Result: Off Market

Victoria Street

The Challenge

Our clients were relocating from Belgium to London and whilst their longer term plan is to purchase a property it was felt prudent to rent a property for at least 12 months to allow them to get a feel for the varying neighbourhoods of the capital. Their brief was for a lateral apartment, with at least 3 bedrooms and a minimum of 2000 square foot. Our clients travel frequently and so easy access to Heathrow and a good sized lift within the building were important requirements. The budget was set at a maximum of £4000 per week.

 

The Perfect Conclusion

As our clients did not have a specific location in mind we previewed and shortlisted options all over prime central london: Mayfair, Belgravia, Pimlico, Kensington and St. James’s all had suitable properties however we identified a ninth floor apartment within a new development in the heart of Victoria which ticked all of the boxes. The property was 2695 square foot, had three bedrooms and two large terraces. It also benefitted from a concierge, underground parking and a large lift. The asking price was £3250 per week so well within the budget and we successfully negotiated this to £3000 per week which equated to a 8.3% saving for our client.

 

The Unfair Advantage

Our extensive knowledge of Prime Central London allowed us to advise and guide our clients as to the best possible locations for their tenancy.

Seymour Street

The Challenge

Our client from Hong Kong was looking to invest circa £2 million into the London market. They had limited knowledge of the geography and market conditions in central London. We advised them to split the budget for the investment into two properties, rather than one, providing diversity of investment and stronger rental prospects. This is one of the two flats our client purchased on our advice.

 

The Perfect Conclusion

We successfully agreed the purchase of this brand newly completed one bedroom flat located in a block of only 27 private residential apartments. The building is regarded as one of the best to have been completed in the area within the last 24 months, with all units selling out off-plan. The building is finished to a very high standard with 24 hr security/concierge and underground parking. The property sold for the original contract price of £1,600,000, but the buyer failed to complete. Through our contacts we were quickly made aware of the opportunity to purchase at a heavily discounted rate before the property was released back onto the open market. We subsequently agreed the purchase at £1,150,000, a 28% discount from the original contract price.

 

The Unfair Advantage

We gain access to the best deals – an early heads up meant we were able to achieve an impressive 28% discount from the original contract price.

Red Lion House

The Challenge

Our client was a sophisticated investor, already owning significant commercial and residential real estate assets in London. He had been looking for some time to acquire a family home in London, and did not want to pay the huge premium that comes with buying new build properties. He needed 4 to 5 bedrooms and at least 3000 square feet in Marylebone or Mayfair.

 

The Perfect Conclusion

We identified a freehold house in Mayfair, measuring just over 8500 square feet which was being sold by receivers. The house had previously been sold in 2014 for £19.175m. Once a famous pub, The Red Lion was shut down in 2009 and sold to a luxury developer, and initially had asking price of £25 million. With 6 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, 2 receptions rooms, dining room, kitchen, media room, gym, swimming pool, roof terrace and an internal lift, the house met with every single one of our clients requirements.

The purchase price of £15 million, equated to a highly competitive £1748 per square foot. Unmodernised houses in Mayfair usually achieve over £2000 per sq. foot, and modernised houses often achieve well in excess of £3000 per sq. foot. Red Lion House was in almost new condition, so the price was extremely attractive. Of course, we were not the only potential buyers interested in the property, and we had to move quickly and demonstrate our ability to get on and do the deal in order to win the contract from at least two other interested parties.

The area immediately surrounding the property is interesting from a future investment perspective. On one side of the property business entrepreneur and billionaire John Caudwell is developing his own private residence of over 50,000 sq. feet, and on the other side he is developing a new luxury block of residential apartments – Audley Square which is due to be one of the most luxurious new build developments in Central London, with prices set to be in the region of £10,000 per sq. foot.

Finally, we are in discussions with our client regarding our Vacant Care Service to help look after and service our clients home for him when he is travelling.

 

The Unfair Advantage

Mayfair houses traded at an average rate of £2567 per square foot in 2018. We acquired Red Lion House at an astonishing £1748 per square foot, 32% below the market average.

Ebury Street

The Challenge

Our client was looking to sell this two bedroom, two bathroom apartment in Belgravia which they no longer used. The biggest challenge we faced was the competition from other apartments in the area for sale. There were five other similar units for sale in the same building alone, and many more in the wider area.

 

The Perfect Conclusion

We personally wrote letters to every resident living in the building, making them aware of the sale. As a result we were contacted by a resident who had a friend interested in purchasing the apartment. We then conducted viewings with their representative and negotiated the subsequent offers agreeing the sale at £1.8m, just £50,000 below the asking price.

