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by Simon Barnes

London’s Garden Squares & Secret Spaces

London is full of garden squares – Chester Square, Grosvenor Square, Berkeley Square – the list is endless and the majority of garden squares are located in London’s prime central postcodes. 

Berkeley Square

The flats and apartments that are positioned around communal garden squares will always be attractive because of their green outlook and light aspect; looking out onto any well maintained green space in a city comes at a price.  Those who wish to live on a garden square in London have expectations about the kind of property that matches such a desirable location and of course, remove the square from the equation and the property’s value will shift. 

Personally, my favourite when it comes to garden spaces is less obvious; secret gardens tucked away in unlikely places like the gardens backing onto houses in Green Street and Wood Mews in Mayfair, for me these are special properties . 

Mount Street Gardens, Mayfair

Little do passers-by realise that behind the period frontages of Mayfair townhouses are generous long secluded private gardens to the rear.  The houses benefit from direct garden access making them perfect for parties, entertaining and ideal for children to be able to play safely away from roads or prying eyes.  Ladbroke Square offers similar, although less private garden space with houses on one side enjoying their own gardens directly accessible from the rear. 

Practicality, security and desirability of having your own private garden in London are three important factors that will make these properties in demand and increase their value compared with their counterparts, which lack that secret outdoor space.

Entering a London Garden Square
Entering a London Garden Square

This weekend Grosvenor Square hosts a May Fair: 11am-6pm, 5-6 May 2019 – and his year there’s a British seaside theme with helter skelters, fish and chips, live music and Morris dancing. Details here (from Country & Town House)

Filed Under: LIfestyle, London Tagged With: Berkeley Square, garden square, Grosvenor Square, London Garden Square, Mount Street Gardens

by Simon Barnes

Agents are doing it for themselves

It’s become apparent, month by month, that more and more agents are choosing not to deal with other agents.

Image: AdobeStock

This policy has nothing to do with ‘data protection’; the reality is that rival agents are trying not to ‘share’ their applicants.  They are coming at the applicant from what they perceive as a commercially driven position, in reality, not providing the buyer with a completely transparent service. 

Agents and Information

When applicants register their interest with an agent, they are revealing their hand;  the agent builds a strong rapport with an applicant to gather ample information about their circumstances and importantly their budget and exactly what might tempt them. 

An agent has the opportunity to glean from the applicant what will make them offer more than they intended, even paying over the odds.  A selling agent isn’t motivated to offer a voice of reason and encourage the buyer to stay within their original budget and sit tight.  As much as a buyer might want to believe the agent will not exploit the information they provide, the likelihood is that the agent will focus very much on pushing the buyer to the top end of his budget or even beyond. 

What Agents Really Want

The waters can get muddied and all too often I’ve known applicants to believe a selling agent has their best interests at heart and is their ‘friend’ – WRONG!

Trust me, when I say that the agent won’t be looking to negotiate on the buyer’s behalf.  A selling agent will always be aiming to secure the highest price from their client (the seller) because that will gain them the maximum commission; that is not in any buyer’s best interests.

A buyer needs a go-between, who will communicate effectively between the seller and their agent – that’s where a buying agent comes in. They can act on behalf of their client and really do have the buyer’s best interests at heart.

Trust Experience

An experienced buying agent who has built up strong professional relationships with selling agents over many years will be one step ahead.  Put your trust in them because they will know how to negotiate and act – with or without a poker face.

Buying property should not be a gamble.

Filed Under: Advice, Opinion Tagged With: agents, Selling Agents

by Simon Barnes

Prime Central London villages come to life at Christmas

Christmas is the time of year across Prime Central London when retailers transform their shop exteriors with wonderful lighting and sophisticated decorations and tempt passers-by and shoppers inside with evocative seasonal smells and treats.  There is a mood of festive cheer with shop owners and shoppers taking time to stop, chat and savour the time of year.

Marylebone in Prime Central London decorated for Christmas | Image AdobeStock


Where are the villages of Prime Central London?

Across Prime Central London, you will find areas that have evolved into relaxed village settings. This did not happen by accident but from strategic design on the part of innovative landlords recognising that their biggest asset was on their doorstep via the shop front. Howard de Walden provided the template for a ‘destination street’ with the transformation of Marylebone High Street. Since then, we have seen the same process unravel across some of London’s key post codes. Mount Street and Elizabeth Street under the guidance of The Grosvenor Estate, Chiltern Street with The Portman Estate and most recently, Pavilion Road with Cadogan Estates.

Marylebone in Prime Central London decorated for Christmas
Marylebone decorated for Christmas, London | Image AdobeStock


Eat, shop and drink – and enjoy Christmas

In each case, a careful strategy has been implemented which has seen independent retailers opening specialist shops, cafes, bars etc and as a result, these streets have become increasingly desirable with both a domestic and international crowd. And as they have become more appealing as places to go to eat, shop and drink…so too have they become more popular as places in which to live and that has led to steady price increases in each of the local areas.  These carefully crafted areas really come into their own during the Christmas period.

Scott's in Mayfair, prime Central London
Christmas at Scott’s in Mayfair, Prime Central London | Image DBPR


Mayfair now a characterful London ‘village’

Mayfair has undergone and continues to undergo a radical transformation creating a unique characterful ‘independent village’ backed by the major landlord – the Grosvenor Estate, which is committed to creating a bespoke shopping and social hub with a distinctive character.  As you walk around Mayfair you will often see the front façade of a listed building being propped up by scaffolding, yet behind everything has been knocked down only to be reconfigured and inside everything is brand new creating a perfect layout designed to entice and appeal to the discerning shopper, the happy ‘moocher’ or the fortunate resident.

