Clapham/Battersea ish: good or bad to be proactive when looking for a family home in this area?!

[JustALocal]

Hello!
We are a friendly local family of three (mum, dad, 9 year old daughter) looking to buy a family home (two or three bed house) in the Clapham Old Town area or south of Lavender Hill.

Of course we are registered with agents, but most homes seem to be bigger than we need and thus over our budget, yet we know that there are some places that are just right, they are just rare.

We are in an excellent position since we are under offer as of two days ago, and absolutely ready to go as soon as we find our new home.

We are patient, and our buyer seems to be too, but of course we want to move as soon as we can. The question is - to letter drop or no? I know people who have done so with success outside London. We have no idea if it's a good or a bad idea here. Any advice/experience much appreciated.

Of course, if you are in the area and are considering a move, or you know someone who is, we would love to hear from you ;-)

I don't see any downside of being proactive. Of course if you letter drop then if you do get a response the seller will know you are desperate very keen and so they can name their price - but frankly sellers in this area can name their price at the moment anyway.

However, a letter drop may not produce any results (it didn't for us).

What is more important is to become best friends with the estate agents - call them all the time, keep them updated on your selling status, tell them you have a mortgage agreed in principle up to the required level, emphasise that you know exactly what you are looking for and if one of the smaller houses on X or Y streets comes up you will be ready to go asap. Basically make it clear you are a great buyer who will make their life easy...

Have you tried posting on nappyvalleynet?

Thanks very much Minipie, and for the giggle!
Great advice re agents. I know how much they hate people being very prescriptive, but it's a good idea to tell them exactly which streets and that we are going to make life easy for them. I've been emailing, but I'll bet you're right that a phone call would be better.
I'm not registered on nappyvalleynet...I'll take a look there. Thank you!

Not sure a letter drop would make a difference TBH. We are in the area and receive several letters/mail daily from EA about selling up/wanting similar properties. Could work with some people, ours go in the recycle bin. Some (I think Barnard Marcus?) have even dropped letters about properties coming to market on nearby streets and having early viewings or just reminding us about the viewings in the hope we would also sell via them.
Great advice from mini about being proactive with the EA-calling them to make sure you're top of mind and avoiding being offered views around irrelevant properties.

Thanks very much Chasinglemons. That's interesting - I was worried about that (we get them where we are too, just off Queenstown Road). If you are in the area, let me know if you think of me and hear about a property early on - we make lovely neighbours ;-)

Yes phone calls (multiple!) definitely better. You are aiming for not-quite-restraining-order levels of keenness here . Also mention you are local and that your own agent will be able to give details on where your own sale process has got to.

You know what, I don't think EAs mind buyers being prescriptive, as long as they are clear on what they want and it's something that actually exists and they can afford! It's when buyers change their minds or are after something that doesn't exist/is outside budget that they get fed up (IMO). If you say something like "right, what I want is a house on one of the following 15 streets, 3 bed or 2 bed with unconverted loft, will consider any condition as long as it's liveable, call me asap if you get one of these" then nobody's time is wasted.

Focus on the agents that seem to have sold most of the properties in that area recently (look on zoopla for recently sold properties).

I think people pay more attention to a handwritten note from a buyer than the constant maildrops from EAs looking for "similar properties to sell" - however I doubt even a handwritten note would make that much difference tbh...

Good luck!

Thanks so much again. This is all fabulous advice. I can do keen - as evidenced by my response to Chasinglemons!

it occurs to me that while I always put the notes straight in the recycled, they have never arrived when we were looking to move, so maybe it'd be different if they had. Who knows.

Right then, better get on the phone!

In a market where property was disappearing fast, we talked to the estate agents who were the most competitive in touting for sales in the area, gave them our spec, told them how eager and well p[laced we were to move.

We got our ideal house through an agent that the buyers hadn't even yet signed up with: the agents used us to demonstrate to the vendor that they could produce a buyer instantaneously, and asked to show us round before they had even signed up - knowing that the property was exactly what we wnated, ina road we wanted and that we were sound buyers. We arranged a second viewing and made an offer almost immediately, and it worked.

Talk to the pushy agents: KFH, etc. Get to know them, go and see them, one agent, by name.

You prepresent a big fat commission fee so sweat it!

Thanks BleachedWhale. That's an amazing story, thanks! It's amazing how agents play the game - and great she it works in you favour. KFH are selling ours, and boy, it's interesting to see them work - over asking price offer in 2 days! Thanks very much, really helpful. Congrats on getting your ideal home - hope to be joining you in that club soon :-)

Our estate agent did a leaflet drop for us when we had sold, it was just before christmas and one couple responded who were divorcing but were going to wait until the new year to put the house on the market. We saw it on christmas eve, put an offer in as soon as the estate agent opened up again, and moved at the end of Feb, so it can work out

Thanks Costacoffeeplease...that's so cool that it worked out well for you!

JustALocal: it was KFH...

If they have sold your house, it is in their interests to find you a house asap. Ask your person there to contact you as soon as they get a hint of anything you might like! Selling to you gives them an advantage: if they sell to a buyer whose own house is sold through another EA then it is that EA that gets theier chain moving. If they find a house and sell it to you, they get a double whammy of benefit!

BleachedWhale - thanks very much for that. I have a good relationship (and you're right, they are keen!) at KFH already, so that feels like the easier one.
Currently other agents are saying "Oh, no you won't find one of those, all of the houses in that area are 4 bed [we know those are over budget so are looking for 2 bed, which are rarer but do exist] and way over your budget...here, how about this one in Timbuktoo?".

I wonder if you're looking in the right place?

You find little (1400 sq ft) houses in Battersea off the old square, and the Little India and Latchmere estates. Some of the streets off Clapham Common towards Wandsworth Road and Vauxhall might work too.

Clapham Old Town and Lavender Hill don't really have the railway cottage type place that would suit you size wise. Where you're looking, nearly all the housing stock is Victorian 3 bed 'worker's cottages' and they will already have been extended into the side return and the loft to make an 1800 sq ft 4 bed, and you'll be expected to pay £1.25-£1.5m for them. When the odd little house comes up for sale, there will be a scrum, and you'll probably be competing with rich downsizers.

rather lovely Georgian cottage

[[http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-42522259.html Rectory Grove. Deep sigh. These houses cost £285k when I lived there just a decade ago]

Rectory Grove. Deep sigh. These houses cost £285k when I lived there just a decade ago

Square bracket link fail

There's quite a few smaller houses north of Lavender Hill thesaurus though most of them are under offer at the moment...

Those are the ones I meant, I think, Minipie? As you walk up Lavender Hill towards Wandsworth Road, they're on the left?

Can well believe they're all under offer - all of my parents' friends suddenly seem to be downsizing and want "Something small under a million." Those houses cost £650k or so when I was looking 18 months ago (I bought in Balham in the end).

Thanks all. You're amazing :-)

You're right that we're looking where there are hardly any the right size (aka price). But there are some - recently just missed one on Clapham Manor St because we weren't yet under offer...and places like Cubitt Terrace do exist...but it's going to be really tough. It's hard because we have childcare/school issues to contend with that make our choices limited unless I'm willing to make my sister and family move also...and make decent schools take our (fabulous but not white middle class) primary a feeder school ;-)

Arrgh. Guess that's why being proactive feels like the way to go - so that we might be top of the scrum heap. You never know I suppose.

Ps the Oval one is gorgeous!