It appears that the traditional spring rush on homes for sale has arrived before the daffodils this year.

Brangelina’s presence testament to US dominance of North Surrey’s Prime Rental Market in 2012

Buyers have been battling to get into pole position, waiting for the lights to turn from red to green, as F1 legend Sir Jack Brabham’s former penthouse apartment at Lyne Manor House in Surrey enters the market.

Being a millionaire is a tough business to be in. Deciding where to invest that cash, be it hard earned or inherited, can be challenging. Do you go for an Aston Martin Vanquish, a Pershing 72 yacht, a Bombardier Global private jet, a multi-million pound mansion or just put it all in the bank? Maybe not these days!

For most millionaires, owning bricks and mortar remains a top priority with 49.9% of the UK’s wealthiest people owning more than one property in the UK according to Skandia’s ‘Millionaire Monitor’ report 2012. Furthermore millionaires under the age of 50 are significantly more likely to invest in multiple properties with over 60% of the rich under the age of 50 owning more than one property compared to 42% if they are over the age of 50.

They say an Englishman’s home is his castle, but is this strictly true? Female millionaires it appears are in fact more likely that their male counterparts to own more than one property with 20% choosing to own overseas versus 16% of men.

But why exactly is owning property so appealing to millionaires?

Personal use is the driving force for second homes, perhaps a country pad, a pied-a-terre or a place by the sea to retreat to for long weekends. Having a home away from home to relax and recharge the batteries before heading back to the daily grind is clearly high on the wish list.

Further boosting this sector is the ever increasing number of high net worth foreign nationals relocating to the UK, especially the South East, keen to experience a far greater degree of safety and security for their family than other parts of the globe.

Barton Wyatt, multi award-winning high end estate agency located in the heart of in Surrey examined their prospective home buyers this year compared previous years discovering that 75% of their clients are from overseas rising from 65% last year. This figure appeared to reflect the same values for both the sales and the rental market and this increase in overseas clients poses some interesting challenges to the team at Barton Wyatt.

Reflecting on the findings, James Wyatt, owner of Barton Wyatt, comments,

“When I first started working in this area 25 years ago I would have suggested the population of foreigners living in Virginia Water was 5%. This figure has markedly increased to around 20% with droves of overseas nationals attracted here by the wonderful standard of living that the Wentworth Estate offers and often for the high standard of private education available on our doorstep.

“Our foreign clients also look to this area due to the value for money they achieve as opposed to living in central London. The sporting venues in the locality are another driver – golf, Ascot and Guards polo – and of course the area has become well known for attracting families from overseas which in turn creates more interest.”

So if you are the lucky owner of a few million pounds, why not consider splashing your cash on these stunning Surrey properties:

Mariners, Virginia Water £3,995,000

A newly built mansion house in a handsome Georgian style with a contemporary internal finish. An elegant sweeping staircase leads the eye up to the first floor and impressive galleried landing. The dining area is open plan to the entrance hall and creates a tremendous feeling of space around the core of the house with views from the front door all the way through to the rear garden. The more formal drawing room and study are double aspect rooms  and the tremendous kitchen/breakfast/family room is designed for contemporary family lifestyle.

The first floor has four bedroom suites with en-suite bath/shower rooms, the master having a dressing room and sitting room, opening on to a balcony overlooking the rear gardens. On the second floor is a further bedroom and bathroom suite and an adaptable room, ideal for a cinema or gym etc.

Over the three-bay garage is a studio apartment with a small kitchenette and shower, ideal for staff or an au-pair.

Eastry House, Wentworth, Surrey £4,750,000
Five bedrooms (four with en-suite dressing and bathrooms) principal bedroom with balcony and fireplace, reception hall, cloakroom, five reception rooms, kitchen/breakfast room with granite worktops, conservatory, utility, gas central heating and double glazing, detached double garage, swimming pool, tennis court, long private drive, 4.4 acres.
This magnificent house is approached via its own long sweeping driveway. It has been extended over the years to form a splendid large home with en-suite facilities to all bedrooms on the first floor. The ground floor is ideal for a growing family with four good size reception rooms which all enjoy beautiful views onto the parkland style gardens that surround the house.
Eastry House forms a comfortable home that also has enormous potential to further improve or remodel subject to any planning consents. The property is located on the main island which is a much favoured location as one can walk to the golf course along the private roads that surround Wentworth.

