Should your estate agent live in a niche or go broad?
And we visit an elegant maisonette in London's Holland Park
Good estate agents are impressive. They know their market and intuitively navigate the tortuous purchase/sale process while keeping a modicum of sanity and optimism. Probably the best one I ever encountered was in the town of Longmont, outside Boulder, Colorado (hi Heather!). I watched her masterfully work a crowd at an open house, mixing neighbourly gossip with those ‘qualifying questions’ we learnt in real estate school. When it came time for us to sell there, there was really no competition. It had to be Heather, and we were not disappointed.
Heather’s competitive advantage is her intimate knowledge of her town, Longmont, and her web of the relationships built up as her kids went through schools there, and deepened ever since. In a relatively small community, that’s a great niche. My question this week is - are there other niches to explore, or is Heather’s model the ultimate one for buyer and seller?
If I had a farm to sell, a ranch to buy or a piece of land ready for development, I would seek help from someone really experienced in these areas, with a demonstrable track record. But what about in a large urban environment like London? How does an agent stand out in a sea of mediocre (sorry) barely-trained operatives who seem to vary from the pushy used-car salesman mode to the ‘I’m better than this’ aloofness?
I’ve found one, Modern House. A highly self-aware and design-driven firm, they say they represent design-led homes across the UK which celebrate light, space and a truth to materials. Pretentious? Absoluement. But their strong marketing core drives everything from the type of homes they sell, through to the photography on their website, and - I’ll bet - the customers they attract, whether buyers or sellers.
Their positioning allows them to represent homes throughout the UK without being a national chain or franchise, and - I guess - they have a superb word of mouth network that brings pre-qualified and enthusiastic buyers/sellers to their door. Their point of view shows in the descriptions of the homes they feature, such as this one in the chic Holland Park area. Revel in their prose (but - can you spot the typo?) - it’s seductive, and targeted to the aspirations of their ideal buyer.
“Light pours in through shuttered bay windows at both ends of the double reception, and through glazed bi-fold doors to the terrace and garden.”
Phillimore Place is a quiet residential street set within the former Phillimore Estate, one of Kensington’s most coveted collections of houses and apartments. It is situated between Kensington High Street and Notting Hill, on the eastern edge of Holland Park, with an unrivalled array of shops, boutiques, restaurants and cafes in all directions. The open green spaces of Kensington Gardens and Holland Park are a short walk away.
Light pours in through shuttered bay windows at both ends and through glazed bi-fold doors in the kitchen. These open to a decked terrace with jasmine-clad steps down to the walled garden. In the kitchen contemporary white cabinets are paired with basaltina worktops and Siemens appliances. Underfloor heating extends across this level.
An oak staircase descends, along the line of a single strip window, to the unusually bright lower-ground level which was dug down during renovations to maximise ceiling height. Here there are four bedrooms, one currently used as a study with it’s own sizeable store room. The two largest bedrooms occupy the bay windows and both have built-in wardrobes.
£4,600,000 (under offer)
