Research reveals the lengths buyers will go to for their dream home

Estate agents in the UK have revealed some of the more unusual and even ostentatious offers that buyers who have found their dream home will make to secure the sale.

One potential buyer was worried a sale wouldn’t be accepted at the last hurdle, so offered to buy the owner’s Porsche as well as the house to help guarantee the sale, research from the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) found. He was successful with the home and the car.

Hoping to make their offer stand out from the crowd, one buyer took the owner away to a country manor hotel and spa for a weekend of pampering and another buyer volunteered to landscape and tend to the owner’s new garden for two years free of charge, in exchange for having his offer accepted.

While viewing a potential property, a prospective buyer asked the agent to close and lock the front door behind them at the viewing. The agent later discovered this was because the viewer had brought the full asking price, in cash, in a gingham shopping trolley, hoping to make a deal there and then.

One particularly impatient buyer couldn’t even wait to see their perfect property before putting in an offer. All she had to go off was a description via email with the agent and a blurry video, she hadn’t even seen any photos.

A determined buyer offered £32,000 over the asking price to secure a property that was already under offer to gazump the other party, while another offered £50,000 when a vendor withdrew a house from the market.

In a desperate bid to get their offer accepted, one prospective buyer offered to pay a full 12 month tenancy for the sellers to go and rent somewhere else, so they were more likely to accept his offer.

One potential buyer invited the vendor out for an indulgent dinner at an expensive restaurant, with the hope to persuade them into accepting their offer on the property and was successful while another buyer took matters into their own hands and presented themselves on the doorstep of the seller asking to pay the deposit in full there and then to secure the deal.

‘Buying a home is a big financial investment and buyers want the process to go as smoothly as possible,’ said Mark Hayward, chief executive of the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA).

‘We hear many bizarre stories about buyers trying to woo sellers in a desperate bid to secure the deal, but this is something that can be easily avoided. It’s important to build a relationship with your agent to help ensure you’re getting the best possible advice about your purchase,’ he explained.

‘Experienced agents will anticipate any issues that could arise and prevent potential buyers from having to go to these extremes to secure an offer on their dream home,’ he added.