For the 7th time running the high end family run estate agency, Barton Wyatt, took home the ‘Best Surrey Estate Agent’ title at the prestigious 2012 UK Property Awards last night. 

In association with Bloomberg TV and Google, the UK Property Awards is open to residential and commercial property professionals working throughout the UK, celebrating the very best in the industry.

Now in its 18th year, the awards ceremony has become recognised as the highest standard of excellence throughout the property world  and receiving one of these coveted awards is proof that Barton Wyatt are capable of outshining some very tough players within the highly competitive UK property arena.

James Wyatt, Partner of the multi award-winning estate agent located in leafy Surrey comments,

“I am thrilled to have been bestowed this fabulous award once again.  I have to congratulate my staff for their tireless efforts in providing a harmonious environment for both vendors and buyers, not to mention my outstanding lettings team. 

“We are very fortunate to live and work in such a beautiful part of the country, London is a quick commute and yet we still have acres and acres of green and pleasant land on our doorstep – all this certainly makes our job easier!”

The UK Property Awards are part of the long established International Property Awards and its award winners’ logo is recognised as a symbol of excellence throughout the global industry.

Later this year, the highest scoring winners from the UK Property Awards will compete against other winning companies from Europe, Asia Pacific, Africa, the Americas and Arabia to find the ultimate World’s Best in each category.

Stuart Shield, president of the International Property Awards, says, “The quality of entries has been extremely high once again and there’s no doubt that any company to win one of these awards has shown exceptional levels of professionalism and competence in their respective field.”

For those looking to buy a slice of Surrey heaven from the award winning Barton Wyatt team why not take a look at how you can splash your cash:

Keepers Wood, Wentworth   £4,750.000 set within 0.7 acres of south facing rear gardens in a highly sought after road on the prestigious Wentworth Estate, in Virginia Water, Surrey.

Situated within the prestigious Wentworth Estate, this luxury family home offers extensive accommodation arranged over three floors and has been built to Octagon’s award winning standard of specification and finish.

Property includes marble-floored entrance hall, large combined kitchen / breakfast / family area with walk-in larder and second cloakroom.  Linked dining and drawing room opening onto terrace, a spacious guest cloakroom, TV end and study complete downstairs.

First floor has 4 en-suite bedrooms.  The master bedroom suite  is beautifully appointed and includes a centre, free standing bath, TV, bespoke twin basin vanity unit, super-sized walk in wet room and separate wc and bidet.  The master bedroom has double doors with a glass Juliet balcony overlooking the rear garden. Top floor has a further bedroom, bathroom and a leisure room with mini kitchen.

The Lake House, Windlesham £2,350,000.  A remarkable opportunity to own a lakeside home with its own private island, in a quiet exclusive cul-de-sac backing the Old Mile, close to Ascot Village Centre.  The property sits high and looks down onto a beautiful lake with wildlife wandering freely to the rear.  The current owners have significantly improved this property to give it a modern feel with the accommodation re-designed so it flows in a pleasant relaxing style. 

There is a lovely breakfast area and a second sitting room which overlooks the grounds and a private study to the front of the house. The first floor has five bedrooms including the excellent master suite with balcony overlooking the lake. Three bedrooms have en-suite and one family bathroom. 

The garden to the rear is mainly laid to lawn and meanders down to the water and there is an enclosed heated swimming pool with surrounding patio to one side of the house.

Mariners, Virginia Water £3,995,000   A newly built mansion house in a handsome Georgian style situated on the Wentworth Estate between the Wentworth Golf Club and the picturesque shopping parades of Virginia Water Village

Mariners is a newly built mansion house constructed by prestigious house builder Belvedere Homes in a handsome Georgian style with a contemporary internal finish. The tremendous kitchen/breakfast/family room is designed for the contemporary family lifestyle, a wonderful living and entertaining area. A further 3 reception rooms make up the downstairs.

Upstairs on the first floor are four bedroom suites with en-suite bath/shower rooms, the master having a dressing room and sitting room, opening on to a balcony overlooking the rear gardens. On the second floor is a further bedroom and bathroom suite and an adaptable room, ideal for a cinema or gym etc.

Over the three bay garage is a studio apartment with a small kitchenette and shower, ideal for staff or an au-pair. This is accessed separately by a staircase off the rear entrance lobby. Being south facing at the rear there is a tremendous feeling of light and spaciousness with large windows being a theme throughout the house.

