I read about Savills in some blub they sent out recently. Something about being in business for 30 years and how brilliant they were and are…
Well let me run a little story by you about Savills. My husband and I bought a house about 30 years ago for £149,000. We didn’t need a mortgage and we lived there for 10 years. We threw huge parties and the whole house was always full of buzz, such happy days. People still remember those parties. (Read my book called 'no darling it’s called BAD ORGANISATION' to learn more about 1 Woodborough Road: www.shoestringbooks.co.uk). We loved every inch of that house, but things turned sour in our relationship, and I was persuaded that we should sell our beloved house. I decided, as I was in charge of selling the house, to use Savills. It was a more ‘upmarket’ estate agent I thought. So I arranged for the sales department to come and view the property.
A young man turned up, I need to look up my papers to remember his name, he took a quick look at the house and with no feeling whatsoever said, “ you won’t be able to sell this easily, it is too big, it is also too close to the Upper Richmond Road. Finally he said, “ there is a council block of flats nearby.” I was very distressed and asked what he thought we should do and what sort of price he thought he might be able to sell the house. He said he doubted we would be able to sell it at almost any price and he would have to give some thought as to what sort of price we might get for it BUT SAVILLS WOULD NOT WANT TO MARKET IT...he left…I was very upset obviously.
We did sell it very quickly for £600,000 through a local, helpful agent a few weeks later.
I have regretted selling it for the last 20 years. At present I am hoping to buy it back with the help of a large investor to turn it into a ‘Boutique Townhouse hotel.’ So far I am not getting any response as my rich friends are all trying to save the planet..which I agree is more important than buying back 1, Woodborough Road BUT I will keep trying!
NOW Savills has put it on the market for £5,295,000 as …A SIMPLY STUNNING AND VERY CHARMING COUNTRY HOUSE IN LONDON IN A HIGHLY COVETED WEST PUTNEY LOCATION!!!
Why do we bother with listening to estate agents…I wonder! Most of them just make it up as they go along...It is a standing joke and perhaps companies like Savills have now trained their staff properly.
It is not fair to target Savills like this, but I had to get this off my chest. I am sure they have well trained staff nowadays, after all that was 30 years ago! Like most of us our only asset is our house, and we have to rely on a young ‘salesperson’ coming along, most of them don’t even own a house and most times are guessing at a price. They say things like ‘it’s a buyer’s market’ or ‘the market is a bit sluggish at the moment!’ It seems to me that whenever you try to sell or buy a property it’s THE WRONG TIME!
So I am about to put my small Holland Park property on the market, most probably with Savills, so let’s see the results!
Meanwhile if you know anyone that would like to help me buy 1 Woodborough Road back I will guarantee to turn it into an amazing experience, not just a moneymaking venture but a new adventure. Please contact me Wendy Maingot 07778769904 and we can chat about my plans.
