″Real flexibility in the face of a changing brief.″
The Equerry Homesearch service
Without exception, all our clients have key responsibilities either at home or in the office. They recognise that it is not an efficient use of their time or effort to view houses that are ultimately unsuitable. Many also know through bitter experience that hours spent on the phone to estate agents rarely yield impressive results.
We complete all the mundane tasks that a focussed property search demands, combining local contact management with rigorous process to find and present the best opportunities while offering clear, unbiased advice.
The Equerry service is designed to find and secure the best properties before the competition while also removing the emotional and physical burden that is so often associated with a house move.
For ease of reference, our service is broken down into six stages and described below:
Analysis » The Search » Viewing » Negotiation » Audit » Completion
Analysis
We explore the tangible and intangible elements in order to understand all the issues that are important to our clients. We will consider the property and the wider environment, covering elements such as local schools, sports facilities, communication routes and local demographics.
Once all the factors have been discussed, we help prioritise them so that we can weigh up suitable properties within a rational framework.
The search
Having confirmed the precise requirement Equerry will begin the search. We approach it from a number of directions:
Agency Search:
This is where our network of contacts comes into play. We keep in touch with agents at a local level who often introduce us to suitable properties before they come onto the open market. We utilise very clear processes to minimise the risk of missing a property and provide our clients with regular reports to ensure they remain absolutely up to date with all progress made.
Local Search:
The area specified will be targetted by an agent and suitable properties identified street by street. Current owners of those houses will then be contacted by letter and asked if they might consider selling.
Rental Search:
On occasion, when facing a specific deadline such as an office move or start of a school term, our clients need to move into an area before a suitable house has been found. In this instance we search for a rental property and help define the tenancy agreement while continuing the search for a property to buy.
Viewing
As a general rule, your Agent will conduct all first viewings to save you the time, money and trouble of having to see all the houses yourself. We are crushingly honest about the properties that we view and only the best will receive a recommendation for further attention.
First Viewing:
Should a house be considered a possibility, your agent will view it and where possible take photographs so that you get to see both the good and bad points explained honestly and without bias or sales jargon.
Second Viewing:
If, after initial consideration or first viewing, we think that the property is exceptional, you will be invited to view it with your agent who will make all of the necessary arrangements on your behalf.
Negotiation
Our knowledge of the specific market and lack of emotional involvement allows us to negotiate with real effectiveness. While past performance is never a guarantor of future success, it is worth noting that Equerry's negotiating skill has, in the past, delivered savings that have both matched and exceeded the fees charged for the service.
We work extremely closely with our clients to determine:
- the offer price
- the tactical presentation of the offer to the vendor and their agent
- the timing required for exchange of contracts and completion
- the fixtures and fittings that should be included with the sale
We will also complete early scenario planning so that future courses of action can be enacted quickly if the initial offer is rejected.
Audit
Once you have identified your chosen property, solicitors and surveyors will need to get involved. You may choose your own, or we would be happy to recommend and interact with local professionals who we know will provide an excellent service.
We carry out independent searches to double check the local planning schedules and investigate environmental issues such as land contamination and pollution risk. These checks augment those carried out by the solicitor; having seen the property and studied the local area in detail we ensure they relate specifically to the reality on the ground rather than a circle on a map.
We can also advise on a range of technical issues that may require thought before purchase. Examples include agricultural ties, tenancy agreements, single farm payments and wayleaves.
Completion
We watch for many of the problems that can effectively sabotage the process during this delicate stage in order to resolve problems as they arise and before they gather enough momentum to derail the process.
We chase all parties to ensure that each has the necessary paperwork when it is needed. This helps avoid the sort of delays that are so often the cause of dispute.
Once the purchase has been completed, we can recommend local workmen or even help project manage extensions or renovations.