This week questions on pre-auction bids and unwanted furniture are answered.

Pre-auction bid

We lost out on a house when it was sold before auction. We felt hard done by at the time, particularly as we did not realise such a thing was possible. We have now seen a house that we like. Should we put in ' a pre-auction bid of say 20 per cent more than the guide or, if we do that, would we be showing our hand?

Houses do sometimes sell prior to auction but not often and agents will tell you that that there is no single reason why sellers accept a pre-auction bid - unless of course it's an offer they simply can't refuse. Offering 20 per cent over the guide isn't that sort of offer. Given the way guide prices have been going this year, there's not much chance that the seller will be too happy to sell at that price. The selling season - in terms of auction activity - will be winding down over the next four or five weeks and the house you are chasing will probably be one of the last auctions of the season. It's more than likely that the seller wants to take their chances in the auction rooms although you never can tell people's personal circumstances. However, it is always worth asking the agent if a pre-auction offer is a runner. The seller just may be delighted to get a guaranteed pre-auction price - you won't know until you ask.

Dismayed to find. . .

We took possession of our new (second-hand) house last week and were dismayed to find that there is still some furniture in it and we don't want any of it. There's even a rotting car in the garage. The person who owned the house is deceased. We're looking at around €1,000 in skip costs. Any advice?

You naturally assumed that the house would be cleaned out but the seller appears to have taken the view that you were buying it as is. You are now in much the same situation as a buyer who discovers that the seller has left all the swirly carpet in the house - only your situation is worse.

Your e-mail suggests that it was an executors sale which makes things even more complicated in that maybe there was no direct next of kin interested enough to clear the house. The first thing you should do is contact your solicitors to get their opinion on the matter - you may have some legal recourse depending on the wording of the sales contract but, even if there is, is it worth starting the first few months in your new house arguing? You could start a battle that could last months as you try to get someone on the seller's side to take the stuff away or you could just bite the bullet and get on with it.

You don't say where you are but it's likely that your local county council has a mechanism for disposing of abandoned cars for a nominal charge so contact them. Incidentally, this column heard of another house buyer with a rotting car situation who got quite a few euro for the old heap because, as it turned out, it was a sought-after collectable and someone restoring a similar car was desperate for the parts. Try to minimise your skip costs - it's better for the environment anyway to investigate the recycle option first. Contact your local auction rooms or junk shops to ask if they do house clearances and maybe there might be a couple of pieces of furniture that are saleable. Some of the larger charities take furniture to sell through their shops (though you won't get anyone to take mattresses so you'll have to get a skip for them).

Send your queries to Property Questions, The Irish Times, 10-16 D'Olier Street, Dublin 2 or e-mail propertyquestions@irish-times.ie.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to respond to all questions received. The above is a representative sample of queries received. This column is a readers' service and is not intended to replace professional advice. No individual correspondence will be entered into.