_The Buying Solution: Jonathan Bramwell Q&A on Knight Frank's bespoke property service

The Buying Solution is Knight Frank’s specialist property buying consultancy that provides a discreet, bespoke service for clients.

Led by Jonathan Bramwell in the country and Will Watson in London, the team source some of the UK’s most prestigious and beautiful homes in London and the countryside.

The Buying Solution prides itself on getting its clients through the door first. As a result, over 90% of first viewings are on off-market homes. Here, Jonathan outlines how the team delivers the winning edge for their clients.

Who are your clients? 

Our clients are private individuals looking to buy a property valued at £2 million and above. In London, a large proportion of our clients are international buyers looking for a city base or to add to their investment portfolio.

We work with ex-pats planning to return to the UK and also domestic buyers looking for a second home in the country. A significant number of clients making the move to the country are motivated by schooling; ex-pats moving back to the UK to educate their children or Londoners searching for more green space and a larger house who choose their location around a particular school.

What areas do you cover?

We cover the prime postcodes in central, southwest and north London and have a detailed knowledge - street by street - of these areas including the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster.

In the country, clients’ primary focus is within a two-hour radius south and west of London. Sought after areas include the Cotswolds, Chiltern Hills and the ever-popular commuter belt areas within the Home Counties including Elmbridge, Wentworth, Surrey Hills, South Downs and Sevenoaks. We also cover Hampshire, West Berkshire, Wiltshire and Somerset and further afield we deal with larger country houses, estates and farms over £7.5 million-plus across the entire UK.

Where are you currently seeing the most interest from clients?

In London, the demand for good family houses, in a 'villagey' area, has never been so high. These are to be as wide as possible with ideally a good south or west facing garden.

Looking at apartments, our clients want as lateral as possible with little or no stairs – it is about easy living. A usual country brief is a family house with a good garden and south westerly views, an easy walk from the village pub and well placed for the school run or train station.

A radical change over the past twenty years is an increased desire for people hoping to build their own property, creating the exact living space they want which can be difficult to do in listed buildings.

Clients’ interests have changed too. At one time, anyone moving to the country was focused on traditional rural pursuits but now there are foodies who want to be close to Daylesford Organic, cyclists looking at the Surrey Hills, and triathletes who want open countryside and wild swimming.

Our job is to build up a rapport with our clients, understand how they live and match them with the perfect property.

Why do clients choose The Buying Solution?

Our experience and expertise, our extensive industry contacts and our personable straightforward service are what give us the winning edge and enable our clients to be first through the door.

The appetite for using a buying agent has grown enormously in recent years as clients seek dependable, informed advice from people who know their chosen area in depth. We’re one of the largest buying consultancies and we live locally in the areas we cover. Between us, we have over 200 years of combined experience as buying agents.

The contacts we’ve established over those years make up a unique black book, and that’s what secures privileged access for our clients. Over 60% of what we buy is off-market or pre-market, and at the £10 million level that figure increases to over 80%. In addition, we have well-established and trusted relationships with all the major estate agents and brokers, particularly in London, with around 70% of what we buy marketed by companies other than Knight Frank.

In what other ways does The Buying Solution add value for clients?

We pride ourselves on offering a complete service, start to finish, aimed at simplifying the experience for our clients. We do so much more than merely sourcing property. We carry out the search, find the property and conduct proper due diligence and research including price analysis.

We handle negotiations, putting clients in the best purchasing position, and manage the purchase once the offer is agreed, creating solutions to problems that arise and writing a full property report for clients. It's that invaluable black book of contacts again with planning experts, architects, and tax advisers on speed dial.

The final element is our handover and completion service run by a dedicated staff who handle everything from utility transfers and broadband set up to organising removal services. We can call on Knight Frank’s extensive network, introducing building consultants and interior designers for example, and we are there on completion day to hand over a full information pack on the property.

What is the biggest misconception about buying agents?

Some buying agents just find property but The Buying Solution provides an end-to-end service. It’s part of our role to have frank conversations with clients, to be an iron fist in a velvet glove. Indeed, we often tell clients not to buy certain homes.

Many clients come to us because they can’t find what they want, have been repeatedly gazumped or have uncovered issues with a property at the last minute. We aim to streamline their buying experience. Our fees are not inconsiderable: we charge a retainer on instruction and then a fee on exchange of contracts. However, our clients consistently recognise the value we add.

We trade on our reputation and a sizeable amount of our business comes from client recommendations. We are on call around the clock and create a trusted relationship where many clients end up as good friends.

For more information visit www.thebuyingsolution.co.uk