The property search consultants at BDI Home Finders UK are pleased to show these case studies as examples of our homefinder services.
- Dream home in Banbury
- Oxfordshire retirement pad
- A designers' relocation dream to London
- Buy-to-let property investments in Hertfordshire
- First time buyer relocates to London
- Professional relocates to London
- Relocation to Berkshire
- Couple relocate to West London
“Find us a dream home in Banbury!”
BDI Home Finders find stone cottage in Banbury for returning ex-pats
Our clients had recently returned from the ex-pat life in Canada with a bonus - a baby due in five months.
Living out of boxes in a relative's cramped buy-to-let property, they needed a permanent base but had two worries: was it the right time to buy in the UK, and if so, where?
As is often the case, one party wanted to be near to work, but the other hankered after the M4 corridor for easy family visiting.
With family in south Oxfordshire and Surrey, these areas were tempting, but work pointed them towards Banbury.
One of the benefits of using BDI Home Finders rather than a local property search company is that we were able to attack both areas at the same time and identified several suitable properties in each.
Once our house hunters found their dream home in Banbury (a period stone cottage), and negotiated our way around five other offers, all concerns about an unstable market evaporated. As our clients were in the best position to move quickly, we were able to negotiate £40,000 off the asking price of £595,000.
Relocating to Oxfordshire
BDI Home Finders save buyer over £100K on house in Oxfordshire
It was an occupational hazard that our recently retired hotelier clients had not owned their own home since they were newly-weds in the 1970s. This hard working couple was now looking to buy a home once again and looked to BDI Home Finders to safe-guard their interests.
The couple only wanted to view properties in mid-Oxfordshire, so as to be near to friends and family. This meant we could leave no stone unturned at a time when many are holding off from putting their property on the market.
With their only criteria being a period property with four-beds, we pulled out the stops to show them pretty much everything available. As they had been out of the market for so long, this seemed the best to help them narrow down exactly what they wanted.
Our clients soon realised that they really wanted to buy a property in the heart of a village - no dirt track rural idylls for them!
Eureka, a little known local agent, not visible to the Rightmove and Primelocation searchers, had a wonderful detached Victorian rectory with parts dating back to the 16th century. Opposite the village pub, but not too close, it was in the heart of one of Oxfordshire's finest village communities.
On the market at £750,000, BDI Home Finders achieved a whopping reduction to £639,000.
A designers' relocation dream to London
Tall order renovation property
Two extremely busy globetrotting North London fashion designers wanted our house hunters to find their dream country cottage as a renovation project. Having already spent over a year searching in their spare time and losing out in several vicious bidding wars they finally threw in the towel and called in the professionals. Their remit was a Georgian rectory, but we quickly convinced the ambitious couple that their budget simply wouldn't stretch. And after much effort in getting both parties in the country at the same time, our homefinders located two cottages that could be knocked together in a wonderful hamlet close to Lambourn, in the Berkshire Downs. We picked up the keys just in time for our clients to hang a Xmas wreath on their new door. They said that once they have cut their teeth on this property, they are coming back for us to find that rectory!
BDI Home Finders secure buy-to-let property investments in Hertfordshire
Property auction success for Watford designers
Our clients run a busy design company and want to build up a long term portfolio of investment properties, which need to produce good rental income. Having looked at traditional buy-to-let properties themselves, they realised that the rental yields were not achieving more than a five percent return. So when they appointed BDI Home Finders UK, we threw away the rule book and looked at it creatively. We went to a property auction on their behalf and successfully bid on a fully tenanted six-studio apartment property. Tenancy agreements were in place with income at £41,000pa. We purchased at £400,000, with the property being valued at £460,000 if it was converted back to a family home. We sourced and appointed a property management company for our clients and advised a rent increase of 10 percent and an internal re-configuration to maximise future income.
First time buyer relocates to London with BDI Home Finders
"Find me a home before I'm priced out the market" cries young lawyer
Our client, a busy lawyer, contacted us as she would be spending all of December and January overseas and as a first time buyer, could see that the London property market was running away from her. Our homefinders needed to buy her an apartment before she left London. Her hectic lifestyle meant that any interesting properties she found were selling before she could even view them. Fitting in around occasional windows in her busy schedule, we arranged viewings at eight apartments from Battersea to Wandsworth and Fulham. The second one in Battersea was perfect and we managed to secure it against other bidders - and with a discount on the asking price which was unheard of in the London market at this time. A fortnight later, an identical flat sold for £10,000 more. It completed just as she left for her extended trip and we organised keys, changing locks and central heating for the empty winter months.
BDI Home Finders help professional relocate to London
For star-gazing professor
A newly single doctor asked our homefinders to find a cosy new home as soon as possible so he could stop living off friends' kindness. Two beds to accommodate visiting teenage kids and some outside space for star-gazing were top of his list of requirements. As a busy professor, his limited free time was precious, so we had to make the most of every minute. Two afternoons and the job was done. (Not without hours of street walking for our house hunters though!) We found a fabulous property complete with roof terrace for the telescope. One very happy Doc.
Relocation to Berkshire
BDI Home Finders negotiate the furniture for free!
Speed was the essence in this relocation from Guernsey to Berkshire. A rental lease coming to an end and the need to quickly settle the children in a new school meant that there was no room for delay in this urgent channel hop. Finding a property with no chain was essential. Aside from that, the property search remit was to find a good family home with a reasonable garden, eat-in family kitchen and all in tip-top condition. After taking the clients on an orientation of various areas, our homefinders focussed on Maidenhead as it is close to the M4, has good family facilities and is better value than other local areas. From a fairly limited selection, our property search consultants short-listed four properties for viewing. Our clients made an offer on the very first one they saw - and had it accepted. The house was perfect: an immaculate detached and gated property in the desirable river area of Maidenhead. This property was not on the market but our relationship with the estate agents meant that we were able to organise a one-off viewing. As a bonus, we negotiated the furniture into the purchase price as our clients had lived in furnished property for many years and had very little furniture.
Couple relocate to West London
Fought off other bidders for spectacular stable conversion
A complete change of lifestyle beckoned for this south west London couple who were seeking a new start in a quirky and semi-rural character property. Having lovingly tended a handkerchief of a London garden, a proper garden was high on their wish list, along with a good pub within staggering distance. Having quickly ascertained that setting up home in a converted water tower was a little too quirky, we found a converted stables in Marlow which ticked all of their boxes. On the edge of a common in an area of outstanding beauty, it was still in striking distance of the M40 and Starbucks. This being a mad property market, we had to fight off many other bidders, but we succeeded and with a healthy discount on the asking price.
