Property Buying Agent Surrey, Hampshire and West Sussex: Frequently Asked Questions

There are many reasons why buyers choose to use a buying agent/ property search consultant:  they’re abroad and can’t physically view properties, they have busy lives and simply don’t have the time to house hunt, or they frequently miss out on great houses because they didn’t know about them until it was too late, or because they sold off market.

Handing over your search to a buying agent means you have experienced ‘eyes and ears’ on the ground who ensure that you get to see the best, most suitable properties first and – in many cases – before they hit the open market.  It saves wasted journeys to view unsuitable properties and means you receive unbiased accurate and insightful information about each property viewed on your behalf.

Buying agents work closely with local estate agents on a daily basis and these established relationships are invaluable when negotiating a house purchase.  We also remain clear headed during negotiations and ensure that you don’t overpay in a competitive bidding situation.

More than anything, while estate agents work for their clients, the vendor, buying agents act for you, the buyer. We keep your search active and are a positive and proactive team to have on your side who will always put your best interests first.

Buying a home should feel exciting not overwhelming. A dedicated buying agent removes the stress, opens doors you didn’t know existed and guides you to the lifestyle you’re dreaming of.

We give you access to exceptional homes many of them completely off market that you would never find through the portals. Our clients come to us for the advantage of being first through the door, and for the reassurance that no opportunity is missed.

With over a decade of successfully buying homes for clients, our experience means you avoid costly mistakes. We are calm, informed and highly skilled negotiators, ensuring you never pay more than you should. Every step is managed for you, from refining your brief to viewing, negotiating and steering the sale through to completion.

The result? A confident, seamless and genuinely enjoyable buying experience tailored entirely around you. We aim to pay for ourselves through the savings we make on your purchase and have an 8.18% average saving of guide price for on market properties.

Research has shown 1 in 10 houses never reach the open market.  This is particularly true of prime country homes where the vendor wants to protect their privacy as well as ensure that only the most serious buyers view the property.  Buying agents are therefore often invited to preview properties before anybody else as estate agents know they will have a number of serious, proceedable buyers on their books.   It is at this stage that deals are often done and prime houses in sought after locations change hands under the radar.

Established buying agents who have good local networks will also be approached by private sellers who wish to sell their house directly to good buyers without involving an estate agent.  This also leads to deals being done off market.

Discretion and access are at the heart of what we do. With 62.8% of our client acquisitions secured off market, our clients consistently benefit from opportunities others never even know about.

Experience has taught us that in spite of what is going on in the world and whatever the housing market, there will always be buyers who simply have to move.  There may be a new job, a change in personal circumstances or a need for more space.

The housing market is cyclical and generally flips between a ‘sellers’ market and a ‘buyers’ market but there are pros and cons to both as a buyer.  As such, there really is no right or wrong answer to the question and it depends on the individual circumstances of each buyer.

We have bought houses for clients in all kinds of market conditions, and this experience means that we can help you expertly navigate the current market situation, whatever that may be.

This is entirely dependent on each client’s situation and requirements.  Some clients are open to many different types of houses across a wide search area which opens up more housing options, while others have pinpointed two or three villages where they want to live.   On average, however, we find houses within six months of starting an active search.

If schools are a driving factor and you need to be in situ over the summer holidays in preparation for the start of the Autumn Term, you should ideally aim to be in a proceedable position (i.e your house under offer or contracts exchanged) by April.  This then gives us a good opportunity to search during the housing market’s most active months of April to July.  However, this isn’t to say that all is lost if you aren’t ready to buy until later in the summer, and we have bought houses for clients at very short notice.

This is one of the most common questions we’re asked. In reality, the two decisions often work hand-in-hand. Many families start with a shortlist of preferred schools, and we then focus the property search around the areas, villages and catchments that fit those choices. Others fall in love with a particular home or community, and we guide them through the school options nearby.

We can provide general insight into local schools from living in the area and through our network of families. If you’d like more in-depth guidance, we can connect you with current parents for first-hand perspectives, and we also work alongside excellent independent school consultants who can offer tailored professional advice.