 

The Unfair Advantage

We go the extra mile. In addition to sending the property details to our extensive list of property agents and private contacts, we wrote letters to every single resident in the building, over 100 people in total. This enabled us to quickly identify a suitable buyer, whilst other similar flats remain for sale in the building.

Bedford Gardens

Our Client

An English couple with a growing family looking to upsize to a larger family home.

The Challenge

Our clients had been living in a beautiful apartment in Kensington but with a growing family decided that they wanted to buy a house in the same area. They were very focused on identifying a property where they could add value and so were open to the idea of buying something which required a significant amount of work. Initially our clients had started the search themselves but had become increasingly frustrated with the lack of good quality stock combined with the unrealistic price expectations of many sellers in this area of London. They engaged Black Brick to take over their search.

The Perfect Conclusion

Through our network we were introduced to an off market house on Bedford Gardens in Kensington which had been owned by the same family for many years. The family had successfully applied for planning permission which allowed for the house to be almost doubled in size through a basement extension, developing the side and rear of the ground floor level as well as a loft conversion. The property had an asking price of £5,950,000 however as a result of our negotiations we were able to secure a discount of £1,100,000 (or nearly 19%) and contracts were exchanged at £4,850,000.

Blenheim Road

Our Client

An English family looking to move from an apartment to a family house.

 

The Challenge

Our clients had lived in the Little Venice/Maida Vale area for many years. The combination of lower house prices combined with cheap lending gave them the motivation to upgrade to a larger family house, St Johns Wood being an area they had always dreamed of living in. With two older children living and working in London, the house needed to have the right balance of good bedroom and living space in order to give adults and older children the space to live under the same roof. The house needed to have at least 4 bedrooms, and be walking distance from the tube. Whilst initial research threw up around 30 potential houses, in reality, decent houses that were sensibly priced were far and few between.

 

The Perfect Conclusion

After an abortive transaction on a Grade II listed house where we discovered that the owners had failed to obtain the necessary planning consents, we finally managed to identify a much better alternative house within 3 months of being retained. We were the very first people in through the door to view a special house located on Blenheim Road. The house had been meticulously refurbished by the current owners who were relocating abroad and therefore extremely motivated to sell. With 4 bedrooms, all with en-suite bathrooms, ample entertaining and reception space, outside space and off street parking, the house met with every single one of our clients requirements. Our early viewing resulted in a week of negotiations and a price being agreed at well below the planned asking price of £4.75 million. We saved our client £350,000 or 7.3% from the asking price, equating to a very competitive £1600 per sq. foot. Recent house sales in the area have been achieving as much as £1865 per sq. foot. We also managed to get the seller to agree not to bring the property onto the open market, allowing our client the necessary time needed to exchange contracts without the pressure of another potential buyer coming along.

 

Barts Square

Our Client

British clients looking for a London pied-a-terre.

The Challenge

Our client was an extremely time-poor senior executive, living with his family outside London but seeking a pied-a-terre to use during the week and on children’s holidays. The flat needed to be a secure lock-up and leave, providing easy access to our clients office in the City and local transport links

The Perfect Conclusion

We successfully sourced this off-plan 2 bedroom apartment measuring 907 square feet on the 2nd floor with views over an internal courtyard garden. The apartment also benefits from a balcony and is due for completion at the end of 2017. Bart’s Square is a new-build apartment block in a vibrant mixed-use development around the corner from Smithfields Market, with residents’ gardens, a bar, meeting room and cinema, and offering secure, lock-and-leave properties. Although the developer had sold the best apartments, we worked our contacts to secure one second-hand, off-market. The development is ideally located next to the new Farringdon Crossrail station.

Park Lane Bank Vaults

Our Client

IBV International Vaults, a global Swiss vault company.

The Challenge

Our client operates IBV vaults, a market leading safety deposit box company across several locations including Switzerland and South Africa, but was keen to expand into London, where he could offer his VIP service to the world’s elite. There are very few bank vaults still in operation, and even fewer that are willing to sub-lease or sell their space to a third party. Many banks no longer offer safe deposit box facilities, but demand for such facilities is high as storing valuables in secure safety deposit boxes can avoid soaring insurance premiums.

The Perfect Conclusion

As a residential buying agency, this was a very unusual deal for us, made possible by our excellent connections as the vault was only available off-market. Situated on Park Lane in Mayfair, and next to the Dorchester Hotel, the location could not have been more perfect for our client.  We negotiated a long lease with Barclays, and a significant rent free period as our client intends on carrying out significant works to improve the vaults. The 2,077 sq. ft. vault will open in November 2017 and will be completed to a luxurious standard, providing 3,300 safety deposit boxes for discerning clients.

