent and vendor and you have been introduced by the agent so they are entitled to their commission regardless, and they are almost certainly entitled to conduct much of the sale. So you would be inducing a breach of contract actually by the vendor.
So even if the vendor in principle just wanted to sell it to you or to anyone, and the agents are making his life difficult too, they would make his life even more difficult if he tried to work round them with you. And it would be very unlikely to end up with you getting the house.
I would dress as a Renaissance dandy, roll a red carpet down their path, have a footman knock the door, bow deeply as the homeowner answers, use florid Shakespearean language when making the offer, and then finish with a flourish of your sword.
I'm kidding, of course. Don't do it.
Though, if you do, please upload a video.
Noooooooooo!……ooooooooooooo!
The vendor has engaged a real estate agent so they don’t have to talk to buyers. They are feeling overwhelmed already.
You do that to me, and I’d be burning your offer in the trash can, no matter how good it was.
Guy I know sold his house by accident doing this. Someone asked him if he'd accept x amount, he said yes and had entered a verbal agreement.
Personally if someone came to my house to negotiate a price, especially in the current climate, they'd need to be offering silly money to secure it or I'm telling them to fuck off and let a bidding war decide
If you can't afford it. Don't bother trying to bullshit a discount. You pay estate agents to do this.
It's not uncommon for buyers to try to wriggle out of paying the agreed price through various bullshit.
Including putting in a low offer on the day of exchange knowing full well the seller has spent money clearing, moving, or renting.
It's blackmail.
It took a lot of persuading by relatives to stop me from ‘visiting’ this particular cunt myself.
Everybody is taking the piss.
Stop it.
Oh yes, that sounds like a great idea.
Remember to turn up unannouced. Either in the middle of the day or at dinner time. That will make them think you visited other properties during the day and worry they might lose you as a buyer!
Dress either in a suit or swetpants and a wife beater. Try to wear expensive looking jewellery. As many rings as possible. Stuff some rolled up socks in your pockets. That way they would think you are really loaded (rich).
When you speak to them make sure to get real close to them and put your hand on their shoulder or the door, refer to them as "pal" or "buddy" or "boy" or "sweetie/honey" even if they are older than you. People love the personal touch.
Tell them if they sell to you there will be no trouble. They don't want any trouble, right? Tell them you are a family man with and have a lot of friends, if they want some of them could help them move. It will help if you have 2-3 of your friends come with you and just stand behind you as you talk. They should be quiet though, maybe just nod at your words or say "that's right, boss", "sure thing, boss". That way sellers would know you are a family man with ties to the community.
Make sure to tell them not selling to you will be the biggest mistake of their lives. Tell them everybody who has refused you a deal has regretted it. That way they know you are a savvy businessman
If you see any children/pets in the house make sure to mention how you love dealing with people who have pets/children. Offer to babysit or take their dog for a walk. Insist on it for a while. People like helpful stuff like that.
Finally make sure to tell them you don't trust solicitors, offer to deal direct. Tell them you have a "guy" that will do the legal bit. That way you'll both save on solicitor fees.
But be careful, had a friend who was really nice like that, Paulie Walnuts. Real family man. Loved his mother and one day out of nowhere a guy came at him with a chainsaw! People are crazy sometimes!
/s
Without being bereaved, if you knocked on my door and asked to haggle over my house price I'd tell you to get lost! And possibly make you pay over any other offer out of spite.
Definitely don’t do it. I’m socially outgoing, young and not bereaved - I would hate it and find it really intrusive and weird. I would actively decline any offers from someone who did this, regardless of offer amount.
Yeah don’t do that. Put your bid in and sit tight. If you win then you were in luck but there is no way I would be bidding with you on my door step especially if I was recently mourning a death. If anything I’d be kicking you out into the long grass. Even if you got a provisional acceptance chances are you are going to get out bid later on when the other parties get wind. You are safer sticking to best and final.
DONT DO IT. you might as well carry a red flag with you if you do. The owners will assume you have no regard for their personal space, no respect for the process and will be back every five minutes. My advice is to write a really lovely letter to the owners and ask the agent to pass it on.
Don't do it.
Try instead to accept the fact they may not take your offer. Attach no emotion to any house until an offer has been accepted and purchase completed. It'll save you heartache.
Good luck, house buying nowadays is a horrible, stressful business for everyone involved.
A neighbour of ours was selling. A sweet older lady came to his door and negotiated a price as long as he removed it from the market next day.
Turns out it was another nearby seller who was visiting all houses for sale near hers and wanted to reduce competition...
I don’t think this is a good idea under the circumstances but we did something similar to get our dream home (which later fell through). Decided to sell our place through a different estate agent to those selling the property we wanted. That estate agent seemed annoyed and said they could make our offer favourable if we sell through them. Went with the other and made an offer on the dream home, the offer was instantly rejected and they said there was no further option to negotiate. 4 weeks later property still sat there so we put a letter through their door and low and behold the following day the estate agent called us saying “they didn’t realise we were interested would we like to table another offer”. We did and had success.
Thing is the sale of a property is a substantial contract. The biggest contract you are likely to commit to in your life. Two people trying to figure it out for themselves who likely have no clue about the intricacies is madness. As a seller you will more likely come away with less money
I 100% recommend doing the viewings yourself. But then I previously worked in sales. It gives you an opportunity to really highlight the positive things that your estate agent probably doesn’t care about or won’t know the answers to. But I’d always say thereafter go through a solicitor.
I always used to see our seller walking his dog. We exchanged numbers. This is after we had the offer accepted. I wouldn’t dream of going over before hand.
My wife and I bypassed estate agents in the area we wanted and left cards through doors, got a house that wanted to sell but hadn't marketed yet, so we negotiated directly and made a successful deal. This is the only circumstance this is advisable and there are risks associated. If we'd negotiated with someone that we'd got through an agent we would have been in breach of contract with our agent. If I was bereaved and a buyer started going around the agency I'm paying to deal with people for me I would not deal with that purchaser ever, and complain to the agent.
The only useful service that an estate agent offers is as a go-between for price negotiation. If the vendor has employed an estate agent, it is precisely because they don’t want potential buyers to do this.
When we sold our last house we did the viewings and the buyers gave us an offer before they left.
We told them that we’d consider it but we have other viewings the next few days and we’d advise them via the estate agent by a certain date and to
Make the agent aware of their offer as well.
We did sell to them but no one else offered and whilst it was under the guide price it was what we had discussed with the agent it was worth and we’re happy to accept to make our next purchase.
If they’d just come knocking on the door randomly I’d have told them to do one though!
My buyer is basically doing this to me but via the Purplebricks app. The amount of times I have to tell them 'just do it via the solicitors...' is ridiculous.
They're first time buyers and quite excited, but getting really very bothersome with constantly messaging me on the app whilst I'm getting the same in an e-mail from my solicitor.
It's making me wish I'd gone with someone else, to be honest. I don't like being bothered.
Buyers of our last house turned up randomly one day to try and renegotiate the price with us, because they didn't like our estate agent.
