Hamptons International have opened a new office in Barnes – an area their staff believe has many assets including a superb quality of life, fantastic properties and a distinct community feel. Natasha Higgins visits their new premises to find out more.
Hamptons International’s brand new office sits peacefully along Barnes’ idyllic high street . “One of Barnes’s biggest assets is its village atmosphere and apart from house prices going up, not much has changed for the past ten years – that’s the beauty of it,” says Michael Randall, Associate Director at Hamptons.
Randall knows the area well. Despite the internationally acclaimed estate agency only opening a shop front in Barnes five months ago, Randall has been running the neighbouring Sheen branch for the last 16 years which covered Barnes too: “In 2011 according to land registry statistics, we were responsible for 58 percent of all transactions valued at £1m and above in the SW14 area, so opening a Barnes office made sense in order to give our clients the best possible service,” says Randall.
The Barnes sales and lettings team consists of Randall who oversees the day to day sales for both Barnes and Sheen, Victoria Chambers, Head of Lettings, Assistant Sales Manager Edward Sainter and Nick Winter, Sales Negotiator.
Benyon_1401_BEach team member is highly familiar with the area and has either lived or worked locally. Sainter compares it to “a small community in the countryside” while Chambers says she “loves the location”.
Chambers continues: “It took a little while to get the office up and running. We needed to get the right feel but we’re delighted with the result.” Although the area already has a large number of other estate agencies on the high street, Chambers feels that Hamptons International are the right type of agent in terms of the properties they market, their reputation and general appeal.
Chambers, who has come from Hamptons’ Pimlico and Westminster office, is a fan of the big detached houses and cottages Barnes has to offer. “Some of our most recent lettings agreements have included cottages, apartments in local gated developments and semi detached and detached terraced houses. We’re taking on a very good level of stock and rentals start at around £1,300 per month.”
“There are also great schools in the area which is why it appeals to families,” continues Chambers. “We have many American expatriate families currently living and moving to Barnes as well as a large Swedish community because of the Swedish School.”
Hamptons International has also sought to develop its corporate services team which has excellent connections with relocation agents: “Our corporate services team sends us a great deal of business via relocation agents. As a company, we invest a lot of money into marketing and advertising that side of the business,” adds Chambers.
In terms of sponsorship, the agency is very proactive. “We engage closely with the local community and have sponsorship deals with some of the local schools. We’re currently running a colouring completion with Barnes Primary in Little Chelsea,” says Chambers.
Since 2007, Hamptons has doubled its lettings network. Offices have opened in Barnes, Battersea, Ealing, Mayfair, Reddington and Horsham. To date, they have a very strong network of 13 letting offices in South West London and a total of 28 offices in the prime areas of the capital.
Sainter, who specialises in sales, originally trained as a lawyer and has worked in the borough for seven years. He believes Barnes’ strongest assets are the superb quality of living, the fantastic properties on offer and its distinct community feel.
“When buying in Barnes, people want to be by the pond close to Barnes and Barnes Bridge stations and the buses that get you to Hammersmith in ten minutes. It’s also easy access into central London via the A4 and many residents commute into town during the week,” explains Sainter. “Alternatively there’s Little Chelsea, also desirable due to its pretty cottages, cafes and boutiques and its position in the catchment area for Barnes Primary School.”
Architecture in the area ranges from Regency to white stucco fronted Victorian properties to the more contemporary 1930s buildings. Buyers tend to be young professionals, families and downsizers who no longer need as much space once the children have left home. Investors are also on the increase as are individuals looking for a pied-a-terre near central London.
Two bedroom flats start at around £500,000 while big five to six bedroom regency houses can go for as much as £5M. These tend to be popular with property developers and City workers, explains Sainter.
Overview of the present sales market? “The Olympics and The Jubilee did slow things down over the summer but all it means is that we’ve just had to work that little bit harder.
“All our staff share a comprehensive database which provides us all with the capability to offer a client’s property to buyers on a local, national and international level,” says Randall. “We offer a personalised service and really take an interest in both clients’ and purchasers’ requirements. In this business, and more so in a close-knit community such as Barnes, reputation is everything.”
“The key to our success is that we have great premises and a wonderful team in place. I love meeting new people and seeing new properties and I still get a buzz out of agreeing an offer!” exclaims Chambers.
