Tag: The Telegraph

The Parents Moving House for a School Catchment

Posted on by Jessica Jonzen

Parents hoping to move house for a school catchment area are learning a hard truth: timing is everything. Writing in The Telegraph, Ruth Bloomfield explores what it really takes to land a spot at the best state schools – including advice from our own Cotswolds buying agent, Georgina Neil, on getting the move right.

Mother Returning Home From School With Children Wearing School Uniform Running Down Path

Competition for places at good state schools is fierce – and for the best houses in their catchment areas, fiercer still, especially since VAT was introduced on private school fees, reports Ruth Bloomfield in The Telegraph.

To keep the move as stress-free as possible, early research pays off. “For a September start, we would generally advise beginning the process during the previous autumn or winter, to allow sufficient time for finding the right property, agreeing a sale, and navigating the conveyancing process,” advises Georgina Neil, our Cotswolds buying agent, in the article.

Read the article here.

How Millenials are Reshaping London’s Super-Prime Property Market

Posted on by Jessica Jonzen

Millennials are entering London’s £20m-plus property market – and changing luxury living, reports Maya Wilson Autzen for The Telegraph with insights from Will Watson, Head of The Buying Solution. From ice rinks and nightclubs to infrared saunas and digital-detox zones, discover the new super-prime must-haves.

A beautiful sunset behind the London skyline with Tower Bridge, River Thames and the corporate skyscrapers

London’s super-prime property market is being reshaped by a younger generation of wealthy buyers, reports The Telegraph. Estate agents reveal that those spending more than £20m are now typically in their 30s or 40s, reflecting the rise of fortunes made in technology, crypto and even social media.

Their preferences are also redefining luxury, with wellness and technology increasingly taking precedence over pools and gyms – traditional markers of super-prime property. Across the market, bespoke wellness spaces are becoming an increasingly important feature of the capital’s most expensive homes. In the article, Will Watson, Head of the Buying Solution, shares that one Los Angeles couple relocating to London placed a Vitamin D pod at the top of their wish list.

Read the article here to find out more.

Prime London Resets, and Why Buyers Stand to Gain

Posted on by Rosalind Sack

For Britain’s richest, signs suggest that their homes are becoming a less important source of wealth, reports Melissa Lawford in The Telegraph. In the article Head of The Buying Solution Will Watson shares his insight and explains why this is creating opportunities for buyers

Sarah Frances Kelley for The Buying Solution

London’s luxury property market has taken the hit from a succession of punitive tax changes in recent times, resulting in other assets, besides residential property, becoming more important for the very wealthy, reports The Telegraph.

Yet while older homeowners potentially face significant losses when selling their multi-million pound homes in London’s prime areas, such as Kensington, the City of London and Westminster, Richmond Park and Hampstead & Kilburn, this is creating opportunities for buyers with a long-term outlook on their investment.

“In the last 12 or 24 months, in pretty much every example of homes that we have been buying for our clients, we are paying less than the owners did 10 years ago,” says Will to journalist Melissa Lawford. 

Read the full article here.

Selling Your Home in a Crowded Market

Posted on by Jessica Jonzen

With the number of properties listed for sale in the UK at a 10-year high, it pays to be a price-sensitive, considerate seller and find opportunities to help your home stand out, Ruth Bloomfield reports for The Telegraph, with insights from our Partner, Katherine Watters

Georgian terrace in Central London, England. Image: Sarah Frances Kelley for The Buying Solution
Sarah Frances Kelley for The Buying Solution

Finding a way to make your property stand out is crucial in the current market, writes Ruth Bloomfield in The Telegraph. While sensitive pricing and immaculate presentation are vitally important factors when there are a surfeit of properties for sale, good will can be another powerful factor, our Partner Katherine Watters shares.

Her favourite example is a £4m Sussex farmhouse that she found and secured for her clients in 2025. It was a sale that came together after the sellers offered to leave their ponies, plus horsebox) for the buyers’ daughters, who had fallen in love with them on the viewing. “While this is a unicorn example, being flexible when it comes to incentives and considering what might make the process smoother can be the difference between a healthy sale and something that falls flat. The market is such that ‘good will’ goes a long way,” says Katherine.

Read the article here.

Would You Move to Pay for Private School Fees?

Posted on by Jessica Jonzen

To pay for private school fees, growing numbers of families are rethinking where they live rather than compromise on their children’s education, reports Alexandra Goss in The Telegraph. It’s a trend that our Cotswolds buying agent Georgina Neil is seeing first hand, as she highlights in the article.