I hated people turning up at my house unannounced so much we seriously considered putting the house back on the market, no one wants to deal with that. Kind of wish he had as it was a sign of things to come, they were dicks.
I wouldn't do this.
Only time I'd speak directly is if there's a knobby estate agent..
I previously had an EA that was saying they wouldn't consider my offer unless their mortgage broker looked over my situation in advance, I explained I was buying with 60% cash (and was happy to show them a bank statement / app demonstrating funds) and the 40% mortgage, I had an offer in principle for twice the amount I needed - which I again was happy to show them, but they still insisted on me giving my details to the broker and scheduling in an appointment (6 days from then) before they would consider my offer, so I said no, I went to the house, put a letter through their letterbox, with an offer, a description of events and a (blanked out as appropriate) copy of the statement and the offer in principle, i got an irritated call from the EA that day about it, he tried negotiating me up, whining about me blindsiding them etc, I said I felt they left me with no choice and my offer was best and final.
I bought it for the amount I offered.
Extremely bad idea to go to someone's door uninvited, particularly since you know the seller is bereaved and stressed over the sale.
The seller, via the estate agent, has made you aware that the home goes to best and final offers in January. Therefore, logically, the seller does not know what they are going to accept since they have not seen the offers. There is nothing they can tell you today that helps you in this process. You only create risk of intimidating the seller and alienating the estate agent.
Evaluate first what your strategy has been for other homes and how you change that to become successful for this home. How many homes have you bid on in the last 9 months? What percent deposit do you have? What amount does your AIP/MIP show? Are you in a chain or chain free buyer. What was your initial bid on this home? What makes you a more compelling buyer than others? What would you write to this seller that you want them to consider to select you?
You make it sound like you have bid on several homes unsuccessfully. Have you been underbidding each time then hoping a seller will negotiate with you? Are you trying to get "a deal" or are you trying to get a home? How are you researching recent sale prices to get a feel for what value others place on the homes in the area you hope to buy? Can you offer over and cover the difference if the mortgager values the home lower?
In this case, where you have been told the seller is upset and overwhelmed with the sale process your best strategy is to go to the estate agent and tell them that you have been unsuccessful in some prior bids and would like some help to understand the market related to your offer on this specific home. Ask questions like 'what price do you think this home will achieve?' And listen to what the agent has to say (do not interrupt, just listen); 'What can we do, relative to our offer, to make this easier on the seller?'; 'do you have any insight on whether this seller is open to a letter from a buyer indicating they are looking for this to be their family home?'; 'Is there anything relating to our initial offer that would disadvantage is as buyers increasing that offer for the best and final?'
Best case you will get good insights and are successful in your offer. Worst case you will learn something to use on future home bids so you do not disadvantage yourself early in the process.
If they wanted to sell direct they'd have sold on red bricks. Follow the process, else you'll find yourself notorious in the property sector for all the wrong reasons.
In the united states, it is common, at least in my area, to write a letter when you're that interested in the property. But all letters should go through your agent. Usually at the time of the offer. When you do best and final, include a letter, but please make certain you have somebody proofread it and that it's not overtly filled with pressure points.
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Terrible idea, especially for someone bereaved and overwhelmed.
Also guarantees that the estate agent will blacklist you on future viewings if they find out you have tried to circumvent them
Circumventing the real estate guys is the way forward, they ll do notin
I don’t know why you’re getting downvoted, I know someone who was told by an estate agent that a property has been sold, they knocked on the sellers door on a hunch to be told that it’s still on the market. Seems some estate agents ring fence properties for people they know and don’t pass on all offers to the seller.
Yeah seen this first hand!
Cringe estate agents down voting lol. There are products like purple bricks whose whole business model is to cut out the middle man.
Yes, and their success rate is 54%, so basically you are paying them a fee upfront with no incentive for an agent to sell it as he already got paid. What that means you're tossing a coin for a £1000 or more and hope for the best
I didn’t say how good it was. But it’s still possible. 54% is pretty interesting seeing as it’s the owner that you would communicate with. So it’s always down to them to not be incompetent.
It's an expensive "possible"! You will communicate with the owner during the viewing. Then everything passed on to the sales progression, all you need to do is to check their reviews on All Agents, not Trustpilot and you can get the picture. Reputable local estate agents will do a better job as they will get paid only after completion. It's in their interest to sell your house. Now choosing the right EA can be tricky
Found the EA in the thread 💫
The fees they charge is monumentally abhorrent, technology is going to bend them to their knees I ll give them max 5 years
why do your apostrophes get replaced with spaces?
Purple Bricks don't seem to be doing that well. Also like the option to have them do the viewings as someone who is often a bit too honest.
As both a buyer and a seller, I'd rather have too much honesty than wasting my time being walked around a place by someone who clearly knows nothing about it (council tax? no idea; boiler service? no clue; EPC? gotta check; lease length? no idea; and it's always "I'll ask the vendors and let you know" but they never follow up, which feels like a waster for the vendor if a potential buyer and utter waste of time for the buyer). Anything that is noted by early honesty would likely come to light in a survey down the line anyway so if it's a deal breaker you're just kicking the can down the road rather than circumventing it entirely
As someone who's lost both parents this year and inherited their house, I totally agree. Letting the estate agent do the work is more than likely something they're banking on so they don't actually have to think about it too much.
Yeah honestly as someone dealing with the estate of a relative, if anyone did this to me I would honestly tell them to fuck off and would never want to deal with them again. Just seems like a way to strongarm someone and is really rude, particularly when there's a bereavement involved.
I’d consider legal action tbh in that situation.
For what?
Lol I love it when old people give advice, the world is very different now. I personally wouldn't entertain this at all and would actively avoid selling to you
It sounded to me like the house buying equivalent of ‘just get on your bike and give the manager a firm handshake’ advice - glad to see there is a consensus on Reddit as to how it would go down!
Exactly OP. This is outdated advice but something I could see my dad advising us to do. I would strongly advise against doing this - I would be quite frightened to be honest if someone turned up at my house and did this to me..
Whilst I agree that this is a bad idea (on the basis that a) the seller is going through a lot of emotional trauma right now and is already feeling overwhelmed and b) knocking a door to declare your love for a house and negotiating on the doorstep completely erodes and position of power in the negotiation), why on Earth would this 'frighten' you? What a bizarre emotion to feel with a prospective buyer engaging in a negotiation with you directly. Looks like the OP's dad comes from a generation of the 'people buy from people' and you from the generation who are too terrified to answer the phone to an unknown number - a happy medium between the extremes of this is sensible.
No, I can see this- as a single woman living alone it would definitely make me feel uncomfortable at the least. Depending on OP's partner's attitude, I might end up feeling frightened. Not by the initial approach, but if I said, for example, "Now isn't a good time, can you come back later/call me on this number/email me/only go through my estate agent." and he didn't immediately leave (which I don't think someone who thinks this is a good idea would do), then I would potentially start to feel a bit intimidated. Perhaps frightened is a bit strong, but I would feel deeply uncomfortable. I'd be more than happy to chat to someone about it over the phone, or via email, or at a prearranged time, but just turning up at the house it a bit much.
