Our Client
An American Buyer.
The Challenge
Our American client had been searching for a property for two years. She had offered on a number of properties but had never managed to get any of them over the line. She was looking for a three bedroom flat or house with lots of living space, access to a small outside area, separate space for her teenage son, easy access to her office in Mayfair and her son’s school in Fitzrovia, and within close proximity of a tube station and culinary amenities, all in a ‘villagey’ location. Finding a property which meets a set of such specific criteria in such a wide area is incredibly time consuming and takes incredible tenacity to make sure you don’t miss it when it becomes available, on or off market.
The Perfect Conclusion
Our dedicated and tenacious approach meant that we were able to immediately set about scouring the whole of the London market for the perfect property. Our understanding of areas and prices across the whole of London meant that we were able to immediately focus on specific areas which we knew would give her the size of property she needed with all the local amenities she desired, all for the budget of circa £1.5m. Having been looking for two years, she bought the first of a shortlist of five properties that we showed her in an area she had never previously considered.
Our Client
A Lebanese Rental Client.
The Challenge
Our Lebanese client was looking for a family house to rent in the Kensington area. They were moving from the Middle East and only had a very brief window in order to find a property. The property needed to have a garden and be big enough for a family with three children. We were able to preview and shortlist potential properties in advance of their visit ensuring they only saw the best of what fitted with their brief.
The Perfect Conclusion
We successfully sourced this modern four bedroom townhouse set within a gated development including a garden and underground parking close to High Street Kensington. Having 24 security on-site was an extra attraction for the safety of their children. We secured the property against competition from another potential tenant and still managed to agree the rent below the asking price. We also agreed redecoration works (re-painting walls and polishing floors) at the expense of the landlord as a condition of our offer. We are also assisting the client with removals and setting up utility accounts as part of our service
Our Client
An American Buyer.
The Challenge
Our American clients were looking for a long term investment situated between Islington and the West End. Their daughter was going to live in the apartment whilst working and living in London and needed to be able to rent a room out to a friend.
The Perfect Conclusion
Our knowledge and experience in having searched these locations for clients on many occasions allowed us to isolate very quickly the best investments in the market and to present the safest and best located options to the family. Having had an offer accepted on an excellent apartment in Islington and progressing the transaction very close to exchange of contracts, the seller then decided not to sell and pulled the contract. We were able to source an excellent alternative for the client in less than a week. Much to our delight, the family preferred the new property – a top floor, two bedroom apartment in a modern development measuring 1,263 square feet on a quiet turning very close to Highbury and Islington tube station. The apartment was one of only two of its kind in the development and had lovely light, lots of space and rooftop views. The apartment was bought for £1.25m, which equates to £989 per square foot.
Our Client
A Middle Eastern buyer.
The Challenge
Our Middle Eastern client was looking for a modern , 3 bedroom apartment to be used as a pied a terre. He wanted to buy in a new development with services including a 24 hour concierge, parking and leisure facilities. With so many new developments being sold across London, both existing and off plan, the market is difficult to navigate.
The Perfect Conclusion
Successfully buying a new build property in London requires experience and skill. With 1000’s of properties being developed across Central London, it’s vital to understand value, the differences between developments and select the best possible unit. We identified a beautiful 3 bedroom apartment, measuring 1129 sq. ft. on the 7th floor with stunning views in 375 Kensington High Street, which has already proven to be a very successful scheme and offers residents 24 concierge, parking and extensive leisure facilities. We were able to agree terms at £2,250,000 or £1992 per sq. ft. and exchanged contracts within 3 weeks. As our client lives abroad, they have engaged our Vacant Care Service to help look after the property for them while they are away and we are assisting our client to furnish the property all in time for their visit to London over the summer.
Our Client
An English buyer.
The Challenge
Our client was looking to move from East London to a larger family home in North West London within a reasonable commute of the City and their son’s new school in Hampstead. Their preferred location was Hampstead but the client felt that with their budget they would be unable to buy a four bedroom house in that specific location.
The Perfect Conclusion
We identified a beautiful four bedroom house less than a minutes’ walk to Hampstead Heath, close to the train station, shops and crucially our clients son’s school. At 2104 sq ft the property was a significant upgrade from their previous home. We negotiated hard for our client, saving them £70,000 from the asking price and securing their ideal home for £2,125,000, or £1010 per sq. ft which represents very good value with similar houses trading at least 10%-15% more.
See what our client had to say here
Our Client
An Indian buyer.
The Challenge
Our Indian client was looking for a 2 bed apartment in Mayfair or Knightsbridge with the specific requirement that the building should have a 24 hour front desk porter and air-conditioning. Due to currency remittance laws in India, their budget was constrained providing a further challenge to the search.