For more information please contact the award-winning Surrey experts Barton Wyatt on 01344 843000 or visit www.bartonwyatt.co.uk.
 

Is it possible to guess your nationality by your home?

Somewhat reminiscent of the 80’s TV game show ‘Through the Keyhole’, hosted by Sir David Frost where contestants were shown a video tour of a mystery celebrity’s property and asked to identify who ‘lived in a house like this?’

James Wyatt, Partner of Barton Wyatt, the award-winning estate agency in Surrey says yes – the chances are you can guess your nationality by your home.
Wyatt and his team have over 120 years combined experience, working with clients from all over the world in both sales and lettings, teaching them what to show (or not to show as the case may be) their clients often based purely on their nationality.

With 70% of their current purchasers and 65% of current tenants being from overseas it has been important to acquire these skills to ensure that a client’s precious time isn’t wasted and that the utmost professionalism is shown to the buyer who will often be spending several million pounds.

So what lessons have the Barton Wyatt team learned about their international clients?  James Wyatt shares a few of his insights:

Americans are easy to please if the house is spacious, the master bathroom has twin basins, bedrooms have walk-in ‘closets’, kitchens must be modern and the fridge huge.  Reminders of home are always welcome and a top loading twin tub just might seal the deal if it’s a rental.  Americans are not hugely into large beautiful gardens – a compact ‘yard’ which appears easy to maintain is favourable.  Our friends from over the pond tend to be hugely keen on tennis and golf so the ease of access to Wentworth is a great pull for them.

Choosing from what is available today I would select Pine Acre as a must for American buyers. Set in the heart of Wentworth – which would wow anybody – this five bed, five bathroom house with all mod cons and covering a whopping 9,000 square feet is a terrific family home.

Asian nationals are often here on a 3 year stint with business so tend to be tenants rather than purchasers – but not exclusively.  The first properties we show clients from the East are gated communities.  They are very keen to move close to similar folk, congregating in certain streets or micro-areas.  They don’t tend to look for ‘big’ homes but more compact and tidy properties in a ‘safe’ environment.

In today’s market Number 7 Lime Tree Walk is a five bedroom detached family home and a dead cert for an Asian family, one of only 11 on the estate and set within a gated community.

We have worked with many Scandinavians in our locality which is particularly favoured due to TASIS (The American School) and the American Community School being nearby.  On the whole, Scandinavian clients are very easy to please. They frequently select modern and stylish properties with stripped wood flooring throughout.  The Scandinavians are attracted to creativity and design flair. Their houses often will have a really ‘cool concept’ and slick furniture so rooms need to be really quite spacious with lots of light.

Being built now is the most futuristic house to be seen on Wentworth for many years.  Fortuna Lodge will cover an extraordinary 15,000 square feet and features a central underground pool that will be an amazing feature of this six bedroom home.

Our Russian and Eastern European clients are all very private and that extends to the homes they choose. Often moving to the UK to escape a shadow of fear that hangs over the Eastern bloc, they crave concealment and do not look to ‘group’ themselves.  The houses we show them are almost exclusively new builds, never overlooked and with the very latest technology – being able to alarm your house from the other side of the world appeals to the Russian nature.  As for interiors, they love some glitzy paraphernalia – bright and shiny bling is in for our Russian friends.

If I was selecting today then Park Place in Windlesham might be the perfect choice. This is a magnificent country house which stands impressively within a mature woodland setting and approached via a private road.  Wrought iron gates open onto a gravelled drive flanked by mature trees and rhododendrons which leads to a central fountain in front of the house.  With eight bed/baths there is plenty of room for guests and staff but best of all is the Disney themed cinema, complete with ticket booth.
Comparing sales to overseas nationals in 2012 with other years shows a great leap in foreign money being invested into the UK property market.  Barton Wyatt has sold 65% of this year’s stock to foreign investors compared with 60% in 2008 and 30% in 2000.

As James comments, “Despite the recession, the UK remains a ‘safe haven’ for many global property investors with areas in and around London at the top of the wish list for many overseas buyers.”

For more information on properties for sale through multi award-winning Barton Wyatt call 01344 843000 or visit www.bartonwyatt.co.uk.

Whether designed to keep undesirables out or the occupants in, the trend for gated developments first seen in the US, remains as prevalent today as ever in the affluent Home County of Surrey.