 

King Henry’s Road

Our Client

A French family relocating from Brussels to London

The Challenge

Our clients were a French family with 3 young children, relocating from Brussels to London for work and their children’s schooling. They required a minimum five bedroom house with a garden, close to schools, a park and the West End. This opened up a huge choice of potential locations and properties that might work for them. We spent time educating our clients on different areas, showing them properties in South Kensington, Kensington, Chelsea, Notting Hill, Primrose Hill and Hampstead. The family were restricted to visiting London just twice a month, so our weekly reporting was hugely important in helping them to understand the different areas, styles of houses and pricing.

The Perfect Conclusion

We successfully agreed the purchase of this grand semi-detached freehold period house. The property met our clients brief perfectly, measuring over 3,300 square feet, with 5 bedrooms, a 100 foot garden and the ability to extend the house by adding a further floor. The purchase was agreed the first week the property came onto the market, and we successfully negotiated a discount of £400,000, despite competition of a higher offer from another buyer. We have also assisted our client with the potential future works they will do to the property by arranging three separate specialist surveys and introducing and overseeing three building contractor and interior design quotes. We are also overseeing the removal and set-up of new utility accounts to ensure their move in process is stress free.

The Unfair Advantage

We move fast. We were first in through the door of this magnificent period house in Primrose Hill. Early negotiations meant we secured the property at a very competitive £1,399 per sq. ft., saving £400,000 from the asking price, and successfully exchanged contracts despite a higher offer from another buyer.

Sloane Street


Our Client

A Nigerian family

The Challenge

Our clients were looking to sell their Knightsbridge apartment to reduce their property liability in London.

The Perfect Conclusion

Having seen transaction levels and prices dramatically decreasing in the area over the last 12 months Knightsbridge has become an increasingly difficult market to sell in. However, we managed to agree the sale at a very healthy £2,385 per sq ft to a cash buyer who we introduced via one of our private contacts.

 

Lansdowne Road

Our Client

An American buyer

The Challenge

We sourced this stunning ground and lower ground floor apartment, with direct access to communal gardens for our client in April 2014 for £6.6 million. Our clients had enjoyed living in the property, but in spring 2016 they contacted us to discreetly help find a buyer for the property as they were relocating back to the US. Our clients did not want the property to be openly marketed and our instructions were to seek a buyer privately and with minimal disruption.

The Perfect Conclusion

Through our network we successfully identified two buyers within a few weeks, one of whom quickly agreed to purchase the property at the full asking price. At £2343 per sq. foot, this represents the highest price per square foot achieved for a flat on this street, a stunning achievement in what is currently a very slow and subdued sales market. The transaction proves that a discreet and confidential approach is often the best way to sell a property and is a prime example of how successful our Managed Sale Service is.

Television Centre

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.

Abernathy House, St Barts Square

The Client

An English buyer.

The Challenge

A repeat client who wanted to purchase an investment property to add to his portfolio.

The Perfect Conclusion

We highlighted the brand new iconic re-development of St Barts hospital on the City fringe. Unlike many of the other generic high rise, multiple unit schemes on offer in London, St Barts has a boutique feel with every flat retaining it’s own individual character and is set within the historic side streets near Farringdon. The scheme is also in very close proximity to the new Crossrail substation. The property was secured with a small reservation deposit before it had been offered to any other buyers and buying off-plan has enabled our clients to spread the payment over the next 36 months.

Sudbrook Gardens

The Client

A South African family.

The Challenge

Our clients who were living in Surrey were looking to move to either Petersham or Richmond in order to be close to their childrens school. They wanted a detached five bedroom house with a large garden preferably in excellent condition.

The Perfect Conclusion

Black Brick found an off market, detached house, with a large garden and backing onto Richmond golf course. The property was less than five minutes’ walk to the school.

Here is what our client had to say about his experience working with us:

“The best decision we as a couple, who were new to the Richmond market and after 12 months of fruitless attempts to close on a selected home, was appoint Black Brick. Caspar and his team hit the ground running and helped us refocus our attention on the targeted homes by re-positioning our offers /strategy. This eventually resulted in us securing our preferred choice, despite the home never coming to market. Without Caspar and the Black Brick team we would not have secured our new home”.

 

Hanover Street

The Client

A Middle Eastern Buyer.

The Challenge

Our client was a repeat client who was looking for a pied a terre in Prime Central London.

The Perfect Conclusion

We sourced a two bedroom apartment located within a boutique, off plan, prime apartment block just off Hanover Square, a prime Mayfair address. The property was the show apartment and we were able to negotiate the inclusion of £100k of fixtures, fittings and furnishings within the asking price.