Relocations - Queen's

The Art To Investing in Prime London Property

Jamie — Tue, 04 May 2021 16:18:35 +0000

Whether you’re moving around London or investing in prime London property for the first time, it’s important to ensure that you’re making the right decision; seeking advice from the experts operating regularly in that market. Although Queen’s takes the stress out of moving through our specialist moving service, making the most out of investing in prime London residential property is challenging and competitive and so, we thought we’d speak with friend of Queen’s, Andrew Weir, from London Central Portfolio (LCP) to find out how they merge the art and science of investing in London Prime property.

For our clients who are not yet familiar with LCP, LCP provides a seamless one-stop service sourcing, acquiring and managing property for investors, homebuyers and landlords. Established in 1989, their experienced team applies a unique blend of art and science to achieve the most rewarding results for private clients. In a similar vein to our art advisory clients, LCP are masters in the art of spotting the very best on and off-market opportunities and then applying the science – providing a detailed financial appraisal of each short-listed opportunity to ensure investment objectives are met. With the aim to provide a complete service to clients, their in-house project managers provide imaginative design solutions to create beautiful interiors, to agreed timescales and budgets, with specialist moving services provided by Queen’s. For landlords, LCP’s dedicated lettings and property management team secure the best tenants and ensure tenancies run smoothly for a stress-free, hands-off investment that maximises returns. Keen to find out more, and as it customary in our weekly spotlights, we ask LCP Chief Executive, Andrew Weir, a few questions:

What are the benefits of using a buying agent such as LCP?

Stock is scarce in prime London, with only around 3,500 properties changing hands a year, making it challenging to secure the best opportunities, be it individual apartments, freehold blocks or mixed-use buildings. LCP’s reputation and market knowledge ensures we hear about them first.

It’s important to remember that an estate agent acts for the seller and not the buyer. A buying agent will always represent you, the buyer, at every stage of the transaction to achieve the best possible outcome. LCP take the time to understand your exact requirements to find the best solution aligned to your lifestyle and financial objectives. We make it our business to know about everything on the market and pre-screen all potential opportunities. We then compile a consolidated list of properties that fit your criteria, saving you time and ensuring you make the best decision, for a hassle-free experience. LCP negotiate the purchase price and manage the entire buying process to completion for the client.

Who is your ‘typical’ client?

LCP predominantly represent international buyers, both private individuals and family offices, from all four corners of the globe. We have a particularly strong representation in the Middle East, especially Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, and the Far East including Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia.

Despite travel restrictions, our clients have been able to use our exclusive buying service where we can identify the best investment opportunities, negotiate price discounts, and manage the acquisition on their behalf. 22% of LCP’s acquisitions in 2020 were purchased sight unseen by overseas buyers unable to travel to the UK but wanting to acquire prime London property. LCP also act on behalf of UK-based HNW professionals who require a buying agent to find the best opportunities to meet their exacting requirements. Additionally, if you would like your property managed on your behalf, either day-to-day or for prolonged periods of time, LCP’s dedicated management team are on hand throughout.

What changes have you seen within the Prime Property market in London and what predictions can you share with our clients?

With a successful start to the vaccine roll out and easing of lockdown restrictions, Spring 2021 is showing early signs of recovery in the prime London property market. The absence of overseas buyers has led to a lack of price growth compared to outer regions. However, there has been a noticeable increase of new and competitively priced listings being placed ‘under offer’ within short timescales.

Family houses with access to outdoor space and good schools in village-like neighbourhoods including South Kensington and Notting Hill are in high demand.

Despite comparatively low levels of available stock in prime London, good investment opportunities continue to exist. We predict that the small one- or two-bedroom apartment market, in particular, will see a surge of demand as lockdown restrictions ease and the evolving new hybrid working model will require professionals to find a pied-a-terre to ‘overnight’ their 2-3 days in the office.

A continuing trend which has accelerated across the previous year is the younger audience renting in prime London. 86% of new tenancies in Q1 2021 were 30 years old or under, a 23% increase from prior year. A strong indication of what a post Covid London may look like with a new generation viewing the capital as an employment hub and with the easing of restrictions, a vibrant cultural city.

Despite a constantly changing global environment, London residential property is still viewed as a safe haven asset class. London continues to enjoy the rule of law, a diverse and liberal culture, top-class education establishments, an international business language and the GMT time zone.

Looking for a specialist moving service? Your single point of contact will work with you to determine how best to pack, ship and store your belongings depending on your needs. Find out more or email info@queenfineart.com and we’d be happy to assist.

