“Simon is brilliant at his job and will find, if it exists, the right property for you. He is extremely well connected, in touch with property professionals all over the county. Drawing on this vast network, he will show you properties well in advance of them coming to the market. He is available any day of the week, any time. All excellent credentials. But what really sets Simon apart from his competitors is that he gets to know you, and not only what you want, but also what you did not know you wanted. He listened to us over a number of months, eternally patient, as he interpreted our ever changing wish list. He did not present us with lots of time wasting ‘long shots’. His first property was to get us thinking and to help us eliminate. The second property is our dream home which we love and are so happy in. Our property never went to market. Interestingly, it is not exactly what we had first set out for, but Simon read between the lines, and suggested what really works for us.”
“We used RSJ Property Search (found through advert in the Telegraph Property Section) last year, and are now settled in a delightful home in Somerset. Our budget was around £300,000. We paid initial registration fee of £400 and 1.5% of purchase price (from which the reg. fee was deducted). Wonderful, individual service from a small business with extensive knowledge of the West Country, always on hand to calm fraying nerves weekends, nights or bank holidays. All our ‘must have’ requirements were met together with many of our ‘would like’ details. Excellent negotiating skills also saved us £20,000. In short, some agents are not just for the wealthy!”
“After well over a year of looking for a second home to purchase in West Dorset/East Devon, without success, we realised we needed help! It was hard to pursue opportunities remotely, and more often than not we were disappointed when we went to see what seemed – from a website or an agent’s details – like a suitable property. We found RSJ on a trawl through the internet; how lucky we were. We felt comfortable with Simon, he came to London to discuss our needs and then accompanied us on a two day tour of different locations and possible properties to really understand and challenge us on what we wanted. RSJ trawled the market, kept their ears to the ground, focused on our requirements and kept in touch. We looked at a number of possible properties with them and eventually Simon found us a lovely cottage. RSJ saw it before it went on the market, sent pictures and we were able to view it at an early stage. RSJ stayed close to the purchase process throughout and helped, through their knowledge of the area, with surveyors, etc. It really was a full service, knowing we could call Simon any time, day or night.”
“Subsequently we decided to renovate and extend the cottage, and Simon and Jayne of RSJ have been project managing all the works for us. We have had some challenges with the works but what we have had from RSJ is great service – professional, knowledgeable, and putting good local contacts to work to find architects, builders, etc to ensure everything progresses smoothly and is delivered to a high standard. The weekly update email of pictures of progress is a great way to stay in touch remotely. Another few months and we’ll be done and finally able to move back in; we couldn’t have done it without them.”
“We were recommended to RSJ as we sat reflecting on another not so near miss after searching via seller’s agents and websites and counting the not inconsiderable cost, effort and time involved. We were buying from long distance and it was clear that many of the best properties in rural areas sell without reaching the general market. RSJ listened as we set out our wish list but equally importantly pulled no punches in (politely!) managing our expectations and giving clear and direct advice as we considered the short list and finally closed our purchase. Given the huge level of stamp tax, other transaction costs and the financial significance of house purchase we simply wouldn’t buy without a professional advisor like RSJ on our side”
“While the RSJ Search service had resulted in a tremendous purchase there was still work to be done to make all the great potential of the house that we found become a reality. RSJ delivered a project management service way beyond our expectations – helping define the project itself, fitting the work plan and functionality of the utilities to the available budget, identifying suitable builders and other trades, securing multiple competitive quotes and helping us to evaluate them, working closely with the trades to not only keep them on track but using their good relationships to get the best from them and on time. And all the time they kept us fully updated and were available to review and discuss progress in a fully interactive way. Their work went further than mere physical aspects to ensuring careful consideration of and contribution to the design vision right through to handing over the new front door keys! We were and remain totally satisfied with what we achieved working with RSJ.”