Jamie Read Property Search & Consulting  

www.jamieread.co.uk

Introduction Jamie Read Property Search & Consulting is an independent buying

agency specialising in the acquisition of

prime residential property throughout

London and the southern Home

Counties.

Unlike an Estate Agent, we act

exclusively for buyers, offering clients a

personal service tailored to their specific

needs whether seeking the elusive

‘perfect’ home, a suitable investment or

advising those from overseas unfamiliar

with the UK property market.

Our Approach

We are not owned by an Estate Agency or affiliated to any corporate entity, ensuring our clients are offered genuine, honest, impartial advice with the sole aim of making the buying process as simple and painless as possible, from initial search right through to completion of the purchase.

We offer experience, integrity and honesty in an often challenging marketplace, maintaining discretion on behalf of our clients whilst saving them considerable time and effort. We have the expertise to negotiate optimum terms for our clients, the ability to source properties not available on the open market and the resources to save our clients considerable time and energy. With nearly two decades experience in this continually evolving market, we have forged excellent relationships with many key operators at a senior level and built an extensive network of trusted contacts, enabling us to offer incisive market intelligence for the benefit of our clients.

Jamie Read - Founder I'm a passionate property professional with nearly two decades experience in the residential sector and my firm belief is that customer service, honesty and integrity are of paramount importance for a successful business.

I am well practiced within various residential disciplines and have experience of advising a wide range of clientele including high net worth individuals, owner/occupiers, buy-to-let investors, institutional clients, corporate entities, property developers & house builders.

Having gained a thorough knowledge of the niche West End and Prime Central London market during my years as an estate agent, in 2010 I turned my focus to assisting private clients in the sourcing and acquisition of prime residential real estate in what is surely the world's most exciting, diverse and truly global city and the beautiful counties that surround it.

I am familiar with the sometimes challenging leasehold arrangements that are commonplace in many parts of Central London,

and have acted in both the sale and acquisition of properties in some of London's most prestigious addresses including those within the Grosvenor, Cadogan, Howard de Walden, Portman & Crown Estates.

Every client has a unique set of circumstances and over the years I have taken great pleasure from assisting buyers, sellers, landlords and tenants with their property challenges.

I enjoyed many years as both an estate & letting agent, gaining a vast amount of knowledge and varied experience, working with some fantastic people, both clients and colleagues, many of whom I still work alongside today.

Background

How your clients benefit

The level of service we provide to our clients is paramount to a successful business as much of the time we rely on recommendation by our clients to win new business. Therefore, our prime focus is to provide advice for the benefit of the client and never for our own gain, advice that is straightforward, honest and based on many years experience in the property market. We deliver results with the minimum of fuss whilst keeping clients fully informed throughout the process.

We aim to build strong, long lasting and trusting relationships with our clients, and on many occasions they use us to acquire property again and again. Because of this approach to our delivery of service, Davidson Downing can be confident that any client referred to us will be dealt with in the manner to which they will be accustomed. We appreciate that referrals are a reflection of your business and it is essential you have confidence in any third parties whom you engage with to advise your client’s as you would.

We deliver a service that is discreet, professional, personal without being over-familiar and above all flexible, with the ability to tailor-make a solution for each individual client, as we understand that rarely are two circumstances the same. With this in mind, we are able to tailor our terms to fit in with your service offering, and would be more than happy to discuss in more detail any specific requirements on the part of your business to develop a standard service contract as the basis for any client work you may wish to refer to us.

Through our professional affiliations and network of trusted contacts, we are able to offer access to a wide network of property professionals such as Solicitors, Architects, Planning Consultants, Builders, Tradesmen, Interior Designers and Education Consultants, as well as other buying consultancies specialising in specific geographic regions if and when required.

Fee Proposal

We charge a retainer to each client in advance as a sign of commitment on

their part, and to cover time and

incidental expenses in the initial

stages of any search. All retainers are

fully deductible from the final

success fee upon completion of any

transaction.

The success fee is charged as a

percentage of the acquisition price

of a property, or a percentage of the

saving over the advertised guide

price, whichever is the greater.

Our standard fee is calculated at 2% of the purchase price (reduced to

1.5% for repeat clients) with an initial

retainer in advance of £2000, based

on an initial contract term of 6

months.

However, depending on the

number of clients referred and how

this fee structure sits within your

service offering and indeed specific

client needs, we would be happy to

look at this and discuss how best

we help to deliver maximum value

to your clients without

compromising the level of service

provided.

Introducer commissions can of

course be offered if so required,

although we appreciate some

companies prefer not to take fees

for referrals.

For full details of our fees, please refer to our standard Terms &

Conditions of service (available on

request).

Our fees are based on success and the delivery of results.

