Interior Life of an Estate Agent. Part 13

I meet young first time buyers at a tiny nutshell of a cottage, new on the market at 120K. The sitting room appears too small for a sofa – a deal table and a couple of chairs would have been a luxury when the old place was built. Upstairs there is just one room, not even a landing and, as we discuss the best way round to put the bed, I am quite wistful. What a precious and unforgettable time this is; buying a first home together, and I’m very anxious that they only go ahead with it if they’re sure; I want to minimize life’s pitfalls for them, or to delay them awhile. I emphasize the need for a full survey, point out the woodworm, and suggest they go away and talk it over for the weekend. It’s a dear little love nest but the price still has to be right, and unforeseen problems revealed – so love doesn’t get too battered too early.

There’s an offer of 385K in for a huge but shoddily built place out in the country. Over six months on the market, frequent viewers all thinking it’s overpriced because of all the work that needs doing, yet what is the owner’s response? Is it whoopee, yes, I’ll take it, because this offer is firm, the people have nothing to sell and can go ahead quickly, and break open the champagne? No. The owners don’t accept the offer. It occurs to them that, now that there’s some interest, the price needs to go up to reflect the length of time it has been waiting to sell, and want another 10K.

The prospective purchasers are fairly game, considering, raise their offer another 5K, and sensibly say that’s their limit. I hope they don’t budge. Gift Horse. Mouth. They've got high standards; they’ll do the work properly, rip out all the tat and bodged jobs, and make something of the place, if they don’t get messed about by a greedy seller. Or it’ll stay on the market another six months. People are jolly interesting. I had fifteen minutes for lunch today. Fab. And it was sunny.

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