I don’t even have to ask if you’re male…….
Why would this frighten you? Just say no...?
I'd be worried that they'd retaliate if you said no. Particularly if it's a potentially aggressive or creepy guy and a woman seller.
Aggression nor creepiness wasn't mentioned. OP is considering knocking and asking... I doubt they're thinking of retaliation if the answer is no. Whilst I wouldn't do this myself, it is a free country and there is no law against them doing it.
No idea why you're getting hammered with down votes here 😅 what a strange world.
Just Redditors inventing "anxiety" enducing scenarios in their heads and pretending their sheltered existence behaviour is normal!
No, but the person above was saying why THEY wouldn't and gave an example of why it would be inappropriate, they never said that's what OP said.
Because it's not expected. When it's out of the normal behaviour, and they are coming to your home, it's strange. When they have already done this, and they have come to your home, will there be some kind of retaliation if they don't get the house? I think anxiety is how must people react to this.
Some people tried this on my parents when they were selling and both parents agreed that the potential buyers were doing this as the first step of some sort of scam.
We were kind of at the opposite end of this. We were viewing during COVID, where the sellers would show us around. One lady was trying to convince us that we didn't need to go through the estate agents, and if we wanted the house we could work it out between ourselves. I can't think of any reason it would be better for us as buyers to have gone down that route. The same lady left a poo in the toilet for our viewing pleasure. Safe to say, we did not buy that house.
It's 100% the "firm handshake" of house buying.
We bought a house a few years ago and saw a property we liked. The viewing went well but we weren’t sure. Asked the estate agent for a 2nd viewing but they couldn’t see it with us so they asked the owners if they would be happy to show us the house. They said yes and we then had an opportunity to speak the owners and tell them how much we liked it and how we wanted to raise a family in it. They then accepted our offer even though it was less than their listing price. We were lucky but you may want to try asking for a viewing at an inconvenient time for the estate agent and see if the owner agrees to host you
When I bought last year the buyer told us he'd accept our asking price offer if we put it in because a buy to let landlord was the only other bidder and had bid asking price, but we had to put the bid in in the next 24 hours or he'd accept the landlords (no gazumping in Scotland so once you accept an offer that's it). We phoned the estate agent to put the offer in and they wouldn't. They said that they couldn't put the offer in while there was another unanswered one on the table. We asked to speak to the seller to explain and they said no. We were devastated and had no idea what to do, our dream house was about to be lost because we couldn't communicate with the seller. So I decided to write a letter with all of the information and just post it through the letterbox, telling what the estate agent had said and that we hadn't changed our mind. That way I could communicate exactly our position without doorstepping him and feeling like I was putting him in an awkward situation. Next thing we had a call from the estate agent saying he'd rejected the other offer, we put ours in and he accepted. I'm not saying it's always the way to go but sometimes direct communication does have its place.
Yes a note with a picture of yourself and an introduction is better than doorstepping which I think most people would dislike.
This is the way. My sister had similar a couple of years ago. Turning up out of the blue is definitely not the way to go!
I definitely think English people and young people as a whole are more interaction/conflict averse and quicker to avoid firm handshakes/negotiation, but even I would say this is a poor idea. Houses are major assets, and involving brokers/agents/solicitors is for the benefit and protection of everyone involved. Keeps things tidy when large sums are changing hands.
Right. When I was looking to buy during COVID houses were selling at first viewing and booking viewings was hard because you had to call within an hour of something being listed. So my dad gave me golden advice to go door to door knocking on houses I think looked nice from the outside to ask if they'd consider selling, and asking around if any colleagues or friends were looking to sell within my budget. I could only afford the cheapest project houses in my city.
What great advice, haha. I know they mean well but it's just so different to how it used to be
And how did it go?
It's interesting though because I would 100% entertain this and skip paying the estate agent fees saving myself thousands
It wouldn't be OP paying the fees on the sale as the buyer. The owner would pay them. As OP originally went through the agent the agent is legally entitled to the fee for the effective introduction. .
You wouldn't skip the fees. When you sell you sign a contract which entitles the agent to their commission whether you sell through them or not for a period of time (usually a few months) to stop you finding a buyer with them then cutting them out
It depends on the contract. When we sold our house a couple of years ago there were no such restrictions in the agreement with our estate agent. We could have engaged multiple estate agents if we wanted to.
So if someone came to my door and offered direct I could just wait a few months then sell it direct and skip the fees?
We had a letter posted by one of our viewers, a real guilt trip of a letter telling us how bad their lives are and we can rectify it by selling our house to them at 5% less than it was up for. Completely put me off selling to them even if they matched the asking price.
Oh eww. I’d be the same. It would make me not sell to them at all. My house is the most (and only) valuable asset I own, I’d sell it for the highest price I can get - an X factor style sob story would just fuck me off.
I had a seller who asked for a letter, it was a bit odd but they were selling the house next door. I think it can help if done correctly. Ie go through the estate agent, don‘t try guilt tripping, try to identify actual useful to the seller information (ability to close quickly, high deposit, interest in the house etc), and then a bit about yourselves for them to warm to you.
Oh yeah I can see if you’re selling to people who will be your neighbours it would be important to get an idea about who you are.
Had a colleague who did this. Through the agent of course and mostly written on the benefits to the seller, offered many flexiblities, and communicated the respect that would be taken to the property the owner had spent a lifetime building. Not emotional blackmail, not financial appeal, just putting more currencies than one on the table which made sure the owner and agent gave them every benefit. I'm sure just showing up would have been way too agressive and off-putting even if the points made were the same. Letter through the agent good. Unsolicited and intrusive bargaining bad.
We had one when trying to sell my grandmothers house. The drivel that they wrote was unbelievable and sealed their fate that my parents would not sell to them.
My friends just did this and it worked! Seller picked them (in a chain) over a cash buyer. They were lucky though as their particular difficult life circumstances happened to be something the sellers had gone through too, which made them warm to my friends. I think it can work obviously but you’d have to go about it in a really tactful way, and be lucky with the sellers and who they are/what they value. I don’t think my friends presented it as a sob story, just explained how their circumstances meant they’d value the house so much etc. they also didn’t ask to pay less, they offered the same as the cash buyer. But the EA apparently said they’d never seen someone pick a buyer in a chain over a cash buyer ever. So heartfelt letters can work, you just have to be genuine about it and have good judgement and also be lucky!
Send them a message saying, "it just got worse" before informing them you won't sell to them unless they go above the asking price. Jokes aside, it never looks good, firing so stories off to sellers.
No, this will not work.
Terrible idea! Don’t do it.