Whichever way you choose to approach it, we make sure the home, the school and the lifestyle all align seamlessly.

This has never happened but we would never charge you for a house that we did not introduce you to. This is clearly laid out in our Terms of Business which both parties sign before we begin the search.

Our sign on fee is £1,000 plus VAT. That’s all you pay until you exchange contracts on your new home.

When successful and have handled the searching, negotiating and conveyancing process and contracts are successfully exchanged, on the property’s completion, we charge a small % of the agreed purchase price of the home we secured for you.

If during the process you change your mind for any reason and decide not to buy a home in the area after all, you won’t pay anything on top of the initial sign on fee charged at the beginning of the search.

How We Work

1. Understanding Your Brief
Your search begins with a detailed conversation. We take time to understand what “home” means for you, your lifestyle, must-haves, dealbreakers, timings, ideal locations and future plans. This becomes the foundation of your bespoke search strategy.

2. Orientation Tour
For clients new to Surrey, Hampshire or West Sussex, we take you on a customised orientation tour. It’s an invaluable introduction to the areas that best match your needs, schools, villages, commuting options, restaurants and green spaces, so you can make confident, informed decisions from the start. Honing your search area which can be wide at the beginning and introducing you to hidden ‘gems’ places you may not have considered or heard of before.

3. Active House Hunting: On and Off Market
Once your brief is set, the search begins in earnest. We access every avenue, on-market, pre-market and discreet off-market opportunities. Thanks to our long-standing network and data-driven approach, 62.8% of the homes we’ve secured to date are off market, giving our clients a genuine advantage in competitive areas.

4. Viewings, Reporting & Local Insight
We preview properties on your behalf and provide detailed feedback, comprehensive reports and video tours to keep your search moving, wherever you are in the world. With deep local knowledge and long-established relationships, we make sure you’re first through the door for the best opportunities within your budget.

5. Negotiating the Best Price
When you’ve found “the one,” we negotiate with precision and confidence. Our track record shows that our clients secure their homes at stronger prices than they would negotiating alone, our data consistently proves the value we add here.

6. Seeing the Sale Through
We stay involved at every stage, liaising with estate agents, surveyors, solicitors and any other professionals to keep your purchase on track. Problems get solved quickly and quietly behind the scenes, ensuring a smooth, successful completion.

7. Beyond Completion
Our support doesn’t end with the keys. We remain on hand for anything you may need, school introductions, trusted trades, professional contacts or simply recommendations for the best local places to eat. We’re always just a phone call away.

If you’re relocating from overseas, the whole process can feel daunting but that’s exactly where we step in.

We act as your eyes and ears on the ground, making sure you don’t miss out on the best homes in Surrey, Hampshire and West Sussex while you’re still abroad. Here’s how we support overseas buyers:

Full area guidance before you arrive
We help you get a true sense of each village and town, schools, commutes, community feel and countryside, so you can make confident decisions from overseas.

If you’re able to visit early in the process, we’ll take you on a dedicated orientation tour to help you understand the areas that best suit your lifestyle.

If not, when you do come to view your shortlisted homes, we make sure you see much more than the four walls. We’ll give you a mini area guide during your visit, so you understand exactly where each home sits in relation to the life you want to build here.

Pre-market and off-market access
Because of our long-standing relationships with selling agents, we’re often invited in before properties hit the open market. That means you see opportunities you simply wouldn’t find online.

Video tours and shortlists you can trust
We preview homes on your behalf, send honest walk-throughs, highlight the strengths and the drawbacks, and create a curated shortlist so your time in the UK is used efficiently.

Seamless coordination
Viewings, surveyors, solicitors, movers, we handle it all, keeping everything running smoothly despite the distance. Buying a house in the UK can be very confusing, so managing timelines you aren’t used to and knowing how the system works here, does need some guidance if you haven’t bought a home here before.

A single point of contact
You have Property Potential as a dedicated expert guiding you throughout, no juggling agents in different towns or losing context between calls.