08/10/2026
The best offer isn't always the biggest.
It's the one that turns up ready.
Nobody tells first time buyers this. Sellers don't always take the highest offer. They take the one most likely to get them moved.
Picture it from their side. They've got a house to buy, a chain above them, maybe a new school place starting in January. Two offers land. One's £3,000 higher, from someone who hasn't spoken to a lender yet. The other has a mortgage agreed in principle, a solicitor named and nothing to sell. Plenty of sellers take the second one. Every offer still goes to the seller, whoever your broker is, and it's their call.
So before you fall for somewhere this autumn, get yourself ready. Talk to a broker now, any broker you like. Zoopla worked out that someone who could borrow £200,000 in January can borrow around £182,000 today for the same monthly payment, so the number in your head at New Year might not be your number now. Line up a solicitor, and have your deposit somewhere you can prove it.
Being ready won't win you every house. It'll win you more of them, and sometimes for less than the other bidder offered.
One more thing worth knowing. With a personal agent, the person who shows you round is the one who takes your offer to the seller and argues your case. When they tell you you're in with a chance, they'd know. They've been sat in that seller's kitchen talking about you.
If you're looking to buy in Ealing or West London this autumn, and you're not sure whether you're ready to make a move, drop me a message. Happy to have a chat about where you are and what you should have in place before you start viewing.
Sometimes the best time to get ready is before you find the house you want. Speak soon, Anthony