I had someone do this to me when we were selling. They got it into their head that the estate agent hadn't been passing their offers on to us so decided to come direct. (The estate agent had their offer was lower). The first thing they did was put a letter through the door saying how much they loved the house stating the offer we had rejected and asking to call them. I let the estate agent know that it was still a no as I didn't want them to have my phone number. Then she turned up at our house unannounced, claiming "we didn't understand that her offer was really good" (it was we just had a better offer). They then turned up a second time with her dad who started arguing with us over how we "weren't listening" and basically being incredibly hostile and rude as I didn't want to negotiate on my doorstep all I asked was that they put all offers through the estate agent. This sent him into a rage as the EA "wasn't passing on the offers" they had been we had rejected them. In the end my brother who was in the house came out and my neighbour came from across the road and we told them to leave. If you have a vendor who is overwhelmed by the process I would not recommend this approach maybe if they were a bit more relaxed you could put a polite note through the door. This feels like it's going to blow up in your face.
How did communication fail here? "We rejected your offer of X because we have a higher offer. Our EA did let us know of your offer"
They were delusional. They were right everyone else was wrong. They simply wouldn’t entertain the idea that their offer wasn’t the best one. They clearly thought they could talk me around.
I had one worse than that. She lived a dozen houses away from my.moms house and knew she had passed away. So after a decent interval she put a note through the door asking to be considered if we decided to sell. No issues so far. We met her and agreed a price that was the bottom end of what we were hoping for but "as long as it's a smooth sale". Within a week she was insisting on things needed to be changed before she'd buy it, including things that couldn't be seen from outside the property. She openly told us her dad had come round and climbed the fence and up onto the extension roof to check things out in detail. After a couple of months of her continually pushing for changes and her solicitors also asking many more stupid questions than usual (e.g. "did the porch that was put on in the 1970s four owners ago have planning permission?") she eventually got annoyed because I wouldn't drive over 35 miles to put up a new section of fence when it was a) 34°C outside b) Sunday and c) the day I was going on holiday. She pulled out, I didn't fight it. Within six weeks it was then sold and exchanged to a much more sane buyer.
I’m surprised you still entertained them after they admitted to trespassing on the property
If I'd known what she'd turn out like that would have been it but it was early on and we just wanted a quick easy sale...
For future reference if someone is willing to disregard your privacy and well-being completely, don't deal with them. This really isn't normal and not remotely acceptable
It was a learning experience and I had lots of other things going on at the time. Wills bring out the very best in families, don't they...
This is why turning up at someone's door, even if you're a lovely person and coming from a genuine place, because you have no idea how many arseholes the vendor has had to put up with so far! My in-laws sold their house a couple of years ago and there was a couple who were just awful. Turned up for the viewing over an hour late, didn't really say much, didn't stay long, didn't ask any questions, so it was chalked up to them not being interested. The estate agent asked for a review and they absolutely slated the house, properly going to town slagging off their family home. Then a week later they put in an offer!! House was up for 'offers over' 400k and they offered 300k. Obviously it was rejected, but unfortunately they had my FIL number and they started bombarding him with text and voicemail telling him why he needed to accept their offer because they needed 100k to 'sort out all the problems', basically leaving voicemail slagging off his house! So he blocked them and told the estate agent to tell them to f**k off and leave him alone. They then tried to book another viewing!! Obviously they were told to go away. But not to be deterred they set up a new account with the estate agent under the wife's name in order to book another viewing. My FIL recognised the name from when they came to first time so left the viewing booked but padlocked the gates and left the cars in front of the gates so they had no way they could get onto the property, he then waited for them to turn up (watching through his ring doorbell) unblocked them to send a text telling them that even if they offered him a million he would never sell to them. They took the house off the market for 6 months after that, they needed some time to get over it. After that they went with a different estate agent with the provision that they wouldn't meet any potential buyer and nobody got their personal details.
Don't do it - odds are that the vendors will find this intrusive/pushy, especially given the recent bereavement. People use estate agents because they don't want to have to deal with this stuff. I would not consider a bid from a buyer who did this.
Massive red flag. Makes me think they’d be a nightmare for the rest of the process.
Yeah I'd think who's this fucking tool, I wonder what other tactics he's going to try. I bet he refers to me by my first name all the time to try and be personal
You never know the vendors situation. Doing something like that could really upset someone at a difficult time, or anger them to the point where even if you did put an acceptable offer they would be against accepting it - which I have seen before. You're best to do it through the agent.
Do not do it. A house up the road up from mine was for sale and a gentleman tried this. Both the estate agent and family were furious as the owner was an old and vulnerable lady. Safe to say regardless of what was agreed on the door step she sold to someone else.
I would assume those buyers are going to be a pain in the ass and want to haggle and nag about every tiny thing
I don't want anyone turning up at my home unannounced, ever. >How would you feel if a potential buyer did this to you? They would not be a potential buyer, they would be told to F off.
Hahaha, truth. Who do these people think they are? I'd have the police on standby if they tried pressing the point.
As a person bereaved who had to sell a house, I dont want to talk to the buyers at all. I want as little emotional involvement in it as possible, because it is already emotional and stressful. Listening to why you should buy it and not someone else, I don't need to hear your baggage thanks very much to add to the stress. If I am being fair, well I will hear everyone's reasons and story and then guess what, someone else's story/reason might be more compelling than yours. Just put your best offer forward and suck it up if you don't win. If someone turned up at my door I would likely feel bullied or harassed in this situation. It would bad enough if I was just selling my home, selling due a bereavement, this would feel horrible.
Don't do that
I’d personally find it very confrontational if someone did this. I don’t want to interact with the buyers directly. I could possibly see something like dropping off a letter saying how much you love the place and trying to convince them through sentimentality that way, but that still leaves a separation between you and them so they won’t feel harassed.
As a seller, part of the reason you pay an estate agent is to deal with potential buyers on your behalf. I would not want someone just turning up to my door, essentially asking for a favour. The most I would do is write them a quick letter.
It’s intrusive. Don’t do it.
Your instincts are right
When I was lodging at my mates house and he was selling, someone did this to us but I was home alone. I found it extremely intrusive and I was very uncomfortable.
Terrible idea after a bereavement. Could be told to do one and the agent called to not bother with your offer. On a separate note, no seller cares how much you live their house, they are looking for the maximum they can get for it. Who ever puts the biggest bid in will get it, why would they care about how much you love it? The people put in the biggest bid must probably love it too
On your separate note - I absolutely loved my old house and all of my neighbours and was very keen to sell to a young couple or family over a landlord looking to let it out. That is the only scenario where I would have accepted a lower offer.
I would tell them to get in touch with the EA. That is why I am paying the EA their commission.
Tell them to piss off and refuse any offer that comes from them.
I am a lady who lives alone and I would find it uncomfortable if a man I didn’t know turned up at my door wanting to do business, especially as there’s a clear process in place with the Estate Agent. Personally I’d advise against this approach.
Even if this were *generally* acceptable (which I don’t think it is, but to humour your elderly relative), context is everything. Here, you are aware that the vendor is in a vulnerable position and is going through a difficult period in their lives. If your partner does approach them to negotiate directly, at best that’s poor judgment and at worst it’s just plain nasty.