A Mayfair Christmas in Prime London
A Mayfair Christmas in Prime London | Image AdobeStock


Green spaces – public and private

At this time of year hidden gardens and private green spaces come into their own in Prime Central London.  Mayfair and the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea are particularly good for secluded garden squares and private communal gardens, many are decorated with attractive Christmas lights and a meeting place for carol singers and yuletide gatherings.  These tucked away pockets of relaxing outdoor green space within a busy cosmopolitan area bring a certain village charm and calm. However, houses and apartments that overlook a communal garden can enjoy a pretty wintery view at this time of year.

Memories of summer in Mount Street Gardens, Mayfair


Filed Under: Prime Areas Tagged With: Cadogan Estates, Chiltern Street, Elizabeth Street, Howard de Walden, London, London villages, Marylebone High Street, Mount Street, Pavilion Road, PCL, Prime Central London, Property Consultants, RBKC, Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, Simon Barnes, The Grosvenor Estate, The Portman Estate

by Simon Barnes

London property – Should I sell or buy now?

Simon Barnes owner of H. Barnes & Co
Simon Barnes

London property expert Simon Barnes, owner of H.Barnes & Co, looks at the prime central London property market and asks if October and November is a good time to buy or sell your London property; what issues will affect your decision to act now and whether or not you are best to wait until next year.

“In Prime Central London, October and November is a good time to sell London property because, after this, stock becomes limited.  Sellers who have not sold by mid-November will inevitably sit tight until the spring.  Current market conditions mean that price is key for buyers looking in London.

London property in Montpelier Walk, Knightsbridge
H. Barnes & Co is joint selling agent with Knight Frank’s Knightsbridge office for this £22.5m penthouse in Montpelier Walk, Knightsbridge, London SW7


If a London property which came on the market in September has still not sold, it’s more than likely to be too expensive and this creates a degree of ‘wiggle room’ for determined buyers.

Serious buyers are educated buyers and will have a keen eye for which properties are overpriced and which are priced to sell.  They will have a good grasp of their market place.  However, the flip side of waiting too long for prices to come down is that anything could happen by the end of the year and that may work against them as well as for them.

London Property in January

Come January, new properties will make their way onto the market and those which were available before Christmas but did not sell, will be jostling with competition from fresh stock and more likely to increase their asking prices to reflect the prices of new to market instructions.  So a word of caution is that by leaving it until 2019 buyers may risk losing their window of negotiation with a seller who is desperate to agree a sale before this year ends.

Savvy buying agents know that estate agents have the ability to dig deep and reach for a second file at this time of year.  In real terms, serious buyers having looked and rejected everything on the market now will be a reason for agents to pick up the phone, delve into their property bank and potentially uncover a few ‘not officially on the market’ properties.

We are always busy from now until Christmas trying to negotiate property deals before the New Year for clients who want to enjoy Christmas knowing that they have their new home all wrapped up.  Like a lot of business in London, it comes down to who you know as much as what you know and on that note, I’d say that if you are determined to buy before Christmas there’s no time like the present.”


London Property: H. Barnes & Co is joint selling agent with Knight Frank’s Knightsbridge office for this £22.5m penthouse in Montpelier Walk, Knightsbridge, London SW7

 

Filed Under: Advice, Property Tagged With: buying London property, Knight Frank, Knightsbridge, London, London property, Montpelier Walk, Prime Central London, property intelligence, Why London

by Simon Barnes

Knightsbridge penthouse perfect for star gazers and summer parties

Cheval House, Montpelier Walk, London SW7

Exquisite penthouse apartment on the market with H. Barnes & Co and Knight Frank, Knightsbridge. Guide Price £24,500,000 – subject to contract 

Cheval Place
Cheval Place views across to Brompton Oratory
Cheval Place – Montpelier Walk
Cheval Place – Reception
Cheval Place – Reception with Views
Cheval Place – bedroom
Cheval Place – Bathroom


A truly glamorous penthouse comprising 5,417 sq.ft of accommodation and entertaining space with a further 1,600 sq.ft of roof terraces, which command panoramic views towards Brompton Oratory and some of London’s most iconic sights.  The penthouse is positioned in a quiet enclave of Knightsbridge, yet central for all the amenities on its doorstep.  The property also has direct lift access, state of the art gym and private parking for two cars.

Simon Barnes, H.Barnes & Co says that this is “a genuine penthouse apartment, rarely found in Central London. Occupying the top floors of a discreet building, the open reception areas, large bedroom suites and extensive terraces give the occupants true penthouse living in the heart of Knightsbridge.”


FULL DETAILS (pdf)


CONTACT SIMON BARNES

  • telephone: 07831 465414 or 020 7499 3434
  • email: simon@hbarnes.london

 

Filed Under: Prime Areas, Properties Tagged With: Brompton Oratory, Cheval House, Knightsbridge, London, Montpelier Walk, panoramic views, penthouse, Simon Barnes, SW7

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Recent Articles

  • London’s Garden Squares & Secret Spaces
  • Agents are doing it for themselves
  • Prime Central London villages come to life at Christmas
  • London property – Should I sell or buy now?
  • Knightsbridge penthouse perfect for star gazers and summer parties
  • Why the master bedroom is a priority for buyers of prime property
  • Bayswater – no longer on the wrong side of the postcode
  • Are listed buildings a hit, a miss, or a maybe?
  • Destination Streets: How one street can turn an area around
  • Why Simon Barnes has a passionate dislike for purple

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