Hello, I’m James, a self-employed property consultant who can help you in a manner of different ways.

I haven’t gained my experience from the corporate side of the industry, so I’ve always had a ‘do more’ attitude, realising that it was a way to build empathy with clients, when the competition was a brand name Company with huge marketing budgets, more staff and shinier offices.

The industry is changing. You don’t need that brand name  Company with a high street office with multiple staff to sell your home anymore. One fully committed and experienced consultant can do the job even better, offering you a more personal and attentive service from start to finish.

I’ve been in the property industry for 25 years now and selling homes across London and Kent for almost 15 years having started my career as an agent with my own estate agency business, growing to a team of 11 staff at one point.  A few years ago after selling my shares in the business I made decision to offer my clients a more individual, bespoke and personal service. No more dealing with various ill-informed people in the office or ‘they are out of the office’ replies.

I provide a completely bespoke one-to-one service. I’ll let you know all of the important stuff that matters most when it comes to selling your home.  I’ll talk you through the steps you need to follow that will guarantee the best possible outcome for you.

I won’t be juggling 25 vendors at once, which means I’ll always have the time to go the extra mile for you.

I do everything from the initial consultation with you for you to understand how to set the correct asking price for your property, through to understanding how to best present your property, spending a morning to make sure it looks its very best for the photoshoot, creating a property advert for you that is unmatched, qualifying buyers, showing them your property, negotiating buyers offers, making sure they are financially viable to proceed, checking any chains, and handling the post sale with my experienced post sale manager. Furthermore, I help many of my clients with their onward purchase, helping them to understand where they can negotiate on price and even helping with the negotiations in some cases.  I’ve been on many viewings with clients to see a property they are interested in, to give my advice.

As well as promoting your property on Rightmove, Zoopla and On the Market, I work with some the industry’s best property photographers/film makers which means we’ll launch your home to the market in a way that stands out from your competition and you’ll have high quality content that I can promote and share across the social media platforms.

All of this to make your move as stress free and as easy as possible.

My Core Values (what I’ll do for you)

As a self-employed property consultant and after selling almost 1000 homes, I’ve learned that sticking to my core values usually leads to my clients getting a better than expected result.

1 – I’ll be your home Doctor, so don’t worry if you don’t know how to get your home ready for sale. I’ll let you know with a comprehensive ‘to-do’ list and can recommend trustworthy local trades guys that can help if needed.  Remember the less a buyer feels they need to do to a property – the more they’ll pay for it.  I’ll tell you what you need to hear, and I won’t always tell you what you want to hear, but I’ll always do it with integrity.

2 – My passion is property aesthetics, and I’ll use my eye for detail and experience to help style your property throughout curating exceptional ‘magazine lifestyle’ quality photography to use for your property advert. I’ll explain how to make your property look appealing and feel a perfect fit for the target demographic of buyer in your area.

3 – I’ll explain to you how the property websites have changed buyer behaviours and why setting your asking price correctly is vital to your success, and how setting it too high results in a prolonged time on the market and an eventual sale below your property’s real potential.

4 – I’m never silent and open doors.  I do my own viewings because I want buyers to know everything you’ve ever loved about your home, the road, your neighbours and how it’s made your life better.  People love stories, and we’re all story tellers.  There isn’t a stronger connection between people than storytelling.  If we can help viewers feel that connection with your home, we will attract a better result.

 5 – When I negotiate with buyers I’m acting for you, so I’ll do it as if I was selling my own home and my life depended on it. I don’t accept the first offer and if possible, I’ll always aim to close your sale asking for a buyers ‘best and final offer’.

6 – Once I’ve agreed a sale, I’ll fight tooth and nail to make sure the sale completes, and I’ll have expert help in doing so.

“It felt like a really personal service, from someone who really “got” us, and got what was special about our home – which was a quirky period house and not “easy” to sell in an obvious way”. Alexis, SE26

If you’d like to tell me your property story I’d certainly love to hear it.  Please call me on 020 8432 1505 or email me at james@fishneedwater.com.

And remember…I don’t just do estate agency.  I can help you acquire the right property, I can source off-market properties, I can act as your buying agent and negotiate for you. I can help you if you’d like to remodel or refurbish your property (see a post here).  I can do a whole host of property related things.