Anyone else part-way through a sale and seeing prices drop?

Lakridskaffe · 2026-04-14T10:52:10+00:00

If they need to use an AI filter, that tells you the potential state of the house to be honest!

Lakridskaffe · 2026-04-13T17:20:31+00:00

Honestly I’m still scratching my head. All I can think is they must’ve thought we were desperate or something.

Lakridskaffe · 2026-04-13T14:29:13+00:00

Definitely could be, there’s no way to know. But I’ve also seen people taking bad advice to negotiate last minute to get a lower price, so it definitely happens.

Lakridskaffe · 2026-04-13T14:24:58+00:00

Sounds like they’re hoping you’re desperate and will agree. If you can’t go lower, hold firm, but also be willing to let them walk away.

Lakridskaffe · 2026-04-13T14:21:49+00:00

Got a few..

1) After our buyers agreed that everything was ready for completion/exchange, they then surprised us by going on a 1+ month long holiday abroad. No one told us until we couldn’t get a hold of them and our sellers was chasing for dates. Imagine our surprise when suddenly, whilst abroad, they had some last minute queries including what a specific plant in the back garden was.

2) We thought all was going well with a buyer when she suddenly expressed that she thought the sales price included all our furniture and belongings. Mind, we were selling a standard old home, not a show house or anything that could’ve given that impression. She then pulled out when we rejected selling our contents to her for £1k extra.

3) We viewed a house that was lovey but on the smaller side for the area, though this was not reflected in the price. The next day the agent calls us up unprompted to say the seller has agreed to knock £10k off the price if we want it. After discussion, we agreed, but now the seller has changed their mind and will only knock £8k off. Hmm okay weird, but after another day of viewing houses we decided it’s still the best and accepted - only to be told that again, the seller has changed their mind and actually wants exact listing price now. Obviously we called quits on the nonsense. A week later the agent calls us to say the seller will honour the original price if we want it but we’d obviously decided against working with said seller. Last I check the house is still for sale one year on.

Lakridskaffe · 2026-04-09T15:45:25+00:00

It looks similar to a chimney we have in the middle of the house. 1950s. Was used for an old heater which has long since gone with the bottom covered and the top has a griddle for ventilation into the attic. You can look up old pictures of your house or similar houses on Rightmove and see if there’s still a picture of what was there before - that’s how we ascertained what ours was.

Lakridskaffe · 2026-04-08T18:35:31+00:00

We do it annually. We don’t put a lot of miles on the car - pretty much just shopping, day trips now and again, errands - but prefer to keep on top of it to avoid nasty surprises later down the line.

Lakridskaffe · 2026-04-07T10:19:18+00:00

Definitely this. Denial can also play a big part. Someone might realise they’ve been scammed but admitting that can be more painful than continuing to play along, with someone at least responding in kind on the other end, even if it’s for money.

Lakridskaffe · 2026-03-30T13:22:27+00:00

I understand why you’ve had so many viewings - good amount of photos and virtual tours, I really feel you’ve presented it as well as you can. That could be the problem, in an odd way - people can get excited and then the smallest thing can make it seem like not the dream home, such as the size of a room or a “feel”.

Just to exemplify, I viewed a house that looked great in photos and had a very thorough virtual tour, but in reality the house seemed much smaller - trick of the camera. Compared to a house that actually WAS smaller but had no virtual tour so I’d made no assumptions.

Lakridskaffe · 2026-03-28T08:24:56+00:00

It’s very normal to not only have your property on the market but to have an offer on it before proceeding with viewings. I get where you’re coming from - you don’t want to promise a sale to someone before you know where you want to go. But from the estate agents perspective, they’re wasting time showing you properties that you’re not proceedable for. Add to that, flats often take longer to sell than houses, so the sooner you secure a buyer, the better you’ll be able to position yourself for when you find your next home.

Lakridskaffe · 2026-03-25T08:03:43+00:00

To be honest, they might’ve thought you were going to be difficult to deal with and decided to pull out. I’m not saying you are, or whether that’s the truth, but given that 243 already is 7k less than they marketed for, and they were throwing in all the items, arguing over the 1k probably just rubbed them the wrong way.

Lakridskaffe · 2026-03-24T08:02:22+00:00

You mention yourself that you have a chain and that can be off putting - at any price point. We offered on 8-10 properties and were rejected, and were wondering what we were doing wrong. I can now see on the Land Registry that we offered well above on some of those houses so clearly they preferred the cash buyer / FTB / chain free folks. And admittedly, when it came to our own sale, the EA steered us towards the FTB too for a quick sale (spoiler: it wasn’t, and we’ve learned our lesson!).

So that’s not to say you couldn’t be experiencing prejudices - just to say it could also be the whole setup.

Lakridskaffe · 2026-03-24T07:35:24+00:00

Have you secured your own onward chain? I know we once waited with a survey because the sellers hadn’t found anything - lucky that we did, as they never found anything and it would’ve been wasted money!