Sarah Frances Kelley Cotswold manor house The Buying Solution
Sarah Frances Kelley for The Buying Solution

Rising school fees, following the addition of VAT, are redefining property decisions – especially above £1.2m, reports Alexandra Goss in The Telegraph.

“The dream is over for many ‘upsizers’ as school fees and the cost of running these homes – and the transactional costs of buying them in the first place – have become prohibitive for many,” our Cotswolds buying agent Georgina Neil comments in the article.

Read the article in full here.

How Celebrity Neighbours Can Impact a Country Village

Posted on by Rosalind Sack

The Cotswolds has become almost as well known for its famous residents as for its beautiful honey-stoned buildings and bucolic countryside. The arrival of a celebrity in a village – here and elsewhere – and the added security and heightened media interest that inevitably follows, often causes a stir, reports Arabella Youens in The Telegraph. Yet, a famous neighbour can bring far more to an area than just designer wellies, shares our Head of the Cotswolds Harry Gladwin.

Sarah Frances Kelley for The Buying Solution

From Jeremy Clarkson to DJ Calvin Harris, the rumoured arrival of Beyonce and Jay Z, even the recent visit by US Vice President JD Vance; the Cotswolds has become a magnet for the rich and famous. Yet our Partner and Cotswolds Buying Agent, Harry Gladwin, explains in this report in The Telegraph that the long-established culture of discretion among locals has made this a very welcoming place for famous residents and visitors, and their positive impact shouldn’t be ignored.

Read the article here.

Mansion Tax Speculation Slowing the Market

Posted on by Jessica Jonzen

Amid reports that Chancellor Rachel Reeves is considering a new tax on properties worth £2 million or more, Head of The Buying Solution Will Watson shares his insights with The Telegraph‘s Dominic Penna and Pui-Guan Man.

Sarah Frances Kelley for The Buying Solution

With speculation mounting ahead of the Budget announcement on 26 November about a so-called ‘mansion tax’, Will Watson, Head of The Buying Solution, spoke to The Telegraph about the effect this uncertainty is having on the property market.

Read the article here.

Can’t Get the Staff? Here’s Why…

Posted on by Jessica Jonzen

Need a cleaner, gardener, or builder? If finding help feels harder than ever, you’re not alone. With rising costs, fewer tradespeople, and the lingering effects of Brexit, the home services shortage is biting, writes The Telegraph’s Alexandra Goss, with insights from our Partner Harry Gladwin.

Sarah Frances Kelley for The Buying Solution

From being “ghosted” by cleaners to chasing builders who never call back (or quote fees that make your eyes water) it’s never been harder to find good help at home. Rising wages, higher National Insurance, steep material costs and Brexit have combined to create the perfect storm.

As our Partner and Head of the Cotswolds region tells Alexandra Goss for The Telegraph, keeping hold of a cleaner has become a competitive sport.

Read the article here.

How Potential Taxes on Downsizers Could Impact the Housing Market

Posted on by Jessica Jonzen

As Chancellor Rachel Reeves seeks to find £50bn to plug the Government’s financial black hole, speculation over potential new taxes on homeowners have revealed that downsizers could be in the firing line at the next Budget. Head of The Buying Solution, Will Watson, shares his insights with Maya Wilson Autzen from The Telegraph.

Sarah Frances Kelley for The Buying Solution

With the Chancellor reportedly considering replacing stamp duty with a new tax on sellers of homes over £500,000, it has also been suggested that the Government could charge capital gains tax on primary residences worth more than £1.5m.

As a result, homeowners are now considering delaying selling until a new government (they hope) is in place – a decision which would limit stock levels further still, says Will Watson in The Telegraph.

Read the article here.

Downsizing: Look Before You Leap

Posted on by Rosalind Sack

According to a new study, downsizers are now moving 40% further than average buyers. Our Cotswolds Partner Harry Gladwin talks to Alexandra Goss at The Telegraph about why research is critical before downsizing to an unknown area.

Sarah Frances Kelley for The Buying Solution

Downsizing later in life inevitably means that the once crucial factors of school catchment areas and commuting times are no longer important. As such, growing numbers of downsizers are seeking a completely new way of life in a new area, often influenced by where their children and grandchildren are located. Yet it pays to ensure that a potential new neighbourhood is thoroughly researched before taking the leap, says Harry Gladwin in The Telegraph.

Read the article here and read more on The Joy of Downsizing: Why Planning Ahead Matters in our Insights blog here.