
MOST clients come via word of mouth,’ says Guy Meacock, director of Prime Purchase (020–7881 2388). ‘The wealthy are used to getting advice, based on experience. Shouldn’t that be even more the case when it comes to your home?’
In the mid and upper echelons of the housing market, buying agents are familiar faces, quietly navigating highs and lows on behalf of their clients. In the Cotswolds prime country-house market, for example, 50% of transactions above £2 million involve buying agents. This proportion rises to 80% for homes of £10 million and over, says Jonathan Bramwell, head of The Buying Solution (01488 657912).
An ability to scour the market for time pressed buyers is one of the buying agent’s trump cards, complemented by local knowledge and a little black book of contacts. Often, they come up with homes that are marketed discreetly—or not at all; 67% of houses bought via Prime Purchase last year were off-market, says Mr Meacock.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April 10, 2024-Ausgabe von Country Life UK.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April 10, 2024-Ausgabe von Country Life UK.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden

There's gold in them thar schools
Some of the most significant treasures and curiosities in British history, from Henry VII's golden cope to Alan Turing's reports, lie not in museums or galleries, but, unexpectedly, within independent schools, reveals Madeleine Silver

Clear in the attic
Intriguing chairs, tables and bookstands peppered the Holkham sale at Sworders, but, for me, a lacquered-brass stick barometer in a mahogany case stole the show

Survival of the exceptional
The addition of VAT on fees will be the straw that breaks the camel’s back’, not only for stretched parents trying to do the best for their children, but for smaller schools and what they can offer. Lucy Higginson finds out how they are mitigating the damage

As good as gold
The glittering, jewel-like works by early-14th-century Sienese painters reflected the splendour of the city’s heyday and went on to influence courtly art as far afield as Britain and Bohemia, as Mary Miers discovers

Bitter together
Peppery, rocket-like and best eaten raw, this warming winter weed adds a decorative flourish to any humble salad, finds John Wright

Knock on wood
Our beloved, bark-drumming woodpeckers are guardians of ancient broad-leaved woodlands, busy ecosystem engineers and keen consumers of ant porridge, discovers Vicky Liddell

Timeless bridal jewellery
Bespoke wedding jewellery crafted by G. Collins & Sons will bring extra sparkle to the happy couple's special day and beyond

A glimpse of the sublime Russborough House, Co Wicklow, Ireland A property of the Alfred Beit Foundation
The redecoration of a drawing room offers a fascinating insight into the aesthetic preoccupations of Grand Tourism in the mid 18th century, as John Goodall explains

Lights, camera, action!
Renting your house out for filming can be fun, occasionally alarming, a good revenue stream and might even increase its value, finds Annabel Dixon

A pocket of Middle England
Idyllic Midlands counties appear to have been left alone by the hordes-all the better for those who live there