On the exclusive Wentworth Estate in particular where resident footballers, celebrities, Hollywood A-listers and politicians value their privacy over all else, it is extremely common to have properties and their occupants hidden from view by oversized firs, perimeter fencing and 10 foot high gates.

Be they ornate wrought iron works of art, simple yet sturdy electronically operated wooden gates or high tech, bullet proof technological masterpieces with full CCTV and alarm systems which view the humble Postie with dubious suspicion, the Surrey set take their life behind bars very seriously.

James Wyatt, Partner of 7 times winning Best Estate Agency Surrey, Barton Wyatt and Wentworth resident himself, comments:

“Gated properties have been popular in and around Virginia Water and the Wentworth Estate for some time but “Surreygate” seems to have hit in recent times with the need for ever more lavish entrance gates. Keeping up with the local property fashion is hard work for home owners – wrought iron or wooden, flamboyant or plain, full obscurity or not. Then there are decisions on the intercom, video and remote systems. The biggest question I wonder is ‘Are they blocking people out or trapping people in?

“The Wentworth Estate’s rumoured latest celebrity residents Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie for example, in what one can only assume was an attempt to retain some privacy from the insatiable paparazzi, ‘filled’ their gate in with coloured plastic recently.

“That said, sometimes it’s not all about hiding away; on a personal level, we have installed a simple gate to our home mainly for safety reasons to ensure that the children don’t run onto the road after a rogue football when playing outside which offers invaluable peace of mind. 

“Currently winning the popularity stakes are solid wooden gates – so nosey parkers can’t see in at all yet many smaller houses that don’t have room for traditionally opening gates use roller gates which slide sideways and I’ve even seen a house in Sunninghill with bollards which rise out of the ground as a second line of defence.”
So what does Surreygate look like? Here are some examples of houses with gates available in the area:

Hyale, Wentworth Estate   £7,950,000

A grand house ideally situated on the Main Island of the Wentworth Estate opposite the 17th Green of the Championship West Course with 9,376 square feet of luxurious accommodation arranged over four floors with grounds approaching 1.63 acres. 

This property has had some extremely thoughtful concepts and modern appliances integrated within.  Such as 6 CCTV cameras and full alarm system, automatic gates and video entry system, aquavision televisions in the swimming pool and master en-suite bathroom, mood lighting in all principal rooms, surround sound and projector in the cinema room.  

The accommodation consists of a spacious master bedroom suite with walk in dressing room, luxurious en-suite bathroom and balcony, four further bedroom suites, galleried reception hall, cloakroom, drawing room, dining room, family room, study, loggia, kitchen/breakfast room, utility room, impressive indoor swimming pool complex with spa bath, changing facilities, gymnasium, steam and plant room, second floor cinema/games rooms with kitchenette, self-contained staff flat, triple garage with large room above, extensive south facing terracing and landscaped gardens. 

For more information contact Barton Wyatt on 0134 484 3000 or visit www.bartonwyatt.co.uk. 

Park Place, Windlesham   £8,000,000

This is a magnificent country house which stands impressively within a mature woodland setting and approached via a private road.  Wrought iron gates open onto a gravelled drive flanked by mature trees and rhododendrons which leads to a central fountain in front of the house.

Built in 1995, this Georgian style property has been built to an exceptionally high standard.  The imposing reception hall with a central staircase, marble and granite floors with under-floor heating, a hand-made kitchen and custom made furniture in many parts of the house all blend to create a unique and wonderful home.
Set over three floors:

Ground floor includes: reception hall, dining room, cinema, drawing room, music area, kitchen and utility, sitting room, study and cloakroom.

First floor has the master suite and 4 further bedroom suites.  Second floor – another 4 bedroom suites.

The ample garage will house 3 cars and has a staff flat over.  A generous cottage in the grounds offers further accommodation with kitchen, living area, 3 beds and bathrooms.

Priced at £8,000,000, for more information, please contact Barton Wyatt on 01344 843000 or visit www.bartonwyatt.co.uk. 
 

In today’s “throw-away society”, where everything is disposable from food packaging to clothes and flat screen TVs, why wouldn’t the property industry join in?