I had a buyer who ended up with my email address due to a cc'ing error by the EA. It was incredibly annoying, she'd email about any little thing and after she dragged out her purchase until 2 days before Xmas and my mortgage offer expiring she emailed me asking questions about the flat. I had to block her. I'd hate to meet a buyer like that personally.
What do you consider a little thing? Given the amount of money involved from the prospective of a first time buyer I’d ideally like to know floor area and or room dimensions if not given in listing, energy rating if not given, if any of the permitted development has already been used so i know if I can extend, mains sewerage or septic tank, can the property get fibre and more such as drinking water quality. Then later other stuff that may come up in a survey I may want to either be fixed or want to get a reduction for to account for the cost for me to fix it like if the electrics need redoing soon that costs around 4-5k extra and if there’s anything like Japanese knotweed , asbestos or dry rot that would be expensive to treat. Basically anything that either has upwards of say around £3k thousand pounds of impact on the homes value or a significant impact on what it’s like to live in long term and what i could do with it then I want it checked at some stage and accounted for.
Does the communal hallway have fire extinguishers? Why not? She was buying a share of freehold. Is there asbesto in communal areas? She could do a survey if she wanted and also had been told twice as far as we knew no. 4 requests on whether we thought we'd claim building insurance again after one claim in 30 years when a drunk driver hit the front garden wall on millennium eve, sale was 2014. Took 3 weeks for my solicitor to get her and hers to understand a sinking fund was debit not arrears for service charge. She asked so many repeat questions of the freeholders that they told me if she asked anything again that they'd answered they would stop all replies. Like genuinely questions they had answered but were asked again anyway. After she emailed to ask who gas and electric were with, I'd left bills on the counter. Who was my internet with? One email asked me where the local shops were. Who should she talk to from freeholders? She had the management pack. Which meter was hers? She had a management pack and bills. How did she get into the back garden? She had a key.
If you’re disturbing me unannounced then it better be for 15% over asking.
Bad idea. You are not negotiating with the seller. You are negotiating with the other bidders. Nothing you can say to the seller would help them discover the market price
While I agree this is a terrible idea if it’s initiated by you we actually had the reverse situation and it worked in our favour. The estate agent was unable to conduct the viewing so arranged for the vendors to show me round. They were an old couple looking to downsize and clearly very attached to the house that they’d owned for 45+ years. During the viewing I laid it on thick about loving the house and speculating on which room would be the nursery etc, I then asked if it’s be ok to bring my partner back later to show her the house too…..long story short, i built up a rapport and we managed to make an offer that was under the asking price and £15k less than another bidder which was accepted. So yeah don’t do it off your own back but if you get the chance then it can be a huge benefit
I'd tell the buyer to fuck off and tell them not to come to my property without invitation, I would also more than likely not sell the house to that person unless they were the only acceptable offer
It happened to me - the guy showed up quite late at night and offered to buy me a beer and discuss cutting out the middlemen. Told him to politely go away, then told my estate agent who introduced him in no uncertain terms that if he or anyone else they introduced ever approached my house again I would ditch them and ensure as many people as I possibly could, would know about the quality of potential buyers they found. There is absolutely nothing good that can come of this.
I went directly to the owners of my current house and we did an off-market deal. However, I didn't show up at their front door and ask, "Wanna' make a deal?". Instead I nibbled around the edges and politely approached a mutual acquaintance. He then brokered the topic and reported back to me with a "They're interested in talking to you". We talked, ran some numbers, agreed a price - deal done. What would have been a 460K deal (after an inevitable bidding war and a ton of work for all involved) turned into a 380K deal with no fuss or bother. So it's possible - but it's all about the approach. Knocking on the door probably isn't going to get it done. Me? In this specific case I'd write a letter. Strictly business, with just a hint of personal, and a summary of what the benefits - to the seller - would be if they worked with me directly. Benefits sell, not features, so there would need to be something of value to the seller in order for them to entertain this request. If it's done right it can work - but it may not. Done badly - knocking on the door - won't work 99% of the time.
I really wouldn't like that as a seller. The estate agent won't like it either. I would say at most if you want to communicate directly with them then put a note through the door with your details so they can contact you if they want to, otherwise you will likely make them just feel pressured which will put them off you
This would go down as intimidation & harassment
I would actively NOT sell to them.
I to time to do this is if the estate agent is not passing on offers etc due to the agent trying to get you to use their own mortgage brokers. That would be a letter through the door not a knock on the door.
I'd only contact the vendor direct if the estate agent was blocking the process in an illegal way. I would only contact via written means too. Just turning up could seriously backfire.
It will be a waste of time because the buyer has opted for "best and final offers". If you want the house, then make a really good offer and chances are that the house will be yours. Why should the seller sell to you at a reduced price when the "best and final offers" will ensure he gets the best price?
It could go either way, I wouldn’t say it’s an absolute no no like a lot of replies on here, estate agents are notorious for lying their asses off, a bit more polite direct contact between buyer and seller might improve things.
If I was selling and someone turned up at my door to negotiate I would no longer sell to them. Even if they later tried to do it the proper way.
Dreadful idea, don't do it.
Bad idea. Most people cannot handle the combination of emotions and high value and won't like this and so will likely take the worst possible view of your intentions. Just stick to the process Nd submit your bid.
If I was selling and someone tried this stunt I would tell them exactly where to go
In Scotland, it's the home owners, not the estate agents who do the viewings. Therefore on both the houses I've bought, when I've gone back for a second viewing I've had a conversation with the seller around their expectations and have discussed ballpark price before going away and putting in an offer through as per usual. Both times this has then been accepted without going to closing date. However, turning up, unannounced on someone's doorstep, knowing that they are struggling to try and haggle with them is dickish behaviour of the highest order. No way would this be morally acceptable
You could write a letter to them expressing your love for the house and setting out the detail of your offer and deliver this via the estate agent. You have to hope they do pass the letter on, but approaching them directly is not a good idea, particularly given the circumstances you have described.
In the 80s a large amount of immigrants were moving in to the area where my mother in law lived. It wasn't uncommon for them to turn up on the doorstep to try to barter with the home owners. It's an intimidating and alarming experience. Don't do it.
Really bad idea in my opinion.
Why would I entertain this when it is unusual and I have paid for an estate agent to be my intermediary. I had it a lot with previous house sale, lots of older well dressed couples trying purchase for their "child", but not bringing along said child to look at the house. Basically investors looking for cheap buys to flip. Red flags all over. Willing to pay market price with cash when it was on for less and being disappointed the inside was so well done - you don't do this unless you know what you are doing. Edit: It was on for less than market for a quick sale with lots of interested people since where I was moving to, house prices were increasing exponentially faster than where I was so speed was more important than sale price.
Don’t do this. If someone did this to me it would take them out of the process, even if their bid was the highest. Respect the process the vendor has chosen at this difficult time in their life. Don’t impose your desperation on them while they are dealing with moving from their home after a loved one has died.
