The reason why the highest price doesn’t always win is down to two things – certainty and emotion.
If there are any doubts about the commitment of the highest bidder, that’s something we can, and have, advised our clients of on many occasions. The agent won’t necessarily tell you that, but you can pick up signs in the way another party is behaving. It’s part of our role that we can use our network to gain ‘intelligence’ to put our buyers in the best position. If you are represented by Middleton, you are instantly seen as more serious buyer than a non-represented party.
The things that display certainty to vendors, our ’tricks of the trade’, have been developed over our 20 years of experience and we know they give our clients the advantage.
It’s not just financial ability and commitment to the purchase, often it can be down to how the vendors feel about the buyer. Do they like them? Do they want to see them in their old home?
A Middleton client, looking for a country house, was in a competitive position alongside two other buyers all within £50k of the guide price. Our client wasn’t the highest bidder, however we were able to secure the purchase having developed a relationship with the seller and identifying common ground.
Often it’s not necessarily about having a bid below, but matching the highest and with the right advice from your Middleton advisor.