Case Studies

We have no stereotypical client or search brief. Each client has different requirements, time-scale and budget. We pride ourselves on our ability to work with each individual situation or request.

Examples of previous searches include:

Case study: Single female first time buyer

Location: Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey
Budget: £550,000
Criteria: A small house in a quiet location with a pretty outlook from all windows

Our client was a designer and natural light, space and quiet was very important to her as she worked from home. After searching the market, we found two properties which ticked her boxes. We showed her the first property and she loved it. She decided she didn’t want to see anything else but we insisted on showing her the second property as a comparable. The property went to sealed bids and unfortunately the seller chose a different buyer as they were a young family. However, we stayed in regular touch with the estate agent and after it transpired that the young family had overstretched themselves financially, we were able to secure the house without the other sealed bid buyers being given an opportunity to re-submit offers.

Case study: Foreign buyer coming to London for two days to buy a property for his daughter

Location: South Kensington (SW7), Knightsbridge (SW1) or Chelsea (SW3)
Budget: Up to £4m
Criteria: A two/three bedroom apartment with outside space, no higher than the first floor unless there is a lift

The client was in London for only two days and didn’t know the areas or current prices very well. We showed him and his daughter various properties within a range of budgets which educated our client about the types of properties and space he could get within each price range. His daughter did not feel comfortable in the larger traditional properties and we found her a more contemporary flat which was more her style and also nearly £2m under their budget.

There was another bidder who offered £50,000 more than our buyer. However, we managed to agree with the vendor that, providing our client exchanged within 10 days, he would accept our lower offer. By handling the conveyancing process and regularly liaising with our client’s solicitor and the estate agent, we ensured that exchange occurred within 10 days as agreed.

Case study: Client who had already had a disastrous experience with a previous property finder

Location: Pimlico, (SW1)
Budget: £800,000
Criteria: Two bedroom period flat in good condition with outside space

Our client had been using another property finder who had recommended a property without realising that it was tube affected. Consequently our client had nearly made the mistake of putting down a non-refundable deposit on the property before she realised.

After our initial meeting with the client, we thoroughly searched the open market but nothing was suitable. However, one of the local estate agents had sold a maisonette to a couple several years ago which would fit our client’s criteria perfectly and we asked if he would contact the couple to enquire about their position. The couple were in fact considering selling and we managed to arrange a one-off viewing.  Our client loved the flat and we agreed the price the next day without the property ever coming on to the market. Other similar properties which had come on to the open market had sold for a higher price p/sq ft as there were multiple offers. However, by ensuring that our client was seen as a good quality buyer who could accommodate the seller's time scales, the vendors agreed to sell off market and our client paid less for the property as there were no rival offers to compete with.

Case study: Overseas client looking for a one-off property investment

Location: Clerkenwell (EC1)
Budget: £500,000
Criteria: Low maintenance property investment

Our client was based in Australia and, because of the favourable exchange rate, wanted to buy a London buy-to-let investment. She had previously lived in Clerkenwell and this was an area she felt comfortable with. Before her trip to London, we discussed rental yields and tenant profiles with her, as well as the latest new residential developments which would be low maintenance. Our client flew to London for one week and we showed her six apartments in one day. We did second viewings of two flats the following day and bid on her favourite. After some negotiation we agreed 8% off the asking price and our client flew back to Australia while we oversaw her purchase. On completion, we arranged for the flat to be re-painted, professionally cleaned and we oversaw the furniture delivery. The flat was put onto the rental market and went under offer in 2 days at above the asking price, representing a 4.8% rental yield.

Case study: Family looking to buy a house in Surrey

Location: Cobham, Oxshott, Claygate, Esher
Budget: £1.8 million
Criteria: A five bedroom family house in good condition

Our clients had two young children. Both parents worked and didn’t have time to stay on top of the market. Over a 2 month period we showed them 16 houses and the property they eventually offered on was something that they hadn’t previously considered. The plot and location were perfect but it required refurbishment which was something they were initially apprehensive about. However, we factored in the cost of the work into our offer price and, after exchange, put in place an excellent building firm to handle the entire project. They now have a home which is entirely tailored to them and they’re delighted.

Case study: Client looking for vast space with a limited budget

Location: London Bridge (SE1)
Budget: £450,000
Criteria: A live/work property offering as much space as possible, ideally all on one floor

Our client had done some research into the market and live/work properties. Although he knew what he was looking for, he worked very long hours and didn’t have time to search properly on his own. Sourcing Property searched the market and, after three weeks of searching and monitoring new properties, we found him a property in Kennington which ticked all of the boxes and was even larger than he was hoping for.

Our client had never considered Kennington before as he wasn’t familiar with the area but he loved the flat and after being shown around the area, he decided to go ahead with it. Although it was £45,000 above his ideal budget, Sourcing Property managed to negotiate £35,000 off which, given the extra space it offered, our client was very happy with.

Case study: Rental client needing to move within 48 hours

Location: South Kensington (SW7)
Budget: £1000 p/w
Criteria: A furnished two-bedroom property in very good condition

Our client was a busy bachelor working in the city. His tenancy was coming to an end in two days and he had not managed to find another property he liked. After we received a panicked phone call, we did a thorough search of the market and lined up lunchtime viewings for him the next day. We showed him  4 properties, none of which he had seen in his previous searching, and we agreed one of them. The landlord had initially offered the property unfurnished but we managed to agree that the furniture would remain. We also negotiated that the estate agent would waive their admin fee of £420 + VAT. We organised a PA company to oversee our client’s move and a removal company was booked in for the next day. Our client was delighted and is still in the property.

Case study: Investor client buying remotely without ever seeing the property he bought

Location: Bayswater (W2) or Westminster (SW1)
Budget: Up to £650,000
Criteria: A two-bedroom apartment that would be a good rental investment

Our client was based in Malaysia and was looking for a London rental investment. He chose to work with us, after interviewing a number of other buying agents, as we have a lot of experience working with investors. We advised him on areas and rental yields and narrowed down his search to two areas. We then did a thorough search of the market and presented the best properties via email, including spreadsheets outlining the estimated gross and net rental yields for each property. Our client chose one property and we agreed the purchase for him. We also arranged a full refurbishment and furniture package as we calculated that the rental yield was 15% higher if the property was in better condition. The property has served as an excellent investment and been consistently rented for the past three years at a yield of 4.5 - 4.7% p/annum. Our client has still never been to the UK to see it.