Services

Search & Acquisition

Comprehensive property search & acquisition service including:

o  Full market research of the desired area

o  Previewing of all candidate properties

o  Accompanied orientation & viewing tours

o  Offer and acquisition strategy

o  Negotiation

o  Transaction & chain management

Rental Search

Comprehensive rental search service including:

o  Market research of the desired area

o  Previewing of all candidate properties

o  Accompanied orientation & viewing tours

o  Offer strategy

o  Negotiation of terms

o  Tenancy administration

o  Liaison with letting/managing agents

o  Liaison with relocation/removal companies

o  Utilities assistance

o  Renewal negotiation

Negotiation

We can consult and the most effective offer strategy and third party negotiation where a suitable property has already been identified by the client and they wish to remain at ‘arms length’ during negotiations.

Consultancy

We are able to consult on a range of property matters, whether clients are looking to invest for the first time, have an existing portfolio, thinking about investing in a new area or just wishing to add value through improvements.

o  Identifying suitable properties/areas for investment

o  Maximising property value through improvement/refurbishment/space planning

o  Appraisal of existing investment properties/portfolio to ensure maximum yields/returns are achieved

o  Marketing/sale consultancy & management

Purchase Management

For clients who’ve already agreed terms for a purchase, we can manage the entire transaction from start to finish, acting as liaison between client, agent, solicitor, surveyor, mortgage broker, indeed any party involved in the process.

Services

Asset Disposal & Sale Management

Years of property experience allow us to offer advice on the most effective way of marketing an existing asset to achieve maximum value with minimum fuss.

We can:

o  Interview candidate agents prior to marketing

o  Act as liaison between client and agent when negotiating terms & fees

o  Advise on appropriate improvements/staging to enhance saleability and suggest the most appropriate time to market for maximum impact and effectiveness.

o  Assist when negotiating offers from prospective buyers, offering impartial advice (not biased on earning a commission!)

o  Look after the management and progression of the sale once terms have been agreed.

Our aim isn’t to replace the role of the selling agent, merely to assist in the process with a focus on saving time, minimising stress, avoiding hassle and affording clients the ability to remain at arms length if so desired.

Areas Covered

London

We have extensive experience of the Prime & Super Prime Central London postcodes in:

o  Westminster

o  Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea

o  City of London

As well as the outer lying prime areas including:

o  Camden

o  Islington

o  Hammersmith & Fulham

o  Wandsworth

o  Lambeth

o  Southwark

o  Merton

o  Richmond Upon Thames

Home Counties

We are also able to service the southern Home Counties of:

o  Surrey

o  West Sussex

o  East Sussex

o  Kent

Case Studies Fulham Investment

Client Profile | Maltese Investor

Brief | Secure a two bedroom property in West London to provide a suitable rental return and short-medium term capital growth

Budget £750k

Result

•  43 Candidate properties viewed over a 3 month period.

•  Suitable property identified in Fulham SW6, secured within budget against competitive bidders

•  Transacted within 5 weeks

•  Instructed and coordinated contractors to undertake refurbishment of property, purchased furnishing on clients behalf.

•  Liaised with letting agents and secured a tenant in excess of the target yield within four days of marketing.

 

 

Fitzrovia Investment

Client Profile | UK Novice Investor

Brief | Secure a two bedroom property in Fitzrovia W1 to provide a suitable rental return and short-medium term capital growth

Budget £700K

Result

•  20 Candidate properties viewed over a 4 week period.

•  Suitable property identified and secured at 4% below asking price

•  Instructed and coordinated contractors to undertake refurbishment of property, purchased furnishing on clients behalf.

•  Liaised with letting agents and secured a tenant in excess of the target yield within two days of marketing.

 

 

 

 

Kent Country House

Client Profile | Young professional family relocating from London

Brief | Secure a country house with sufficient land to run a luxury camping business, provide tennis and swimming facilities and within catchment area of good schools for the client’s four children.

Budget £1.25m

Result

•  15 Candidate properties viewed over a 5 week period.

•  Suitable property identified and secured within 5 weeks at 11% under guide price against competitive interest.

•  Referred client to financial advisor who oversaw complex finance structure to secure purchase without the need to liquidate other property assets.

•  Liaised with architects & planning consultants to advise and gain consent for alterations to a listed building and change of use for grazing pasture to be used as boutique camping business

•  Introduced clients to several local schools and assisted them in securing places for three of their four children.

•  Arrange short term temporary accommodation for clients to live in whilst works were undertaken to the property  

Surrey Investment/Family Home

Client Profile | UK Ex-Pat living in Hong Kong

Brief | Secure a 4 bedroom house in Reigate within the catchment area of the best schools and walking distance to the station, initially to let out and produce attractive yield with longer term view as a family home for when client returns from Hong Kong

Budget £800k

Result

•  28 Candidate properties viewed over a 2 week period prior to client’s visit to UK

•  Suitable property identified, access negotiated prior to hitting the open market to give client an advantage.

•  Interviewed, instructed and coordinated contractors to undertake refurbishment of property on client’s behalf

•  Liaised with letting agents and secured a tenant in excess of the target yield within 7 days of marketing.