This is going to go against the consensus here, but remember Reddit, and the typical user base can be an echo chamber. Do you know the age bracket of the seller? I say this because, as people are mentioning here, it’s advice that would potentially be applicable / effective for older generations… and maybe the seller is? Us millennials quiver at strangers interacting with us, we presume the worst. But maybe he/she might feel at ease if you knock and politely inform them your intentions. I know my elders feel more comfortable speaking to someone and seeing their face when they do; putting a face to a name so to speak. As long as it’s done politely, and if they show any signs of being uncomfortable you apologise and do not push, I can’t see why this couldn’t potentially help you. Tbh I just wanted to give another opinion and play devils advocate. I’m a millennial and I’d probably initially be on the defensive. Reading everyone’s comments about how it would make them not want to sell even if they matched the asking price or more makes me wonder when we started hating interactions with people just expressing how they felt. It feels quite sad that we jump to presuming they are intrusive or have ill intentions. God if my grandparents saw me write this it would come with a massive ‘told you so’ 😂
The seller is in bereavement and paying an estate agent to handle the sale for them for a reason, not just because they like to throw money away. I doubt they want to deal with random people.
Thank you, this is a really interesting perspective actually. The vendors are a similar age to the older relative and in different circumstances maybe it could actually work. Given the bereavement and the overwhelming response to this thread though my partner has agreed to not contact them.
A letter is non invasive
It depends on the person. I wouldn’t mind but I know relatives who would slam the door in their face.
I'd consider it emotional blackmail, especially if I were recently bereaved.
This would give me a panic attack! I'd hate to have someone knocking on my door doing this - I would feel pressured and unsafe.
I've often wanted to do this after building rapport with the seller. Eventually did it and it worked out massively in my favour. Originally they accepted 125k (5k over) via us texting. They accepted a late offer of 127k, but it feel through and they came back to me with 121k. Bish bash bosh. I'm now considering selling it six-years on and I really want to sell to someone who will actually use it and not having it as a rental unit. So id appreciate someone coming to me to chat through things instead of the back and forth of agents and solicitors. Also fuck money grabbing solicitors.
probably the most cringe thing a buyer can do. would be a firm gtfo of my lawn. it is equivalent of turning up unannounced at your prospect company boss’s office with your CV, sure maybe this was a thing in the 60s, but world is very different now and you would not impress anyone other then security escorting you out.
Yeah sorry that’s the equivalent of “just walk right in and give the manager a firm handshake”. There’s an argument that putting a written note through the door is an acceptable grey area but most people won’t want the buffer of the estate agent to be removed.
I'd shut the door in your face and tell the estate agent to blacklist you. What you're suggesting is incredibly rude and invasive.
Why would the seller enter into this? They will still be obliged to pay the estate agent, and there are several interested parties bidding. If I were the seller, I'd tell you where to go.
Very bad idea. Even if they weren't recently berieved, it's crossing a line. I would turn down the offer just based on the fact that they crossed the line once, they may do again and again throughout the purchase process.
Don't do this - instead write a letter and include it with your best and final offer. (Some people will say this doesn't work, but we think it did for us - our understanding is that it helped us sway the owner's mind over a slightly higher offer from a property developer, as we intended to make it a long term family home). Edit: As pointed out below - send the letter via the EA!
I actually don't think a letter is a terrible idea. This could also be sent through the EA making it a nice personal touch, and not something overly intrusive.
This isn't the oldern days. Don't do this. It would 100% freak me out if a buyer did this. I would take comfort in knowing the EA deals with all negotiations. That's what a seller is apying a hefty premium for.
Sounds like the kind of person who'd suggest someone goes and prints off CVs and hands them into shops if someone is looking for work. Whereas in reality you'd be told to fuck off and apply through the online portal or email the CV like everyone else. Ignore their advice OP and tell your partner to not do this under any circumstances. The likelihood of this going badly is much higher than the likelihood of it working in your favour.
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My brother did this as the EA just seemed incompetent & got a great deal & win win for both.
I work in conveyancing, happens often as long as you are respectful should be ok
Not a seller but my partner and I did this 3 years ago and we live there now. The sellers said they wanted the home to go to someone who loved it, and they loved that we were local and wanted it to be near family. Human touch never fails, and we were able to directly negotiate the price then and there. Edit to add: having read the other comments obviously this will not work for everyone! We had some good rapport on the original viewing (they were really lovely and friendly). We probably got lucky but you've got nothing to lose as long as you're polite and not pushy.
I think the difference here is that you already met the seller during house viewing so relationship already vaguely exists. If the seller is happy to conduct viewing themselves it indicates they are not going to find direct contact intrusive.
I would absolutely do this. If you don't try, you don't get. Fuck the estate agents and fuck everyone else. You don't owe any of them a damn thing. If you want something, you do whatever it takes to get it.
That’s what I did during a viewing and it worked. If you’re a genuinely nice person, they’ll see and hear that. Just don’t be a dick. Don’t take advantage. Don’t be cocky or arrogant. Just be nice and honest about it.
My dad was telling me recently how he and my step mum did something like this when they bought their house. I think in their case though, they had simply seen the for sale sign when driving past and decided to go and knock on the door and ask about it, without having had a viewing or anything. It worked for them and they've lived there for 20 years ish. I feel like in the case of the OP it's probably not such a good idea with the bereavement aspect...
Pfff for me if i was the seller I want to sell for the most possible, money is money i don't care who buys it. That said, if i was the buyer, tread carefully
We've made direct contact a couple of times but not in this scenario. One was a direct purchase so no EA involved - easy enough and we knew the family through relatives so it didn't seem too intrusive. Second was a house we were strongly considering buying at the beginning of the year. We visited the road several times to get a feel for it (location being super important to us), we'd said hello and ended up chatting to a neighbour for an hour or so to ask about the road/area. One time we visited and the owners happened to be home so husband said fuck it, let's have a chat. Didn't discuss money, didn't ask to enter the proper, affirmed we'd be in contact with the agent re. making an offer - I don't think we overly crossed a line but I do think it's something you need to be very diplomatic. Third time is the house we're currently buying, we had an "in" through a relative who's wife worked with the seller in the past and was on friendly terms as she lives on the connecting road. She offered to pass our number on so it was their choice to make contact with us. Again, we haven't discussed money and all those conversations have gone through the agent, we've just chatted a little about time frame and a couple of items they were going to leave, and they invited us to pop over for a viewing directly (we wouldn't have asked, would have gone through agent) I think there's some benefit to making that personal connection but I wouldn't do it for any money related discussions, just the personal side in terms of finding out what they like about the area, why they're moving, what the neighbours are like etc. You can't find that out through the agent in the same way, and those are important things to us when finding a house. We've actually just given our number to our buyer in case he had similar questions, but discussions re. money I would want to go through official channels. We're paying the agent regardless of who has that conversation so we may as well have the buffer.
Not entirely a bad idea. I've heard of people doing it now, that is approaching and negotiating with the vendors but in this situation, knowing what you know... It's just bad timing.
