Area: South Kensington
Ashburn Place
Petersham Mews
Montrose Court
Queensberry Mews West
The Challenge
Our British clients were looking for a London pied-à-terre in Prime Central London that had both outside space and private off street parking. They were hoping to find a property that was “future proofed” from an accessibility standpoint, so either a lateral apartment or a low built house with not many stairs.
The Perfect Conclusion
We successfully negotiated the purchase of a stunning three bedroom, three bathroom, two story freehold mews house which had both a private garage and terrace located in the heart of South Kensington. The house is positioned on the corner of the mews so light floods in from two aspects, an important feature as mews houses can tend to suffer from being dark. In addition to being dual aspect, the private outside space and parking made this particular mews house quite rare and therefore highly desirable. Due to the strength of our relationship with the selling agent, they shared the knowledge that the vendor would, in two weeks’ time, be reducing the asking price from £4,000,000 down to £3,750,000. Even so we were still able to negotiate £350,000 from the reduced asking price, equating to well under £1750 per sq. ft. in an area where these size houses have achieved in excess of £2,500 per sq.ft. Our clients have also taken advantage of our Vacant Care Service to ensure the house is looked after and in the condition they left it every time they return home.
The Unfair Advantage
We provide a complete service – not only were we able to find this unique house and save our clients just over 9% from the asking price, we will also continue to look after the property post purchase via our Vacant Care Service.
Onslow Square
Our Client
Northern Irish ex-pat clients looking for a London pied-a-terre.
The Challenge
As a second home, our clients wanted something in a central location, with easy access to amenities and transport. The property was also required to provide good value for money as a long term investment.
The Perfect Conclusion
Black Brick successfully sourced this spacious two bedroom apartment measuring over 1,000 sq ft with lift access and a porter. The flat is located on the best garden square address in South Kensington, and was bought for £1,600 per sq ft, with properties selling on the same square for as much as £2,800 per sq ft in the last 12 months. We have introduced the client to a trusted building contractor to assist with renovation works. The apartment had over 15 viewings within the first week of marketing and we successfully secured it against competitive bidding from another party.
Bina Gardens
Our Client
Swiss clients looking for a London pied-a-terre.
The Challenge
As their second home, our clients were looking for something with a wow factor for the family to enjoy, in a safe area that was also close to amenities and transport.
The Perfect Conclusion
We successfully sourced this special and rare third floor floor flat, benefiting from direct lift access and with triple aspect views directly overlooking communal gardens. The flat has a near perfect layout and is situated in one of the best run buildings in South Kensington. Importantly, we saved the clients a substantial £255,000 from the asking price, paying just £2,242 per square foot.
Queens Gate Place
Our Client
Three sisters, looking to up-size to a larger four bedroom apartment in South Kensington.
The Challenge
Our clients, a family we have worked with for a number of years, were looking to upsize to a four bedroom apartment with high ceilings in the South Kensington area. Four bedroom apartments are rare and difficult to find in this location.
The Perfect Conclusion
Due to the architecture and make-up of properties in South Kensington, four bedroom flats with period features are very hard to find. Through our network we successfully identified a suitable 4 bedroom apartment, measuring some 2000 sq. feet and the only 4 bedroom apartment on the market in a period building at this price level. We also managed to negotiate and saved our clients £1300 per month from the rental price.
Queens Gate Place
Our Client
A British Family
The Challenge
We sourced this stunning first floor apartment on one of South Kensington’s best streets for our client in November 2011 for £2,825,000. Our clients had loved living at the property but with their children either at university or living abroad they no longer needed such a large home.
The Perfect Conclusion
Through our extensive network we identified two buyers who were interested in the property and accepted an offer at £3,8250,000 or £1900 per square foot four weeks after being instructed on the sale. Our clients had been very concerned about the state of the market and so were delighted to have achieved such a strong price so quickly.