The Perfect Conclusion
We successfully agreed the purchase of this three bedroom, 7th floor, 1100 sq. foot apartment in a highly regarded apartment block in Mayfair next to Grosvenor Square. As a result of our negotiations we saved our client £400,000 from the asking price and managed a difficult conveyancing process through to a successful exchange of contracts. The property was held under two leases – one short lease with the immediate landlord and a longer concurrent lease granted by the Grosvenor estate. The short lease contained a provision which essentially could have restricted our clients from selling the property for a 7 year period. We successfully managed to negotiate with the landlord to vary the short lease to remove the relevant provision and also negotiated for the vendor to pay the premium for the this which was £65,000. Crucially we also introduced our client to a financial advisor who successfully arranged a mortgage that could work with their remittance restrictions and enable them to buy.
Our Client
A British buyer.
The Challenge
Our British client was looking for a two bedroom pied a terre in St James’s. The challenge with any search in this area is the lack of available residential stock and the ongoing demand from buyers looking to live in this historic London neighbourhood.
The Perfect Conclusion
We were able to identify an off market property as a result of writing to specific owners of apartments which we knew would be perfect for our client. We completed the purchase within four weeks of our offer being accepted and without the property ever coming onto the open market.
Our Client
An African Investor.
The Challenge
Our repeat client was looking to acquire his second investment property with us. Being based abroad, he was keen to find a property that required very little work and one that could be rented out straight away. Important factors were for the flat to achieve a good rental yield, be easy to rent out and be well located for longer term capital growth.
The Perfect Conclusion
We sourced an attractive 891 square foot two bedroom two bathroom flat on the third floor, benefiting from lots of natural light and views over communal gardens. The building has a lift, which is rare on the square. The property should rent for approximately £875 per week, giving our client a gross yield of 3.3%, which is above average for the area. We also saved our client £15,000 from the asking price and we will be managing the property through our Property Management Service. Earls Court is currently undergoing an £8 billion regeneration programme and we believe long term capital growth prospects are strong the for the area.
Our Client
A Middle Eastern Buyer.
The Challenge
A repeat client of ours was looking for a secure long term property investment in Central London.
The Perfect Conclusion
We identified a distressed sale in Phase 1 of the new Battersea Power Station Development. We managed to negotiate and secure a 14th floor river facing 2 bedroom unit at approximately £1,500 per square foot. Other similar units have exchanged for £1,800 per square foot plus. We were able to negotiate a substantially reduced price as the vendor was keen to sell having suffered from a severe currency depreciation in their home country. The unit is in one of the best positions in the scheme and includes a 200 square foot winter garden. In addition we have provided a complete solution for our client through our Property Management Service, and successfully identified a suitable tenant paying £725 per week.
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.
Our Client
We have closed not one but six transactions for various UK investment clients in this off-plan development during 2015.
The Challenge
Many of our clients are attracted to buying off plan. The advantages of staged payments and possibility to sell the contract on before completion being some of the key advantages. However, the off-plan/new build market is a minefield for most buyers and investors. Most off plan developments in London will not make good investments. There is a vast range of options across London, and the need for in-depth market knowledge about how they are likely to perform when completed is vital.
The Perfect Conclusion
We highlighted the Television Centre to several of our clients for various reasons – its transport links, proximity to the Westfield shopping centre, investment going in from Imperial College, opening of a new Soho house hotel and private members club and the fact the BBC will continue to be on site, all make it compelling. It is also relatively low density. Furthermore, we achieved an attractive rate, at circa £1,000 per square foot, which we feel is good value for a development of this quality and in this location. We also leveraged our contacts to get our clients in early, securing the best units before the development’s UK launch.
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.
The Challenge
Our client was high profile, working in the entertainment industry and looking for specialist advice and confidentiality. Privacy and security were important requirements. They also wanted a flat with open-plan spaces and that all important ‘wow’ factor.
The Perfect Conclusion
We successfully sourced this impressive and funky 1500 square foot warehouse conversion apartment in Shoreditch, and negotiated an impressive £200,000 reduction from the original asking price. We also managed to get a car parking space included as part of our negotiations.
The Unfair Advantage
We battle hard on price. Tough negotiations resulted in a £200,000 saving for our client.
The Client
An American buyer.
The Challenge
Our client was looking to upgrade his home in London. As an investment banker he had very little time to search the market and source opportunities. He was looking for a penthouse apartment with private outside space and within a 10 minute commute from his office.
The Perfect Conclusion
We obtained early access to this unique lateral penthouse flat measuring over 2400 square feet. In addition we managed to negotiate £650,000 from the asking price, over a 10% discount.
The Client
A British buyer.
The Challenge
Our English client was a first time buyer in London. She wanted a property with period charm, outside space and within commutable distance to St James’.
The Perfect Conclusion
We successfully sourced this charming freehold cottage townhouse with a private garden in Earls Court. We beat off stiff competition from two other buyers, and successfully re-negotiated the price down by £10,000 during the conveyancing period.
