The brief
K & A were based in the south of England and both had a busy work life that took them on long assignments overseas. Having grown up in the Lake District and with elderly parents and family still in the area, K knew it was time to think about having a UK base there so that they could visit more regularly (in addition to the fact that they had spent the previous 2 years looking for a property themselves). The brief was to find a traditional Lakeland cottage or farmhouse with a garden and views, in a peaceful area, within 30 minutes’ drive of Kendal. K had already spotted her perfect property – at that time a holiday let in the Kentmere valley – and set that as the benchmark for the search.
Search Criteria
- Garden – The client required a garden with views of the local landscape
- Village – The client knew exactly which region they wanted to live in – within 30 minutes’ drive of Kendal
- Local – The client knew they wanted to be near their family and parents, living in the Lake District area
How Buying Agent Partnership helped
As K & A had already done a lot of research and viewings, it was clear that a different approach was going to be needed with this search. In addition to the usual contact with local estate agents, that entailed
- placing an advert in the local paper
- compiling a mailing list of properties in the area which looked as though they might be suitable and writing to the owners direct
- placing adverts and posters on local notice boards and distributing targeted flyers in the local area
All three routes prompted information about potential properties that were not currently advertised for sale but where the owners might be interested in further discussions and invited viewings. Crucially, after about 6 weeks, we received an email from the owners of a holiday cottage in the Kentmere valley – the exact dream home that K had originally identified as her perfect property!
The owners were living overseas, so our letter had taken some time to reach them. Whilst they were not actively considering the sale of their much loved family holiday home, they were happy for us to view inside the property in between holiday bookings and would be open to offers if it was considered suitable.
The happy ending
Well, of course it was suitable – K had had her heart set on it – and the location – for years! After a couple of viewings we began negotiating directly with the vendors – saving them any estate agent fees – and arranged a full building survey and independent valuation. Once all the legal processes were complete, K & A became the proud owners of their dream home in the Lake District.
How Buying Agent Partnership added value
- Using their expertise to shortlist suitable properties, regions and villages that matched our exact client criteria
- Proactively contacting existing owners to see if they would be open to receiving offers on their property
- Obtaining the client the very property they had used as their ‘wish list’ dream home! Now, that’s Buying Agent Partnership service!
