Our Client
A Russian client looking for a family apartment in London.
The Challenge
Having rented a property in Mayfair through our Rental Search Service when he first moved to London, our client decided that he wanted to purchase an apartment in the same neighbourhood. With very specific requirements of at least 3 bedrooms, lateral space, a 24 hour concierge and security, a good view and ideally a swimming pool, the number of suitable options in such a small area were extremely limited.
The Perfect Conclusion
Our extensive experience, knowledge and contacts in Mayfair meant that we were able to identify developments, both existing and off plan which would be able to satisfy our client’s specific requirements. In the end Clarges Mayfair was the perfect solution for our client’s needs. A boutique scheme of just 34 apartments, developed by British Land and designed by Squire and Partners, with extensive leisure facilities including a swimming pool, as well as 24 hour concierge. The best units have far reaching southerly views over Green Park but unfortunately none were available on the open market. Through our network we sourced an off market 4 bedroom unit on the 4th floor with stunning views over the park. We then successfully negotiated 10% from the asking price, saving our client £2.35 million.
Our Client
European clients looking for a pied a Terre period apartment in London, which could also be used by their son whilst at university.
The Challenge
Our clients were very open on location, but wanted the apartment to have at least two bedrooms, be in a safe area very close to a high street and a tube station. They had a budget of £1.3m.
The Perfect Conclusion
We secured an excellent conversion of a Victorian end of terraced house in West Hampstead with three bedrooms, within three minutes’ walk of the high Street and two stations (overground and underground). The apartment was in reasonable condition and was perfect for the clients’ son to move into, but also has potential to make improvements and add value over time. The property was on the market with an asking price of £1,2950,000. We successfully negotiated the price down to £1,222,500, saving our clients £72,5000. This equated to a very reasonable £836 per square foot. Flats in the area regularly sell for in excess of £950 per square foot.
Our Client
An English buyer
The Challenge
Our British clients whose main residence is in the countryside wanted to take advantage of the slowdown in the Central London sales market and uncertainty around Brexit to find themselves a lovely pied a terre for their future use and stays in London. South Bank was a location that worked well for them logistically and also benefits from a wide range of restaurants, theatre and nightlife . Their brief was for a three bedroom apartment in a secure building within walking distance of Waterloo station. We set about an analysis of all the potential property for sale that suited their requirements in the area, with a particular focus on new builds.
The Perfect Conclusion
South Bank Tower is a development that had all the features our clients required; a 24 hour concierge service, private roof terrace business suite, swimming pool, steam room, sauna and gymnasium. We identified a 3 bedroom apartment on the 24th floor with stunning views over the River Thames and the City. Knowing the developer was keen to sell, we negotiated aggressively saving our clients £550,000 from the £2.75m asking price, a saving of 20%. Subsequently our clients paid circa £1,600 per square foot in a building where exactly the same size units have sold for in excess £2,100 and £2,300 per square foot previously
Our Client
A British Buyer
The Challenge
Our clients were in rented accommodation looking to buy a permanent home in London. Having recently relocated from the US, coupled with their full-time work commitments, they were extremely time poor and needed advice on which areas they could find the right property for their budget, and a professional to take the necessary time in previewing relevant properties. The property also needed a roof terrace suitable for barbeques, which is difficult to find in central London.
The Perfect Conclusion
We spent time researching the market and educating our clients on multiple locations. In the end we successfully identified a fabulous 3 bedroom new build penthouse apartment measuring 1524 sq. feet in Battersea, with the added benefit of a large wrap around roof terrace. In addition to being able to barbeque on the roof terrace, the terrace also has a Jacuzzi hot tub and stunning views over London. We managed to negotiate and save our clients £75,000 from the asking price, equating to a competitive rate of only £770 per square ft. We also negotiated some extra internal upgrades to the flooring and terrace which will be carried between exchange and completion at no extra cost to our client.
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 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.
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
A British buyer.
The Challenge
Our British clients lived an hour from the capital and wanted a pied a terre in Central London, preferably walking distance from the shops, restaurants and theatres of the West End. They wanted a modern flat in very good condition.