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In conversation with Hannah Aykroyd, of Aykroyd & Co

Jamie — Mon, 10 May 2021 11:28:17 +0000

As many of our clients are evaluating how they’d like to shape their lives as we venture into the ‘new normal’, we’ve been installing fine art in home offices across London and moving clients into new residences with access to outside space and large living areas to accommodate a more flexible lifestyle. With this in mind, we thought it useful to chat with a friend of Queen’s, Hannah Aykroyd, founder of London-based prime property buying agent Aykroyd & Co, to discuss the importance of representation when buying prime property in London and predictions for the market across 2021. As is customary in our partner spotlights, we asked Hannah a few questions. First up;

Who are your typical clients?

Around 70% of our clients are private clients. They’re often looking for family houses, apartments for their children or a pied-à-terre. We also work with a number of investors looking to build significant, diverse portfolios to hold for the long term. We pride ourselves on our deep understanding and intuition for what clients are looking for and offer the utmost discretion and professionalism.

Why is working with someone like yourself so important?

We are a fully independent boutique advisory firm, providing impartial, objective advice. We remove much of the stress of what is a highly emotive process to ensure our clients are buying the very best property to suit their requirements. Often, these properties are firmly off-market and so having a trusted advisor representing you to access these properties is crucial.

We provide transparency on pricing by referencing up-to-date recent comparables, negotiating firmly to achieve the best possible price, and carefully overseeing every element of the legal process until we safely exchange and complete. A huge part of our role is about introducing the right trusted team of professionals throughout the entire process, from a private banker to your lawyer, to a surveyor, through to Queen’s to help with the moving. We’re there for our clients through every step and we remain on hand long after a client has moved in.

What do you find is most important to your clients when moving?

We have a tried and tested team of property professionals to help us safely execute each purchase with minimum fuss. Clients really value having peace of mind that all belongings are safe and secure at all times, and for the process to be as seamless and straightforward as possible. Aftercare is also a huge part of our service and we are available well after completion to advise clients on all property-related matters.

Which London villages do you see as being the best investment right now?

Bayswater has been undervalued for some time and particularly in comparison to its neighbour Notting Hill. Queensway has been in desperate need of regeneration, and it’s really exciting to see the £1 billion project in this area underway. There is a collective effort to carefully curate this street into a go-to shopping destination with interesting independent retailers, cafes and restaurants, with the benefit of excellent transport links. The surrounding area has already seen huge investment and prices have of course increased to reflect the regeneration scheme, but we predict this to continue over the coming years.

Another area is Earl’s Court. The Earl’s Court development covers 25 acres in Zone 1, although it has been delayed after the initial Phase 1. Once this is fully underway it will have a hugely positive impact on the surrounding areas. More generally, we’re not such big advocates of buying new build property and particularly in a large scheme where there is no rarity factor. So our advice would be to buy on quiet roads within RBKC near to this scheme on long-term hold.

Equally, there is such strong demand for family houses that if you focus on best-in-class properties in highly desirable residential pockets of PCL, such as those on the best side or end of the best roads with a south or west-facing aspect, you should do well.

What services do you offer?

We mainly focus on search and acquisitions, but we also advise clients on rentals, which we find to be popular for those relocating to London. This enables clients to find a base and then we can focus on the acquisition once they’re ready.

We also act as advisors on a managed sale. To be clear, we never sell anything, but this is where we provide unbiased advice on how best to maximise the investment on exit. We are always in full control of the narrative, which is so key in a gossipy and complex prime London market. We appoint the most appropriate sales team, ensure the pricing is correct, and marketing strategy is appropriate, negotiate any offers on the client’s behalf and oversee the entire process. This is particularly popular with clients who are based abroad, or who simply do not have the time.

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The Ultimate Moving Service. In Conversation with Charlotte Hepworth.

Jamie — Fri, 21 May 2021 13:19:55 +0000

Whether you’re relocating from town to the country or moving your family abroad for a new venture, choosing a right moving service has the potential to be extremely stressful and time-consuming. That doesn’t always need to be the case.

Since Queen’s began relocating client’s across the globe, we’ve always tried to make the packing and movement of belongings as stressfree and seamless as possible. That said, moving isn’t just about the physical movement of your belongings and that’s where someone like Charlotte Hepworth, founder of Bespoke Home Moves comes in.

Whether a client needs help organising their home prior to the move, requires assistance selling classic cars to make way for a new collection or indeed needs assistance recruiting the right staff, Charlotte and her team are on hand to provide the most stress-free moves imaginable. Charlotte manages the move from start to finish and is often asked to provide concierge and lifestyle services long after the move is complete. Interested to find out just how effortless Charlotte can make a move appear, we asked Charlotte a few questions. First up;

What kind of moves do you usually organise for clients?

