Making an offer to Estate agents via E-mail.

jetski

Afternoon,

Im trying to put together an email to an EA with an offer outlinging reasons for offering €330k on a house they are asking 400k

Basically the house im looking at is a new house in a 3 year old estate...

There are two side by side (both for sale by the same EA)

The house is bare inside - No fireplace, kitchen applicances, it has a side car port leading to the back garden (reason i want this house) and no front garden.

There is another house in the same estate, both front and back garden (no car port) Decking on the back and beautifully landscaped front and back garden and the asking price is just €370k.

So what suggestions would you have for such an email, and the reason i am sending an email is i want to keep it clear and i know ill blab too much if i call in or ring..

Thanks

Bluefoam

Talk to him in person, the only details you need to provide are:

That you believe the value of the house to be €330,000 & that you are willing to offer that amount...

He doesn't need your reasoning & should put your offer to the owner.

jetski

The owner is the builder of the estate, i prefare to just email really.

Victor

Start at the asking price for the other palce and start deducting values

Fireplace €X
Kitchen €Y
Reduced privacy at front €Z
etc.

However, do I get the impression that the site is considereably wider?

patrickolee

They won't take you seriously by email. If they don't just ignore it, the most you can hope for is a reply email asking for a contact phone number.

jetski

ive a government job, so if i send the email from that address surly they will take it as a serious offer ?


The house isnt really that much wider all the houses in the estate have a side walk way this has a larger one just enough for a car and a walkway

The cheapest one is 370 has a front garden back garden and side walk way.... i was thinking about sending an email saying based on the fact your house has no front garden if would like to offer 330 for the property. i wouldnt be paying asking on any house on the estate so i i dont see why i would "Start at the asking price for the other" just a tought

Thanks

tHE vAGGABOND

Seriously, call them otherwise Im quite sure they will ignore your email..

astrofool

Just say that over the phone then, and don't let them confuddle you. Seriously, if you expect to negotiate this by email, they'll either not take you seriously, or see it as a sign of weakness and keep you hanging around while someone else buys.

Smoggy

Ringing them is the only way or drop in and give them the offer in person ?

amtc

It's a lot easier to pick up signals by phone - ring rather than email and you'll find out more which should put you in a stronger position.

Also, having a government job does not necessarily mean the offer will be taken more seriously! In fact, some of the glaring spelling mistakes wouldn't be a plus!

Enii

Give them your offer over the phone. Then follow with it in writing by fax.

jetski

is 330 a bit cheaky?

SkepticOne

You need to be cheeky imo. You need to be in a position where you don't really care if they say no. The goal should not be to get this property at all costs but to get any similar property at a good price bearing in mind that prices are coming down at the moment.

tHE vAGGABOND

330 is indeed cheeky IMHO - but no harm in trying your luck!

A bloke I know made an opening bit of 300 on a place which was 450. They literally laughed at him, but there was no other offer for ages on the place so they came back to him about 10 days later and after a period of haggling he bought it for 390 odd.

groom

330 is not cheeky. If you look at propertyvultures or daftwatch or irishpropertywatch and compare the average asking price (circa 367k) against average closing price (circa 283k) you see that the asking price is the cheeky one.

perhaps you should start lower than 330k and be prepared to reach that figure. the EA might act as your offer is cheeky but that is his job to get as much as possible for his client

jetski

Ok lads, this is the reply ive recieved from the EA


*****,

Apologies for the delay in getting back to you. I just noticed my reply in my outlook. the builders will take offers for the three bedroom semi-detached house and the three bedroom duplexes.
If you wish to put in an offer, please do not hesitate to get back to me.

Regards,
*******

dudara

I wouldn't dream of using email for something like this. People tend to ignore email, not open Outlook for days, emails get filtered into junk folders etc.

Ring and make your offer. Don't outline any reasons why. Let the negotiating begin.

parsi

jetski wrote: »

ive a government job, so if i send the email from that address surly they will take it as a serious offer ?

Not unless you are making the offer on behalf of your employer.

Bluefoam

jetski wrote: »

ive a government job, so if i send the email from that address surly they will take it as a serious offer ?

Ha Ha, sounds like you think you are perceived as honest/beyond reproach because you work for the government.

I think there was another government employee who thought similarly. Strange, I can’t remember his name now, he’s just disapeared into history…

jetski

Bluefoam what are you talking about, i ment it as if i send it from my work email they would at least deduct i could get a mortgage and be a potenital buyer.... your some tulip

Bluefoam

My experience is that if you say that you can buy the place they tend to believe you. If not they will try to push some expensive mortgage product on you.

Against popular belief, many estate agents are numbnuts and are actually quite poor at their job - they didn't need to be any good due to people climbing over each other to throw money at them (until recently) - so they are not that likely to refuse an offer based on your email address...

tHE vAGGABOND

Do you really think they will examine your email and go, "ah yea, this is from a civil servents email address, I therefore must take this extra seriously as opposed to the other 4000 emails Im going to get today"

Anyway you asked for advice and suggestions in the OP and then ignored everyone so there really is feck all point to this thread is there

...your some tulip..

quote of the day BTW

Kinetic^

Call them. Simple as really. Making an offer on via email on something that is going to be a big part of your life is rather silly imo.

jetski

i disagee

Kinetic^

jetski wrote: »

i disagee

As some said already, why ask for advice if you've already made your mind up?

jetski

sorry, i just disagree with what you said.

BanzaiBk

Wouldn't ringing be much faster (they might not read the email for x amount of time) and more professional?

jetski

well i got a quick enough responce by email, it was within 24 hours really, im kinda hanging off ringing really, because what im offering is quite a bit off the asking....