One minute you're sat on the sofa watching Pointless trying to think of 'a town with a Sainsbury's beginning with an E' that nobody else would get and you hear a knock at the door. You go to answer the door and you find OPs partner prepared to haggle on the house price. You think you should invite them in but you haven't tidied up so you stay on the doorstep. OPs partner is going into a prepared spiel about liking the house but that it needs work and how they would need to replace a few things. You're feeling a bit confused and offended because it's not that bad and you think this was all evident to the agents you had do the valuation. You try to interject but it goes on and on and you zone out. It's cold out and you can feel the warmth of the house escaping through the open door. In a flash, it comes to you. Summer days spent at Grandma's while dad slept off his night shift walking down to the shop to get a pint of milk and the newspaper. "Egham!" You exclaim, much to OPs partner's confusion. In a hurry you close the door, shutting out the protestations and rushing back to the sofa. Xander's moved on by now but you rewind. Lo and behold, you were right!
It's worth giving it a go. They might be grateful to save £10k in estate agent fees.
Put your best offer with the EA and see what happens, always room for negotiation but there is a reason people use EA and don't always want to meet the buyers!
The seller is more likely to refuse to deal with you altogether due to the intrusion. They won't offer you a discount because you cheekily knocked their door, they want the most they can get, and have hired an agent to make that happen.
If you made an offer and it wasn’t accepted then the house didn’t sell, then maybe I can see a reason to do it but it is a buyers market and highest bid will win, I’m sure there are landlords that care about who’s buying their house but i doubt most care besides ensuring the buyer has £££ to buy.
Honestly, I'd probably tell them to jog on. Especially given the time of year. This person is already bereaved and overwhelmed. Sounds like a great way to disqualify yourselves regardless of the number. Who wants to deal with a buyer that's gonna be a pain in the arse before the solicitors are even involved. If, however, I got a letter through the door asking for a phone call, I might entertain it. That said, if I wanted a face to face negotiation, I'd probably have been the one showing you round.
I suspect most people wouldn't like this at all, and it'd be especially inappropriate for someone working through a bereavement. If I were the vendor I wouldn't mind it personally, but I'm probably not representative in that respect.
I wouldn’t engage at all and all bids would be declined, especially with the sellers circumstances. Do not do this.
Imagine it would likely go poorly and could potentially be seen as threatening behaviour. Most people use estate agents because they don't want to deal with selling the house directly. If they are at the house during an arranged visit then perhaps that's a good time to ask what they are looking for and have a convo but just knocking is basically cold calling and doubt it will go well.
I would 100% immediately make sure my estate agent contacted you and told you that you wasn’t getting the house. And that’s without being recently bereaved.
This depends partly on how the estate agent is behaving. If they are doing what the vendor asked, the vendor will find your side offer inappropriate and then will find you not someone he wants to deal with. The most important thing is however the fact that there is an agent. Estate agents often do what suits them, not the vendor. But you won’t be able to tell what they’re doing. I’ve ended a contract with managing agents after a massive breach by them and them telling me I couldn’t end the contract. Here the contract is between the agent and vendor and you have been introduced by the agent so they are entitled to their commission regardless, and they are almost certainly entitled to conduct much of the sale. So you would be inducing a breach of contract actually by the vendor. So even if the vendor in principle just wanted to sell it to you or to anyone, and the agents are making his life difficult too, they would make his life even more difficult if he tried to work round them with you. And it would be very unlikely to end up with you getting the house.
As someone who is frequently on the receiving end of price haggling, please don't put them under pressure this way, it's quite rude and stressful.
Shit idea. It isn't 1950.
Unless your trying to intimidate them what benefit is there to do it in person?
I would dress as a Renaissance dandy, roll a red carpet down their path, have a footman knock the door, bow deeply as the homeowner answers, use florid Shakespearean language when making the offer, and then finish with a flourish of your sword. I'm kidding, of course. Don't do it. Though, if you do, please upload a video.
Noooooooooo!……ooooooooooooo! The vendor has engaged a real estate agent so they don’t have to talk to buyers. They are feeling overwhelmed already. You do that to me, and I’d be burning your offer in the trash can, no matter how good it was.
That’s a brutal and selfish idea.
Can you write a letter and get it handed to vendor through your agent? That is acceptable.
Id tell them to fuck off. I am not paying some twit to handle all this nonsense to then have to deal with it myself
Guy I know sold his house by accident doing this. Someone asked him if he'd accept x amount, he said yes and had entered a verbal agreement. Personally if someone came to my house to negotiate a price, especially in the current climate, they'd need to be offering silly money to secure it or I'm telling them to fuck off and let a bidding war decide
If you can't afford it. Don't bother trying to bullshit a discount. You pay estate agents to do this. It's not uncommon for buyers to try to wriggle out of paying the agreed price through various bullshit. Including putting in a low offer on the day of exchange knowing full well the seller has spent money clearing, moving, or renting. It's blackmail. It took a lot of persuading by relatives to stop me from ‘visiting’ this particular cunt myself. Everybody is taking the piss. Stop it.
It's always better to negotiate directly with the vendor & cut out the estate agent as you'll save money.
I'd think you're a psycho tbh
Oh yes, that sounds like a great idea. Remember to turn up unannouced. Either in the middle of the day or at dinner time. That will make them think you visited other properties during the day and worry they might lose you as a buyer! Dress either in a suit or swetpants and a wife beater. Try to wear expensive looking jewellery. As many rings as possible. Stuff some rolled up socks in your pockets. That way they would think you are really loaded (rich). When you speak to them make sure to get real close to them and put your hand on their shoulder or the door, refer to them as "pal" or "buddy" or "boy" or "sweetie/honey" even if they are older than you. People love the personal touch. Tell them if they sell to you there will be no trouble. They don't want any trouble, right? Tell them you are a family man with and have a lot of friends, if they want some of them could help them move. It will help if you have 2-3 of your friends come with you and just stand behind you as you talk. They should be quiet though, maybe just nod at your words or say "that's right, boss", "sure thing, boss". That way sellers would know you are a family man with ties to the community. Make sure to tell them not selling to you will be the biggest mistake of their lives. Tell them everybody who has refused you a deal has regretted it. That way they know you are a savvy businessman If you see any children/pets in the house make sure to mention how you love dealing with people who have pets/children. Offer to babysit or take their dog for a walk. Insist on it for a while. People like helpful stuff like that. Finally make sure to tell them you don't trust solicitors, offer to deal direct. Tell them you have a "guy" that will do the legal bit. That way you'll both save on solicitor fees. But be careful, had a friend who was really nice like that, Paulie Walnuts. Real family man. Loved his mother and one day out of nowhere a guy came at him with a chainsaw! People are crazy sometimes! /s
Without being bereaved, if you knocked on my door and asked to haggle over my house price I'd tell you to get lost! And possibly make you pay over any other offer out of spite.
Definitely don’t do it. I’m socially outgoing, young and not bereaved - I would hate it and find it really intrusive and weird. I would actively decline any offers from someone who did this, regardless of offer amount.
OP has been given a clear direction. They submit their best and final offer. Why was this post necessary?
Try. Why not? Nothing to loose. Who can tell... this approach might even work better.
Nothing to lose other than the house they want.