We offer a turnkey solution for our clients when they are looking to move or relocate so that they can continue to concentrate on the things that matter to them most in their personal and professional life. Our service is tailored to each client’s needs so we can support them with as little or as much of the process as they wish. This can mean that we project manage everything from the organising and decluttering of the home in advance of the move, arranging the quotes from reputable moving companies, right through to making the beds and putting food in the fridge. We are also able to offer elements of our service such as just unpacking and putting away which would include the styling of the wardrobes and the organisation of the kitchen pantry or cupboards as required.

What’s the largest move that you have organised to date?

In terms of the size of the house, it would be an 8,000 sq. ft. house in Surrey. In terms of value, I have overseen the packing of a private porcelain collection which was valued at £6million. We are often asked to assist with additional services from our clients such as managing their inventories. Once we have worked with them for some time, there is that element of trust which has been built and so we become part of an extended network of resource for them.

How do you choose who you work with when it comes to choosing partners, such as ourselves at Queen’s?

In the early days of business, it was very much trial and error. However now the business is very much established in the luxury space, we seek to work with partners whose ethos and core values align with ours at Bespoke Home Moves. We are always looking to exceed our client’s expectations and it is key that we work with companies who are also looking to do that. This comes through building relationships with like-minded businesses and developing that knowledge of each other so we can work in a seamless and professional manner to fulfil our client’s requirements.

What do you usually find clients request the most when moving?

The most popular element of our offering is the unpacking and putting away. This is the thing that can often send people over the edge as there is such a volume and it is difficult to know where to start if you are doing it on your own. Wherever possible we would encourage our clients to take a short break or stay at a second home whilst we do the unpacking and putting away, as this really is what allows them to have that ‘wow’ factor when they return. In addition, we regularly oversee the setting up of home electricals to include Wi-Fi, AV systems and most recently home security. This way our clients are good to go as soon as they arrive home.

How do you and your moving team ensure a seamless move day?

The key to it is preparation. The more time spent in advance planning, the more seamless the process will be. We spend lots of time prior to the move, making sure we know where all the main pieces of furniture will be placed, what the priorities are for the families and how they like their possessions to be displayed. All members of our team have their niche when it comes to unpacking and putting away so we always play to those strengths. This way everyone is in their own space and doing what they do best.

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Seven ways Coutts could support your international move

Jamie — Tue, 13 Jul 2021 08:58:25 +0000

As the world, hopefully, begins to open back up, we spoke with friends of Queen’s, Allana Buckle and Monica Khaleghi, from Coutts, to find out how they can support our international clients looking to move to London. This is what they had to say;

Extraordinary individuals have banked with Coutts for over three centuries. From our earliest days back in 1692, we’ve nurtured the finances of some of the world’s most phenomenal people, protecting their legacy then, now and into the future.

When you’re at Coutts, you’re a part of an eclectic family – our Coutts International team look after the high-net-worth individuals across the globe. And we’re an international bunch indeed, with coverage in the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Europe, Russia and the Americas.

Our clients’ international lifestyle means they are often on the move – and we are here to take all the hassle of moving away.

Here are 7 ways Coutts could support a busy, international move:

we help navigate the complexities of our clients’ multi-jurisdictional status, working alongside professional advisers and our external network of leading tax, immigration and property experts
our onshore & offshore service with a global investing approach could help structure clients’ wealth in a tax-efficient manner
we know what is needed for the UK Tier 1 investor visa and will hold the client’s hand through the process
we can provide unique private company investment opportunities via the Coutts Investment Club
exclusive access to a panel of residential agents to help find a perfect new home for our clients
flexible and tailored mortgages* to fit around any individual circumstances – taking into account global finances, effortlessly
we’ll take care of the current & deposit accounts in multiple currencies, making them accessible in a single card with a range of travel and lifestyle rewards

Our clients work extremely hard to achieve their wealth – we are here to protect it into future generations. Each family is unique and special to us, we’ve built relationships that have been lasting for decades.

We understand the complexities and the subtleties of our clients’ lifestyles and will work with you to find flexible and elegant solutions.

If you would like more information on how Coutts could support your international move, please email Allana Buckle (Americas & Europe) allana.buckle@coutts.com or Monica Khaleghi (Middle East, Asia & Africa) monica.khaleghi@coutts.com.

Moving internationally? The expert Relocations team at Queen’s remain at your service to handle your move from start to finish, just email info@queensfineart.com and we’ll be happy to assist.

*Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up with repayments on your mortgage.

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