This is exactly what is occurring in the affluent Home Country of Surrey at present according to Rupert Wyatt, Partner of local award-winning estate agency, Barton Wyatt, who comments,

“The demolition of houses, both good and bad, to make way for brand new, mega mansions is rife on the exclusive Wentworth Estate. One might be forgiven for thinking that only old or derelict houses would be contenders for redevelopment but more often perfectly good homes have been subject to the demolition fever in North Surrey.”

The thirst for brand new luxury homes primarily from overseas buyers is very real with Russians, Kazakhstanis and other Eastern Europeans those most able to find the funds for these super homes. Purchasers’ expectations of quality has risen dramatically over the years and internal and external finishes of even 10 year old houses are quite simply not up to scratch. 

It would seem that money is no object in this sector of the prime homes market with buyers willing to spend millions getting the perfect home even if it means knocking it down and starting again. One such example was a luxury 10 year old home on Badgers Hill, Wentworth which was demolished recently to accommodate a new house design in accordance to the owner’s taste.

This craze for knocking down homes is pushing up prices as both individuals and developers vie for their slice of the estate.  Plots with existing properties are getting snapped up, often at or above the asking price.  

This ‘fighting over homes is creating small pockets of house price peaks.  Grainne Gilmore, Head of UK Residential Research, comments:

“Bucking the trend however, are the very top-end properties. Homes worth £5 million and more continued to rise in value over the quarter, climbing by 0.8% and taking the annual increase to 3.5%. The very best properties are attracting increasing attention from overseas buyers, with Russian buyers noticeably active in the market.

Rupert Wyatt, partner of Barton Wyatt, could not agree more:

“Our strongest market at the moment is the prime country house market.  There is good movement in property between £4 million and the super prime mansions at £10 million plus.

“The developers know they have to pay top money for property in top locations.  The confidence in the market for super homes continues to rise and there is little doubt that foreign money will be competing for these properties when built.”

A fabulous example of a recently disposed home in Wentworth, Surrey was Pindi House.  This property was sold to a developer for £1,725,000 in April 2010.  At the point of sale the house was 3.637 sq ft on a 0.7 acre plots.  After demolition Park House emerged.  The house sold for £5,362,000 in June 2012.  As this land is not green belt the developer was able to increase the square footage to 9,500 and built the most incredible property.

Editor’s Note

An example of a newly built home on a demolished site, that is ripe for foreign money is Hyale.

Hyale, Wentworth Estate     £7,950,000

A grand house ideally situated on the Main Island of the Wentworth Estate opposite the 17th Green of the Championship West Course with 9,376 square feet of luxurious accommodation arranged over four floors with grounds approaching 1.63 acres. 

This property has had some extremely thoughtful concepts and modern appliances integrated within.  Such as 6 CCTV cameras and full alarm system, automatic gates and video entry system, aquavision televisions in the swimming pool and master en-suite bathroom,  mood lighting in all principal rooms, surround sound and projector in the cinema room.  

The accommodation consists of a spacious master bedroom suite with walk in dressing room, luxurious en-suite bathroom and balcony, four further bedroom suites, galleried reception hall, cloakroom, drawing room, dining room, family room, study, loggia, kitchen/breakfast room, utility room, impressive indoor swimming pool complex with spa bath, changing facilities, gymnasium, steam and plant room, second floor cinema/games rooms with kitchenette, self contained staff flat, triple garage with large room above, extensive south facing terracing and landscaped gardens. 

For more information contact Barton Wyatt on 0134 484 3000 or visit www.bartonwyatt.co.uk. 
 

NAEA members in Surrey have called on their organisation to focus all their resources on their own portal.  PropertyLive is the NAEA and ARLA’s own website, and Surrey members want to see it challenge the sales major portals.

Chairman James Wyatt said “Our local Surrey members want to see every single UK property on PropertyLive, which will require our national board to alter their stance considerably. We see this wholesale change as a gangway to a large number of new members and a profitable property portal.”

In a letter to the Associations board, Wyatt and his committee have demanded that a “commercial” stance be taken to PropertyLive to ensure better results. Surrey members are already deserting the major portals in support of PropertyLive, but Wyatt wants more. “We’re up for the fight, but our Association has to be brave and support our move.”

———– ENDS ————–

Editor’s Notes:

The National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) is a part of NFoPP.

James Wyatt is a Partner of Virginia Water estate agents, Barton Wyatt.

01344 843000 01344 843000 surreynaea@gmail.com