Q. We are looking to buy. What general advice would you give regarding making offers?

A. There are few hard and fast rules when it comes to making offers. However, it is advisable to do some research first, to see what similar properties in the area may recently have sold for. These days, there are a number of websites like www.myhouseprice.com and www.ourproperty.co.uk which can provide this kind of information, although it’s important to remember that they get their data from HM Land Registry, so it’s basically 3 months out of date. Always bear in mind that whatever offer you make, you may be outbid - even in the current market. Remember, the agent is legally bound to continue passing on any new offers to his client right up until exchange of contracts, unless instructed otherwise. So, even if and when your offer is accepted, that is by no means the end of it. By all means, offer less than the asking price – indeed, it’s practically expected! But don’t be tempted to start off with a ridiculously low offer, on the offchance that you strike lucky – even if you’re prepared to go higher later. Very occasionally, this may pay dividends – if, for example, the seller is in particularly dire straights. But generally speaking it is a very high-risk strategy. After all, if the seller’s agent has done his job properly in the first place, then the asking price should already be pretty much spot on. Besides, if the vendor thinks that your initial offer was insultingly low, then he may simply refuse to sell to you at all, no matter how high you are subsequently prepared to go. After all, no-one likes being taken for a fool – so much so, in fact, that there are plenty of cases of vendors who were even prepared to accept a slightly lower final offer from someone else, rather than end up selling to the person who tried to pull a fast one in the first place! So, my advice is simple – if you really, really like a property, don’t play around. Give it your best shot right from the start. One final word. Resist the temptation to make offers on several different properties at the same time. Admittedly, this is normally only something that happens in a sellers’ market. Still, you wouldn’t want anyone doing it to you!