BanzaiBk

You're allowed to make "cheeky" offers if you have reasons, and you've outlined them so don't worry. All they can do is reject it. They'll prolly get back to you pretty sharpish.

sadie9

Is there any reason why you want to do this by email that you are not telling us? I suggest because of the lines along which you are thinking (you are already somewhat in awe of the estate agent, thinking s/he will think 'better' of you if you use a work email rather than some old hotmail address) that you should get someone else to do the bidding for you with the estate agent. There are farmers out there with bog accents who've never used a computer who's money is just as good for buying houses as someone with a nice office job.
You want this house far too much to be allowed near any estate agent, you'll definetely be talked up and pay too much for it. I'm speaking from experience on that! I'd agree email is not the way to do it, even if you are sending it from a leinsterhouse.ie address. If you include a telephone number the estate agent will ring you back, but there is no way they will accept a bid without speaking to someone. As I said get an unflappable friend to put the bid in for you. And be cheeky. If it needs work go low. Also if you don't have your mortgage approval in place, it's well worth getting that done ASAP. You have much more bidding power with that letter to show the estate agent. A serious buyer can show evidence of deposit & letter of mortgage approval all these things make a sale faster and more smoothly.

Supercell

jetski, the fact that the estate agent replied really surprised me.
He's basically saying "go on..make me an offer".
What are you waiting for??!!, pick up the phone, it won't bite you know!
If you are really that nervious about doing it, just ask a friend or colleague (that you trust) at work to say they are you and make the offer for you! (while you are in the room).

I realy don't understand the apparent phonephobia!

jetski

well i still havent offered them anything, im really just going over it in myhead... i just walked upto the house and there is really alot of noise polution from a national road thats about 2 fields to the rear....

The house is 100% perfect

The side garen is too but not the back

but the noise is putting me off..... i think

jetski

sadie9 wrote: »

You want this house far too much to be allowed near any estate agent, you'll definetely be talked up and pay too much for it.

I think that maybe a factor also...

irishpartyboy

OP, it sounds like you've got phone phobia. Nobody, I mean nobody, will take an an email offer seriously.

Who cares what your email address? I could send you an email right now and use a source address: george@thewhitehouse.gov

If your serious about the property, I'd call into their office and meet the selling agent face to face. Jot down everything you want to say, know it exactly, and make your offer.

All they can say is No.

jetski

but i know if i walk in shes say something and ill start talking and end up convincing myself its not a bad deal..... make a higher offer

irishpartyboy

Go in with a figure in your head & aim for it but you must be prepared to haggle and have an limit in your own mind. Even if you don't strike a deal first time, at least you'll get a good handle on what kind of offer is acceptable.. then you can go away and work out if in fact you can match that figure...

There is absolutely no way you will get the same response or feedback via email.

the_syco

jetski wrote: »

i just walked upto the house and there is really alot of noise polution from a national road thats about 2 fields to the rear....

This is bad, as a few estates only have low noise levels, as there are walls and trees between the houses and the road (or in the case of Esker Lawns, a duel-carriageway).

Smoggy

The placing of an offer is a really simple process.

1.) Ring the EA with you're offer (you don't even need to justify it).
2.) Sit back.
3.) If they call you back looking to renegotiate, you're in. Stick to you're price.
4.) If they don't call back after a few weeks, you're price is too low. You can call back offering a higher price, but you have given you're hand away and power is back on thier side.

That's all. It's awaiting game. And be willing to walk away.

370-330 is an achievable drop in my opinion.

jetski

@ the_syco The sounds issue really is the only problem... ive looked it up on google earth and there are 4 fields and a brick wall between the house and the road, the day i went up you could everything on the road very clearly, in saying that it was a very clear and still day so i dont know... it really is the only thing putting me off, everything else is near perfect.... location, house, price, side entrance but not the noise, ill walk up today and see what its like....


i think 330 is cheeky but a vaulable offer considering the plot its on and also the fact its being sold buy the builder....

patrickolee

So you've just created threads today with the following titles...

"IMF warns of Irish housing slump"

"Managing Housing Sector Boom-Bust Cycles"

"March home registrations slump 73%"

"Dell announces further job cuts "

Are you really interested in buying that house, or is this just idle chatter?

jetski

just idle chatter, is that ok oh great one????

Smoggy

Did you ever email over your offer ?

jetski

Well,

i went to look at a friends house in the same estate that they had just bought,

she said they actually viewed that house 4 months ago and offered €340,000.00 directly to the builder and he refused flat out and was fairly certin he wouldnt take that amount, so i might just wait for a suitable house in the estate to come up.....


The funny thing is the girl in the estate agents said it was only on the market 3 weeks.... :rolleyes:

Mr. Incognito

write down your points and ring.

If I got an e-mail with grammar and spellings mistakes along the lines of your posts above I'd be sticking to the 400K.

jetski

SetantaL wrote: »

write down your points and ring.

If I got an e-mail with grammar and spellings mistakes along the lines of your posts above I'd be sticking to the 400K.

Why would you be sticking to the 400k? please explain i have to know.....

What on gods earth has grammar or spelling to do with what i offer? is my money less valuable because ive made a spelling mistake.... would you stop wasting your time and my time talking rubbish....

Bluefoam

They won't believe you work for the government if you cannot spell correctly

patrickolee

jetski wrote: »

would you stop wasting your time and my time talking rubbish....

I think we could say the same thing to you!

jetski

well thats me fecked so!:eek:

smooth operater

Why haven't you put the offer in?! What have you to loose? are you waitin for someone else to make an offer and get it?
Pick up the phone and make them the offer, dont listen to them if they start chattin about it worth alot more, give them the offer and stick by it

Bluefoam

I'm not sure this guy has any real interest.

jetski

well im just very precautious in fairness.... im taking my time going over it in my head to make sure its what i want.... there are two houses so no rush and their both on the market about 4 or 5 months from what i gather..