Introduction
Finding the perfect home or investment property in London can be very hard for any buyer, even those who live in the city and already know it well. For international buyers looking to enter the London property market, this becomes a much greater challenge given the different time zones, competitive landscape, unfamiliarity with local laws and regulations, and of course the fact that these buyers are located overseas and are unable to attend property viewings at short notice. This is why many international buyers look for the support and assistance from a London Buying Agent.
As a leading London buying agent we act as a local partner for our clients, guiding them through this process smoothly and efficiently, and ultimately ensuring we source and acquire the best properties, at the most competitive price possible.
The Role of a London Buying Agent for International Clients
A significant proportion of the clients we work with are either relocating to the UK for work or family reasons, or are looking for an investment property here, which they can also use as a London base or perhaps for the children studying at one of the many top universities or business schools.
As your local property expert on the ground, we provide our clients with detailed market analysis, location recommendations and a personalised service and holistic strategy to ensure we always achieve and exceed our clients’ goals.
We have exclusive access to off-market listings and always undertake previews of target homes, reporting back to our clients with impartial and fact-based advice whether that be around the condition of the property, the seller’s position or indeed our views on the guide price and whether we think it’s realistic.
Our service includes us taking care of all negotiations, ensuring our you are getting best value and removing the need for you to engage with local estate agents who will only ever be acting for the seller to push prices up, sometimes using aggressive sales tactics which can be stressful unnerving to have to deal with.
Once we have a deal agreed, we ensure the legal progression moves a smoothly as possible and are always on hand to advise on any issues or queries, as well as introducing you to a network of trusted market experts where needed, whether it be solicitors, FX brokers or surveyors.
Understanding Local Market Trends and Pricing
London is one of the largest cities in the world covering spread over 607 square miles with a population of over 8.5 million people. Even within the same postcode, the architecture, demographics, crime stats and overall look and feel of a location can vary significantly. Sometimes there are only a few key roads that we would recommend within a certain area.
After agreeing a search brief, we help our clients map target locations out in detail, using our extensive knowledge of the cities’ hugely diverse neighbourhoods, transport links and property value trends to help our international clients find the right area and home to match their specific preferences and budget.
We have unrivalled access to live data and market comparable evidence, to be able provide valuable advice and recommendations to our clients, ensuring they are not over-paying for a property, and instead acquiring an important asset which will see above-average capital growth moving forwards.
Access to Off-Market Opportunities:
There is a fast-growing trend of London properties being traded entirely off-market, and this is especially prevalent at the higher price ranges of £1M+ where in certain prime postcodes, we are now seeing in excess of 50% of all residential transactions being concluded off-market, and therefore never being publicly listed for sale on platforms like Rightmove.
At Ridgestone Property we are one of only a few London Buying Agents who have exclusive access to these highly sought after opportunities and we ensure that we perfectly position our buyers to take advantage of this. This dramatically increases the chances of finding our clients perfectly home, whilst reducing the chances of competitive bidding against other buyers in the market. Some recent examples of successful off-market acquisitions can be found seen in our case-study section.
Virtual Tours and Property Assessments
Given many of our international buyers are unable to visit London on a regular basis, and very rarely at very short notice, we are able to carry out property previews on their behalf. This is where we can dial in our clients from wherever they are in the world for a virtual video call. This gives our clients an opportunity to get a live and up to date visual of the home in question, whilst we can talk through our feedback and key points of interest. Of course we still do encourage our clients to visit the properties with us in person, prior to making a formal offer, however this initial step can save them time and make sure their trip to London is worthwhile.
Navigating the UK Legal & Regulatory System
Every country has different property laws, and the UK is no different. There are also additional regulations and stamp duty impacts for international buyers, so it’s even more important that our clients receive the correct information and upfront advice before they embark on this journey. As part of our service we constantly keeping track of any regulatory changes and it’s our job to keep our clients updated, whilst introducing them to other trusted professionals where needed, for example a tax specialist or contract lawyer.
As your trusted advisor, we act as the gatekeepers for our clients ensuring their interests and positions are protected at all times, and avoiding the pit-falls that can occur in what can be confusing and busy market place.
If you would like to have a confidential and no-obligation discussion with regards to your specific property requirements, then please do contact us directly or call our Managing Director, Alex Greaves on +44 (0) 7867526071.
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