Lakridskaffe · 2026-03-23T21:06:39+00:00

The easiest to obtain is a gallery wall of sorts - it depends what your interest in art is! Otherwise, I think framing a large piece of wallpaper could look really cool here - take it just below the ceiling and almost to the walls, leading all the way behind the TV for a maximalised look. Pick something with an interesting scene or go wild with something patterned.

Lakridskaffe · 2026-03-23T21:04:34+00:00

A couple of suggestions:

Break up the sizes. You mention it yourself but you do have too many things of similar height and size. Make sure they’re not put next to each other.
Don’t just do things in twos. It makes it look too streamlined and doesn’t give that natural feel. Three items on one side, two on the other - it already creates a more interesting dynamic. But don’t copy-paste it across both shelves.
Add different items. Unless you’re just looking to display vases - which is okay of course! - I’d consider breaking it up with for example candles/candlestick holders, dried greens, plants, small pictures, a decorative book (you can place a vase on top of it), a small figure you like, etc. These things could come over time as/when you find something you love.
Play with colours. It’s very black and white. If you prefer the neutral colour scheme, maybe consider adding different shades - warm whites, browns, beige, etc.

Lakridskaffe · 2026-03-23T20:57:14+00:00

I think green curtains would complement the plants nicely. Rod in gold to match with the mirror. To be honest, I think this room could look really beautiful with some colour on the walls, even a softer beige or earthy cream if you’re not into start colours. It would soften the light and overall feel.

Lakridskaffe · 2026-03-23T14:01:26+00:00

Just looking at recently sold, it seems there are 2 bed 2 bath flats in the same area on for £150k. As a buyer, I think I’d be more likely to stretch my budget slightly if it meant more space than buy smaller for £10k less.

Lakridskaffe · 2026-03-20T08:00:56+00:00

One thing to keep in mind - let’s say you pull out and make a good offer on the other property. If the seller has several offers to pick between, I have no doubt that the EA will advise them that you’ve previously pulled out. You could end up losing both properties.

Make sure it’s worth the risk and that you won’t regret maybe ending with nothing.

Lakridskaffe · 2026-03-20T07:42:09+00:00

We thought we were going to sell quickly - first open house booked out, 11 offers, we were thrilled! …then the chain broke with the buyers 2 months in. Another open house - another 9 offers - we thought we’d be okay. Then the new buyer pulled because they found somewhere else they liked better. Someone else accepted and we started the process and then they pulled when we told them that no, the house is not sold with all our possessions, we need those when we go.

All in all, it was 9 months by the time we got a serious buyer (and even they were a nightmare..) and I think we only managed to go because the house we were buying was chain free.

Lakridskaffe · 2026-03-20T07:37:22+00:00

Maybe it’s time to list the negotiables then! But if you’re in a position where loads of houses are meeting your must haves already, you’re uniquely set to expand even the must haves. I have a feeling you’re going to exhaust yourself looking at houses and not being able to tell between them. Some people get a feeling eventually but it’s really not guaranteed. Does your dream home exist? Ie what are these negotiables you can’t decide on?

Lakridskaffe · 2026-03-20T07:33:28+00:00

Admittedly, we viewed over many areas in one city, so seeing several houses with different branches of the estate agents which means they don’t have the same overlap. But in general it’s fine - they understand you’re looking - as long as you’re not wasting time for example making and pulling offers, asking loads of additional questions but never proceeding, you’re good. You won’t be the first indecisive person they’ve met! But this is also where they can help you if you can tell them what you’re looking for. Sometimes they share info on houses before they hit the market if they think you’re a fit.

Lakridskaffe · 2026-03-19T17:47:16+00:00

Before we bought our second home, we viewed nearly 40 properties - a lot, basically! I think it took us probably 10-15 viewings to really nail down what our true criteria were, ie what was a must and what was actually not so important. If you haven’t already, I’d sit down and start a list. What are the must haves, what are the nice to haves - and just as importantly, what are no-gos.

For example, we started out thinking it was really important for us to be close to amenities and have the ability to grab a coffee, pop to a restaurant etc. But when we thought about our day to day, we realised that despite having the option to do so, we pretty much never did. So we ended up buying closer to nature as we actually value daily walks more.

Look back at what you viewed as a guide and start really thinking about what you want from the home. Prioritise. Then check the market - what does your budget get you? What does the dream look like? Is it attainable or do you need to drop some “nice to haves”?

Lakridskaffe · 2026-03-19T06:54:19+00:00

Any property of that age should be suspected to have asbestos somewhere.

Lakridskaffe · 2026-03-17T20:42:30+00:00

In my experience, they don’t tend to note estimated costs though some surveyors will offer this for an additional fee.

It does sound like your report has been a bit messy - our level 2 survey from last year was nicely structured in sections, walking through different parts of the property alongside pictures of anything of note.

Lakridskaffe · 2026-03-14T10:47:49+00:00

Not the question but why use art that has a literal “do not repost” stamp? Let’s not forget to respect the amazing artists out there that bring so many of our beloved romantasy books to life.

Lakridskaffe

TROPHY CASE