13 of the Best Places to Live in South London
18.09.2023South London is an excellent choice for anyone looking at property in the capital. Generally, you'll get more for your money than north of the river, and there's a wealth of neighbourhoods to choose f...
How Much Does it Cost to Sell a House in South London?
04.09.2023It can be an expensive business if you are considering selling a house in Wandsworth, Balham, Battersea, Clapham, or anywhere in South London. You may have a rough idea of the costs of selling a home,...
How Long Does it Take to Sell a House in South West London?
21.08.2023For most sellers, speed is of the essence. Maybe you need to find a buyer quickly so your own offer will be accepted on a dream home, or you have another pressing deadline, like a job or school applic...
Stamp Duty Explained: Everything You Need to Know About Stamp Duty in South West London
07.08.2023If you are buying a home in Balham, Battersea, Clapham, Wandsworth, Earlsfield or Tooting Bec you will probably need to pay stamp duty. The amount of stamp duty you pay will depend on the purchase pri...
Selling a Home with a Help to Buy Equity Loan
17.07.2023The Help to Buy equity loan scheme ran from 2013 to 2022, enabling around 375,000 first time buyers to get onto the property ladder. It worked by giving eligible London buyers a loan equal to up to 40...
How to Make Your House More Attractive to Buyers
03.07.2023If you’re thinking of putting your home on the market in Balham, Tooting or Wandsworth, how to make it more attractive to buyers should be one of your key concerns. While many London buyers will app...
Why is my House in Wandsworth Not Selling, and What to do About it?
19.06.2023With miles of green space, great high streets packed with independent businesses, amazing transport links, good schools and attractive neighbourhoods, south west London has plenty to recommend it. ...
Guide to Selling a Leasehold Property in Wandsworth, Balham and Tooting
05.06.2023If you’re looking at a house move in, Balham, Tooting or Wandsworth one thing you need to consider is whether you're selling a leasehold property. A huge proportion of London homes are leasehold - m...
Selling and Buying a House at the Same Time in South West London
15.05.2023Are you thinking of a house move in the south west London areas of Wandsworth, Tooting or Balham? If you have a place to sell, you might be feeling daunted about the prospect of selling and buying at ...
Property Chain Problems: Breaking the Chain
02.05.2023Property chain problems are one of the biggest headaches for home movers, sending chills down the spines of buyers and sellers. With worries about rising interest rates right now, the chance of a buye...
Do You Need a Conveyancer or Solicitor to Sell a House in Southwest London?
17.04.2023Do I need a conveyancer to sell a house? is something we get asked a lot by people looking to sell and buy property in Wandsworth, Tooting or Balham. Moving is a costly business, when you add in th...
An Inconvenient Truth
11.04.2023No, despite my impeccable woke credentials, I am not going to lecture you on climate change. We’re going to talk about truth, albeit at times inconvenient, and lies. Because even though I said th...
Can you Put an Offer on a House Before Selling Yours?
03.04.2023Have you ever wondered if it’s worth putting in an offer on a house before selling yours? Say you’re thinking about a house move in Wandsworth, Tooting or Balham - maybe for more space, a bigge...
How to Manage a Property Chain
20.03.2023For anyone buying or selling property in Wandsworth, Tooting or Balham it’s likely that you might find yourself part of a property chain. The good news is that most property chains are short and ...
Selling an Inherited Property in Southwest London
06.03.2023Most people who inherit property do so after the death of a parent. It’s a difficult time, made more so by all the paperwork and admin which may feel like a bit of a minefield. If you’ve inherited...
Is Now a Good Time to Sell a House in Wandsworth, Balham or Tooting?
20.02.2023‘Should I sell my Wandsworth, Tooting or Balham house now or wait to see how 2023 pans out?’ is a question we get asked a lot. There has been much volatility in the housing market since the pandem...
A Guide to Estate Agent Fees in South London
06.02.2023If you’re thinking of selling your home in Wandsworth, Tooting or Balham, you’re probably working out how much the move will cost - and wondering how much you’ll need to budget for London estate...
Negotiating House Price: Tips for Buyers and Sellers in South West London
23.01.2023The ability to negotiate a house price isn’t a skill that comes naturally to everyone. However, with house prices on Rightmove averaging just under £1million in south west London, even a small perc...
How Much are Conveyancing Fees in London
09.01.2023If you're planning a house move in Wandsworth, Clapham, Battersea, or Balham, you need to factor the cost of conveyancing into your budget. How much your conveyancing fees cost will vary depending on ...
Kids Football Clubs in London Borough of Wandsworth
19.12.2022If you’re the parent of footy-mad kids, you’ll know the importance of finding the right junior football club for you child. Maybe you’re new to south west London or thinking of moving here. Or m...
Best Independent Schools in Surrey
05.12.2022If you’re a parent considering a house move from South West London to leafy Surrey, schools are probably a major consideration. When it comes to independent schools, the county has a good choice ...
