Hello all....

Difficult to advise as properties that have been greatly altered are hard to value. See what other similar houses around are going for ( google 'our property' or 'nethouse prices' etc) to get an idea of prices. Bidding has been the Sheffield way for over 30 years but obviously as the housing market has slowed right down there may not be many people buying right now. It all depends how many people are offering. You could try an offer under the asking price and see the reaction - the vendors may be keen to take a lower offer just to move quickly, especially as they have somewhere. If you have a mortgage ready and able to move quickly you may be in the best position.

Generally there is a shortage of good houses in Sheffield and even now many areas are selling well.

Good luck

The trouble with Sheffield is that the buyer has to be aware of what a property is worth. That requires a fair bit of research into past transactions (e.g. using nethouseprices.com) and the state of the market (vebra.com, rightmove) together with knowledge of which estate agents tend to undervalue properties (e.g Saxton Mee, Blundells but not ELR).

In the rest of the country the estate agent sets the price. Most people offer close to but just under that price, using it as a guide.

If you don't trust estate agents, and not many do, then the Sheffield way is better as long as you're able to put in the research, which of course being in London, you're not in such a good position to do.

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I agree with you urbanatelier - it is a ridiculous system - and suits greedy agents and vendors alike. You could also come up against sealed bids which is worse than an auction. All I can think is that the agents haven't got a clue about the value of the house and don't even let the market decide. The sealed bid system is just pure lazy. If your vendor is happy to sell to you direct then you're in a lucky position as he/she is decent enough not to try and screw you. Having said that, these sharp practices are more rife at the lower end of the market where there is a lot more competion.
Anyway - welcome to Sheffield! And Nether Edge is ace!

PS where in Nether Edge?

Dont be too disheartened not all properties in sheffield are sold this way.

we got so miffed with the bidding process that in the end just bought a new build off plan with a £500 deposit paid up front, which included choice of decorating finish, carpets and kitchen.

After 9 months of losing houses to higher bids, and the relentless scheming of a certain estate agent I bought my house through direct negotiation with the vendor. much easier! However your vendor will have signed a contract with the estate agent, although obviously the burden of this falls on them, not you!

I went to sealed bids three times, I was working in London, trying to sell my flat in Brighton and trying to buy a house up here (where I used to live). i put in offers and no-one ever got back to me! Sealed bids are a total nightmare, and you don't know who's lying and who isn't. If you've got the chance to buy direct from the seller, I'd do it. You'll save a couple of grand on agents commission too.

i have no idea why this bidding system is so popular here - I can't believe it's legal!

Hi, you may wish to consider my house that I want to sell and be out of by christmas or new year. It is also 2 bed with an attic and is not too far from Nether Edge but is considerably cheaper than 210. It too is totally renovated with no work needed what-so-ever. I also wish to sell outside of the weird bidding system and would happily go private. If you are interested please Private Message me and I can direct you to the website the house is on at the moment. It's worth a try! Cheers :-)

the bidding system itself is ok - it's the sealed bids bits that really annoys people - if you do go to sealed bids, you should do it Ebay style where you get it for £1 more than the next lowest bid