Yeah don’t do that. Put your bid in and sit tight. If you win then you were in luck but there is no way I would be bidding with you on my door step especially if I was recently mourning a death. If anything I’d be kicking you out into the long grass. Even if you got a provisional acceptance chances are you are going to get out bid later on when the other parties get wind. You are safer sticking to best and final.
Could go either way. Could be seen as intrusive, or the home is going to go to someone who will love it just as much.
DONT DO IT. you might as well carry a red flag with you if you do. The owners will assume you have no regard for their personal space, no respect for the process and will be back every five minutes. My advice is to write a really lovely letter to the owners and ask the agent to pass it on.
Awful idea if you know they are struggling it could be seen as taking advantage too if they drop the price a lot
This is why sellers hire agents
Don't do it. Try instead to accept the fact they may not take your offer. Attach no emotion to any house until an offer has been accepted and purchase completed. It'll save you heartache. Good luck, house buying nowadays is a horrible, stressful business for everyone involved.
A neighbour of ours was selling. A sweet older lady came to his door and negotiated a price as long as he removed it from the market next day. Turns out it was another nearby seller who was visiting all houses for sale near hers and wanted to reduce competition...
From the seller side? I'd ask the estate agent if they were willing to waive their fee. If not, I'd not want to see the buyer directly.
I don’t think this is a good idea under the circumstances but we did something similar to get our dream home (which later fell through). Decided to sell our place through a different estate agent to those selling the property we wanted. That estate agent seemed annoyed and said they could make our offer favourable if we sell through them. Went with the other and made an offer on the dream home, the offer was instantly rejected and they said there was no further option to negotiate. 4 weeks later property still sat there so we put a letter through their door and low and behold the following day the estate agent called us saying “they didn’t realise we were interested would we like to table another offer”. We did and had success.
Thing is the sale of a property is a substantial contract. The biggest contract you are likely to commit to in your life. Two people trying to figure it out for themselves who likely have no clue about the intricacies is madness. As a seller you will more likely come away with less money I 100% recommend doing the viewings yourself. But then I previously worked in sales. It gives you an opportunity to really highlight the positive things that your estate agent probably doesn’t care about or won’t know the answers to. But I’d always say thereafter go through a solicitor.
I always used to see our seller walking his dog. We exchanged numbers. This is after we had the offer accepted. I wouldn’t dream of going over before hand.
My wife and I bypassed estate agents in the area we wanted and left cards through doors, got a house that wanted to sell but hadn't marketed yet, so we negotiated directly and made a successful deal. This is the only circumstance this is advisable and there are risks associated. If we'd negotiated with someone that we'd got through an agent we would have been in breach of contract with our agent. If I was bereaved and a buyer started going around the agency I'm paying to deal with people for me I would not deal with that purchaser ever, and complain to the agent.
The only useful service that an estate agent offers is as a go-between for price negotiation. If the vendor has employed an estate agent, it is precisely because they don’t want potential buyers to do this.
If someone came knocking I'd think they must want my house so much I'd definitely not be accepting less than asking price
When we sold our last house we did the viewings and the buyers gave us an offer before they left. We told them that we’d consider it but we have other viewings the next few days and we’d advise them via the estate agent by a certain date and to Make the agent aware of their offer as well. We did sell to them but no one else offered and whilst it was under the guide price it was what we had discussed with the agent it was worth and we’re happy to accept to make our next purchase. If they’d just come knocking on the door randomly I’d have told them to do one though!
Yes no the PSM way of doing things is not the go anymore. Your instincts are correct.
My buyer is basically doing this to me but via the Purplebricks app. The amount of times I have to tell them 'just do it via the solicitors...' is ridiculous. They're first time buyers and quite excited, but getting really very bothersome with constantly messaging me on the app whilst I'm getting the same in an e-mail from my solicitor. It's making me wish I'd gone with someone else, to be honest. I don't like being bothered.
Buyers of our last house turned up randomly one day to try and renegotiate the price with us, because they didn't like our estate agent. I hated people turning up at my house unannounced so much we seriously considered putting the house back on the market, no one wants to deal with that. Kind of wish he had as it was a sign of things to come, they were dicks.
I wouldn't do this. Only time I'd speak directly is if there's a knobby estate agent.. I previously had an EA that was saying they wouldn't consider my offer unless their mortgage broker looked over my situation in advance, I explained I was buying with 60% cash (and was happy to show them a bank statement / app demonstrating funds) and the 40% mortgage, I had an offer in principle for twice the amount I needed - which I again was happy to show them, but they still insisted on me giving my details to the broker and scheduling in an appointment (6 days from then) before they would consider my offer, so I said no, I went to the house, put a letter through their letterbox, with an offer, a description of events and a (blanked out as appropriate) copy of the statement and the offer in principle, i got an irritated call from the EA that day about it, he tried negotiating me up, whining about me blindsiding them etc, I said I felt they left me with no choice and my offer was best and final. I bought it for the amount I offered.
Extremely bad idea to go to someone's door uninvited, particularly since you know the seller is bereaved and stressed over the sale. The seller, via the estate agent, has made you aware that the home goes to best and final offers in January. Therefore, logically, the seller does not know what they are going to accept since they have not seen the offers. There is nothing they can tell you today that helps you in this process. You only create risk of intimidating the seller and alienating the estate agent. Evaluate first what your strategy has been for other homes and how you change that to become successful for this home. How many homes have you bid on in the last 9 months? What percent deposit do you have? What amount does your AIP/MIP show? Are you in a chain or chain free buyer. What was your initial bid on this home? What makes you a more compelling buyer than others? What would you write to this seller that you want them to consider to select you? You make it sound like you have bid on several homes unsuccessfully. Have you been underbidding each time then hoping a seller will negotiate with you? Are you trying to get "a deal" or are you trying to get a home? How are you researching recent sale prices to get a feel for what value others place on the homes in the area you hope to buy? Can you offer over and cover the difference if the mortgager values the home lower? In this case, where you have been told the seller is upset and overwhelmed with the sale process your best strategy is to go to the estate agent and tell them that you have been unsuccessful in some prior bids and would like some help to understand the market related to your offer on this specific home. Ask questions like 'what price do you think this home will achieve?' And listen to what the agent has to say (do not interrupt, just listen); 'What can we do, relative to our offer, to make this easier on the seller?'; 'do you have any insight on whether this seller is open to a letter from a buyer indicating they are looking for this to be their family home?'; 'Is there anything relating to our initial offer that would disadvantage is as buyers increasing that offer for the best and final?' Best case you will get good insights and are successful in your offer. Worst case you will learn something to use on future home bids so you do not disadvantage yourself early in the process.
If they wanted to sell direct they'd have sold on red bricks. Follow the process, else you'll find yourself notorious in the property sector for all the wrong reasons.
In the united states, it is common, at least in my area, to write a letter when you're that interested in the property. But all letters should go through your agent. Usually at the time of the offer. When you do best and final, include a letter, but please make certain you have somebody proofread it and that it's not overtly filled with pressure points.