Best Private Members Clubs in London
21.11.2022You might be looking for somewhere new to spend your time in the New Year. The appeal of the London private members’ club is obvious. Exclusive places to hang out, work out, meet likeminded people o...
Best Surrey Commuter Towns and Villages To London
07.11.2022There are plenty of reasons to think commuter towns in Surrey, if you’re considering a move out of South West London. Relocate a few miles down the A3, and you’ll be close enough to work in the ca...
Tricks and treats
28.10.2022Are spooked buyers opting out of the sales market and finding the rental market just as tricky? “The trees are about to show us just how lovely it can be to let things go”… …well lucky a...
What is a Homebuyers Survey Report?
17.10.2022For homebuyers in South London (Clapham, Balham, Wandsworth and surrounding areas), it’s important to consider the condition of the property before making an offer. Buying your home could be the mos...
Everything You Need to Know About Buying a Second Property in South West London
13.10.2022Second home ownership is on the increase, according to recent figures. Three quarters of a million people in the UK now own a second home, up by 30% since the millennium. It’s easy to see the app...
Everything You Need to Know About Stamp Duty on Second Homes
03.10.2022If you’re thinking of buying a second home - either as a bolt-hole from South London or as a buy-to-let investment - you should know about the extra stamp duty you will pay on your additional proper...
A Dog Day Afternoon
10.08.2022Dog Day Afternoon, one of the great films of the 70s, starring the wonderful Pacino and Cazale playing Sonny and Sal, a pair of dysfunctional ne’er-do-wells who botch a bank robbery on a hot summer'...
Attention all landlords: Let’s Talk About Lets!
07.07.2022We spend a lot of time discussing the housing market in these missives, and by that, I mean the sales market. And I guess that’s understandable for, as a nation dedicated to the notion of homeown...
What is a Mortgage Valuation and How Does it Work?
04.07.2022If you are applying for a mortgage to buy your new home, you need to know about the valuation survey your lender will carry out to check that the property is worth the price you’ve agreed to pay. ...
Wandsworth Property Market – chicken or egg?
06.06.2022“Half of all £1m+ UK house sales are in London…with Wandsworth leading the pack at 11%. (Ken and Chel 2nd at 9%).” So said a City A.M. headline the other day. Why is this a headline? Why ...
What is the Difference Between Freehold and Leasehold
06.06.2022If you’re buying property in South West London, especially a flat or maisonette, you will usually do so on a leasehold basis. To anyone new to house hunting, the differences between buying leasehold...
The Ten Best Independent Schools in South West London
16.05.2022If you’re thinking about independent secondary schools for your child, London has some of the most prestigious in the UK. According to The Times’ Parent Power schools guide, half of the country’...
Where are the Best Places to Live in Kent?
03.05.2022Sevenoaks in Kent has topped this year’s Times’ best places to live in south east England listing. The coastal town of Deal makes it into the top five too. Both are great places to live, but if yo...
Things to Look for When Viewing a House
19.04.2022With high demand for properties and limited supply in the market, people looking to move may be feeling the pressure. If you find a place that ticks all the boxes, that you can really imagine making y...
How To Buy A Home in Clapham Step-By-Step
01.04.2022So you want to buy a house in Clapham? Follow our step-by-step guide to buying a house in one of south London’s most desirable neighbourhoods If you’re looking to buy property in south London, ...
Everything You Need to Know to Buy a New Build House
07.03.2022Buying a new build has plenty of advantages. Your home will be a chain-free, pristine property, unused by anyone else. It will come with guarantees and you can probably choose your own kitchen and oth...
When is the Best Time of the Year to Sell a House in London
21.02.2022Deciding when it’s the right time to sell your home used to be simple. Spring was best, Easter especially, and early summer was good too. Summer holidays were … iffy and, while autumn was reasonab...
+++STOP PRESS+++ Brief Market Update
10.02.2022At this time of year, we talk to lots of new people dipping their toes into the new market. This New Year there’s a common theme – “I don’t want to go on the market as there’s nothing to ...
Trust In Me
02.02.2022“Trust in me, just in me…” so sang the Serpentine Seducer of the Junglebook. And so do oh-so many tedious estate agents of various shades (including me obvs). Anyway, I recently read the f...
Fall Fall Fall
08.11.2021This weekend the clocks go back marking the end of British Summer time and as Autumn turns to Winter thoughts turn to hearth and home and hibernation. An Englishman’s home may be his castle; or his ...
Rampton Baseley acquires Palace Gate Lettings
13.10.2021Rampton Baseley, market-leading estate agents in South West London has acquired Palace Gate Lettings, a four-office operation that has been at the forefront of the lettings market in the same area sin...
