Has anyone ever heard of this before - have bid on a property and agent has contacted me that there is a counter offer. He says that as the property is very old and may require extensive work, that he is advising both bidders to get a joint survey done now (i.e. before either offer has been accepted or a Dutch Auction is begun) in order to get a realistic costing of the work involved in getting the building up to scratch. He says this is to avoid a situation where a Dutch Auction leads to a final agreed price in excess of asking price which the successful bidder then wants to lower when the harsh reality of the survey hits. He says this happens regularly with old country houses where potential purchasers get carried away by the romance of the property and haven't a clue about the real costs involved. It is very messy as the proposed lower offer is usually below the underbidders last offer and they have to be contacted again, not to mention that the vendor is annoyed that s/he is not getting the higher price. This property is based outside Dublin. Would the IAVI be able to advise on whether this is a common practice?