•  Property has seen 8% capital increase in 3 months since completing

 

 

 

 

Case Studies

Marylebone Apartment

Client Profile | HNW French National

Brief | Secure a high quality lateral apartment in a portered block in prime Marylebone for as a primary residence for the client

Budget | £6M

Result

•  9 exclusive properties sourced ‘off market’ within a two week period (client had been searching himself for over three months and wasn’t aware of any of these properties)

•  After lengthy negotiations a sum was agreed with the seller at £300k below the originally suggested guide price

•  Negotiations were also undertaken to secure the extension of a new lease

   

Testimonials

“Jamie's help in our purchase was absolutely instrumental and invaluable. He managed to take a very chaotic process, simplify and speed up the transaction. He was a pleasure to deal with at every stage, always spoke with honesty and total discretion and enabled both sides to walk away happy and relatively stress free. We will certainly be using him on our next move, although hopefully that wont be for a while.”

 

Graham & Sophie Stanton  

“Jamie was an objective voice of reason in a house hunt that was always on course to get emotional. We wanted the perfect home and very nearly lined somebody else's pocket in the process. Thanks to Jamie we discovered other forms of potential and have exactly what we wanted with the added feeling of knowing we made the right investment.”

 

Matthieu & Saskia Barrett  

"We were making a significant investment in a competitive market, so the decision to ask Jamie to act as our buying agent was an easy one, and quite simply I'm not sure we would've got there without him.

 

Jamie's experience saved huge amounts of time and his approach and style meant we felt in control the whole time. He was relentless in making things happen - from negotiation to completion. We have no intention of moving anytime soon but when we do Jamie will be getting another call from us.” 

 

Ollie & Annie Browning

 

Reference Our situation We are expatriates based in Hong Kong and in summer of 2014 were looking to purchase a property in Reigate that would serve potentially as our long term home but be easy to let in the interim, providing us with rental income.  The first property we looked at – prior to engaging Jamie’s services -  attracted more than 20 viewings on its first Open House day and received an offer that was in excess of 10% above asking price.  It was evident that the market was very overheated and I was initially sceptical about what value Jamie could bring in such conditions.

 

How Jamie helped These doubts were quickly allayed over the course of our first two meetings when Jamie demonstrated both his knowledge of the area and a keen, sincere desire to understand our preferences and needs over the course of several different property viewings.  Also – and key for us -  through his strong relationships with the trade he was able to get us access outside the standard viewing days being offered.  He knew of properties that were coming onto the market before they were being advertised. This was especially important given the limitations of our busy schedules when we were back in the UK on holiday.  The property we eventually purchased was one that Jamie had managed to negotiate access to exactly in this way.

Also evident was that Jamie was able to glean valuable information about the market and other competing parties.  This meant he could give us excellent counsel on how to approach negotiations and package our offer – leveraging the fact we were chain free and had finance in place.  Although we missed out on our selected property with our first offer, Jamie’s persistence meant that the moment the other buyer’s offer fell through, our offer was the one the owners next turned to and accepted over another of equal value.

 

Our purchase was not without complications on the financing side as we needed to release equity from a flat in London and source a buy to let mortgage with my bank in Hong Kong.  With new lending restrictions coming into effect, the simultaneous re-mortgage and inordinate delays and issues with the new application threatened to derail the process on many occasions.  However by keeping constantly on top of things, and using his strong relationships,  Jamie was able to prevent things from de-railing.  Throughout the difficulties it was hugely re-assuring to have someone with Jamie’s experience, tenacity and persistence fighting our corner.  

 

Recommendation Dealing with Jamie has been an absolute pleasure; he is committed to understanding clients needs, has an eye for detail and can leverage his considerable experience and market knowledge to great effect.  He made himself available at all times of day – particularly important given the time difference between Hong Kong and UK.  Long after the sale was completed Jamie’s assistance continued – sourcing Painters and Decorators to get the property into good marketable shape.  He then lined up Estate Agencies to compete for the letting of the property.  This meant we got very competitive fully managed rates (far better than we would have dared bargain for on our own). 

The property – as expected – quickly generated many viewings and was eventually let at full asking price within less than two months of the sale being completed.  

The result is we have a family home to look forward to as and when we move back to the UK which is generating valuable income to pay off the mortgage in the interim.  I very much doubt this could have been achieved without Jamie’s help.  I’d wholeheartedly recommend his services to anyone in circumstances similar to ours.  

 

Ed Higgs Loyalty Manager Cathay Pacific Airlines

Professional Bodies

Insurance  

Copies of Worldwide Professional Indemnity & Public Liability cover available upon request  

Jamie Read Property Search & Consulting is a member of the following professional bodies and operates in accordance with their codes of conduct

The Association of Relocation Professionals www.arp-relocation.com

The Association of Residential Property Finders www.arpf-propertyfinders.co.uk

The Property Ombudsman www.tpos.co.uk

Contact

Jamie Read Property Search & Consulting 11-14 Grafton Street Mayfair London W1S 4EW T: +44 (0) 207 757 7458  E: info@jamieread.co.uk W: www.jamieread.co.uk Jamie Read Property Search & Consulting is a trading name of Jamie Read Consulting Ltd. Company No. 9124150 | Registered Address 1 Mercer Street London WC2H 9QJ