Thornwood Gardens
Our Client
A Russian tenant
The Challenge
Our Russian client’s daughter had been offered a place at a prestigious school in South Kensington. Not knowing the capital well our client decided he would rather rent for a year before purchasing a home in the city. The requirements were tough: three bedrooms in a modern gated development with 24 hour security and parking but no more than a 15 minute walk from the school.
The Perfect Conclusion
Through our intimate knowledge of the market we immediately identified those developments which matched our client’s criteria. We shortlisted the best two apartments and our client flew over from Russia to inspect them. He choose a 1st floor flat in Thornwood Gardens which is a well-regarded, boutique development just off Kensington High Street bordering Holland Park and less than a 15 minute walk to his daughters school.
Onslow Gardens
Our Client
A Dutch buyer.
The Challenge
Our client was relocating from Hong Kong to take up a new position as CEO of a multi-national company. He had very little time to research the market and view property, and virtually no knowledge of the local market having never lived in London before. We were able to conduct viewing tours after working hours on Friday’s and at weekends, with only the very best properties cherry picked for our client to see.
The Perfect Conclusion
We successfully agreed the purchase of this stunning 2 bedroom first floor apartment on one of the best streets in South Kensington at £545,000 below the asking price, which equated to £2249 per sq. foot. The vendor accepted a below-asking price offer because our client was organised and able to exchange contracts quickly – and one that, at £2,249 per square foot, was also substantially below the £3,085-3,480 per sq. foot at which the last three first floor flats on the street sold. We managed the legal process, surveys and mortgage to ensure the deal exchanged contracts within the required timeframe.
Bolton Gardens
The Client
A Canadian client
The Challenge
Our client had his property rented out and managed through us, but decided he wanted to sell the property and release some equity in order to buy a larger home outside of London. The flat having been rented out for several years was looking quite tired and so we advised our client to spend some money on the flat in order to achieve a better sales price.
The Perfect Conclusion
Our client was delighted when the property achieved £75,000 above the guide price of £2 million given by the selling agents who appraised it prior to sale.
The sale shows the difference we were able to make with our understanding of the market, our knowledge of which estate agents to work with, and the correct attention to properly “dressing” a property.
Queens Gate Gardens
The Client
A Chinese buyer.
The Challenge
Our clients were looking to purchase a property in South Kensington to be used by their son who was studying at University in the area. They had already been looking on their own but were frustrated by the lack of opportunities and the fact that good options seemed to be selling before they were able to view them.
The Perfect Conclusion
Through our unrivalled network we were able to identify a fantastic two bedroom apartment located on one of the best garden squares in the area. We were able to use our reputation to secure the property before it came onto the open market and agreed a period of exclusivity allowing us to exchange contracts within 3 weeks.
Montrose Court, Princes Gate
The Client
A Middle Eastern buyer
The Challenge
Our client was looking for a 3 bedroom family apartment to use when visiting London. The property had to be in immaculate condition and ideally located in Mayfair or Knightsbridge with views of Hyde Park. The budget for this purchase was £4 million. Properties which benefit views of Hyde Park often come with a significant price tag. .
The Perfect Conclusion
We successfully sourced a 6th floor apartment in South Kensington with views of Hyde Park from the reception room and views over Princes Gardens from the bedrooms. We secured the property for less than the asking price and less than the client’s budget.
Queens Gate
The Client
A Russian buyer.
The Challenge
Our Russian client was looking for a secure, newly refurbished flat in a prime central location close to transport links. As a young student living alone security and easy access to shops were high on the list of requirements.
The Perfect Conclusion
We sourced this newly refurbished apartment set within a development of 18 flats in a beautiful row of period buildings on Queens Gate. The renovation encompassed an upgrade of the buildings’ infrastructure, including a new lift and air-cooling in every apartment. The flats also benefit from a full-time porter service, and are ideally located on the doorstep of Kensington Gardens and the shops along High Street Kensington.
Here is what our client had to say about working with us: “It was great pleasure to work with you and your colleagues. We are impressed by the level of professionalism and will recommend Black Brick to our friends. Thank you very much for your help and attention”.