The Perfect Conclusion
Through our comprehensive network of the best developers in Central London we identified a boutique scheme of only 7 apartments located just off The Strand, with walking distance to Covent Garden and therefore in the heart of the West End.
We were able to secure our clients a £100,000 discount as a result of our negotiations.
The Client
An International buyer.
The Challenge
Our client was looking for a pied a terre in Maida Vale or St Johns Wood. The property had to have 3 bedrooms and be located in a portered block. The flat also had to be in very good condition and the layout to have bedrooms at one end of the flat and living space at the other. St Johns Wood was above budget and very few developments in Maida Vale are portered.
The Perfect Conclusion
Within the few developments in Maida Vale that are portered, the layouts often do not have a clear definition between sleeping space and living space. We managed to find a newly refurbished apartment where the owner had changed the original layout to match the exact requirement for our client and we were able to acquire what is a very rare apartment for £50,000 under the asking price.
The Client
An International buyer.
The Challenge
Our client was looking for a two bedroom, two bathroom apartment in good condition. The layout of the flat had to have a clear distinction between sleeping space and living space and ideally a separate utility room. The property also had to have a porter and be in a good location within Prime Central London. With a budget of £1.2 million, this presented us with a hard task.
The Perfect Conclusion
We were able to source an apartment which met all of the criteria and more – The property even benefited from a private balcony with views of the river. We also saved our clients £20,000 from the asking price as a result of our negotiations.
The Client
An International buyer.
The Challenge
Our client wanted a two bedroom pied a terre in Belgravia. The apartment had to have high ceilings, lots of natural light and crucially views of a communal garden. Whilst they were prepared to purchase a renovation project they had a preference for a property in immaculate condition. Flats like these do not come onto the market very often and are therefore difficult to find.
The Perfect Conclusion
We identified an extremely rare and exceptional first and second floor flat on Eaton Square which had recently been the subject of a complete refurbishment. The reception room and master bedroom had stunning views over the private communal gardens. We were able to negotiate nearly two million pounds from the asking price and contracts were exchanged within 12 working days. We have also provided a complete solution for our clients and look after the property while they are away through our dedicated Vacant Care Service.
The Client
An African Investor
The Challenge
Our client was only in London for five days and needed to secure an attractive buy to let investment property, but had very little time to research and view properties.
The Perfect Conclusion
Black Brick successfully agreed the purchase of an attractive penthouse flat with over 1000 square feet of rooftop terracing and stunning 360 degree views of London. Due to the vendor relocating back to Spain and the way we presented our clients offer, we were able to save our client £85,000 from the asking price, representing a very competitive £1151 per square foot. The building overlooks the Battersea Power Station regeneration site, where off plan flats have been selling for in excess of £1800 per square foot, and will benefit from the £8 billion redevelopment including new underground stations and the relocation of the American Embassy.
The Client
An English Buyer.
The Challenge
Our client was looking for a four bedroom family home in West London within close proximity to a particular girls school. The type of property they were looking for was in very high demand from families and as a result, often properties would sell for over the asking price. There was also an urgency to the search as our client was renting and wanted to move out as soon as possible.
The Perfect Conclusion
Through our persistent approach, and constant communication with the right estate agents, we ensured we were viewing the best options first. After having our offer agreed for a four bedroom house on Yeldham Road, through careful deal management, we kept the transaction moving forwards. Due to new mortgage regulations and a high level of other interested parties, the seller was very nervous, as our client required finance. The vendor stated many times they wanted to run with another cash offer buyer, but we managed to keep control of the situation making sure we didn’t lose the deal to another party
The Client
An Australian buyer.
The Challenge
Our Australian client was only in London for two days, and was looking to buy a large lateral two bedroom pied a terre in Central London for under £4 million. We arranged a tour of eight properties, all of which met with his criteria but varied in price and location. Their favourite was a flat in Hyde Park W2 in excellent condition overlooking a garden square and opposite a new development of refurbished flats.
The Perfect Conclusion
We successfully agreed the purchase for under the asking price, at £1,596 per square foot. Flats in a newly refurnished development on the same street are selling for close to £2,500 per square foot, highlighting the excellent deal we managed to negotiate on behalf of our client.