Back To Life
08.09.2021Back to life, back to reality, back to the here and now…so sang Caron Wheeler as Soul II Soul bounced across the UK airwaves in the Summer of ’89….and bounced, and bounced ad infinitum, indeed a...
Summer Loving Happens So Fast
09.08.2021The skies may be grey and we may be dodging showers but the Wandsworth lettings market has been hot hot hot. It would appear that despite the move outside the M25 for some city dwellers, others sti...
Midsummer Madness
18.06.2021Not your typical Midsummer Druid, and perhaps not your typical Midsummer Market… So, it is probably time to pick up, and then quickly discard, the druidical theme first alighted upon in the dark,...
Where have all the doer-uppers gone?
05.05.2021I’m not talking about a short supply of places that have scope for development or to use the estate agents’ vernacular, properties “in need of cosmetic improvement”. I’m talking about the pe...
Mayday! Mayday! May Day Market Mayhem!
30.04.2021The RB Morris Dancing Ensemble, Dunny-On-The-Wold May Day 2009, Best in Show. “I’ll try anything once except Morris Dancing and incest…” So said the conductor, impresario and legendary sh*g...
‘ALWAYS LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF LIFE…’
21.04.2021'ALWAYS LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF LIFE...' So sang Eric Idle’s Barrabas to Graham Chapman’s Messiah, Brian as they dangled helplessly on their crucifixes. Did Barrabas know about the resurr...
Surf’s Up!
25.02.2021Forgive me dear reader, but I thought that a little revisitation of recent history would be in order as we set our sights on the Spring Market… When the first lockdown ended last year, we saw a m...
“Where to Guv?”
27.01.2021You don’t just get into a taxi and say drive. And you don’t just go to work and work. You have to have a destination, a goal a mission…even more so when you run that place of work. As we sit ou...
A Christmas Carol
30.11.2020So, as we head towards the turn of a truly unusual year and we peer through the glass darkly at the wreckage of 2020, our thoughts must surely turn to the Druids? To the Druids? Yes, to the Druids,...
Agents can continue to operate during lockdown
10.11.2020It has been confirmed that property viewings and home moves in England can still take place during the second lockdown, which begins on 5th November and will continue for at least four weeks. Under...
A life unexamined…
21.10.2020A life unexamined, is a life not worth living…so said the Father of Western Philosophy, Socrates. And I, for one, wholeheartedly agree with Soc The Greek. And so, the other day, I was examining m...
That was Summer Jim, but not as we know it…
10.09.2020So said Leonard “Bones” McCoy, ship’s doctor, to James T. Kirk ship’s captain, Star Ship Enterprise, stardate 23275…(T stood for Tiberius, the classical imperial allusion is surely not lost ...
Come on down!
24.07.2020The Price is Right! Come on down! So sayeth those jacks of all (Light Entertainment) trades and those masters of none, Lord Leslie of Crowther and Sir Bruce Forsythe…those Titans of a Televisual ...
In conversation: Patrick Rampton
10.07.2020Patrick Rampton, of Rampton Baseley speaks with The Leaders Council in April. The full article can be found here and interview can be listened to here. "Twelve or so years ago there was a lot of no...
The return of the bid
10.07.2020This past six weeks has seen the (un)welcome return (depending on which side of the selling fence you reside) of our old friend the sealed bid. As has been noted recently in these missives, the loc...
Market Update 28.05.2020
10.07.2020No, this is not about one of London’s (some might say the nation’s) most influential 60s rock bands. It’s about hoses. Hoses and economics. And Kinks. So, please bear with me, as we ta...
“It’s not dead, it’s merely restin’…”
07.05.2020The Riddle of the Resting Parrot. As we head gingerly towards the (dare I say it?) end of lockdown as we currently know it, we feel it appropriate to share our recent findings on Agency in the Ti...
Boris Johnson Ate My Hamster!
17.01.2020Boris Johnson Ate My Hamster! Well he didn’t really, not actually, but my brother was at Oxford with him and he has a few stories to tell (but that’s for another, potentially libellous article ...
There’s lies, damn lies and then there’s statistics; let me explain
26.11.2019So, I recently got an email, from a “leading” international agent which has a few local offices. In it they kindly informed me that my house’s value had dropped by 7.8% since the last market pea...
This is a market update!
02.10.2019STOP! I only want 126 seconds of your life (that’s how long it took me to re-read this), and these could be seconds well spent. This is……. a market update! So, we enter a new season, and w...
The word; effects of the ongoing political uncertainty
04.11.2018One month back into a new selling season and we have got 21 properties under offer; five went to sealed bids, three sold off market, one was a record breaker for its type, one was taken from another a...
Come on Ironsides!
01.09.2017When it comes to rugby, you will have to go a long way to find a more committed fan than Patrick Rampton. The former London Scottish player is so passionate that virtually every business analogy th...
A second home…
24.03.2016It’s been eight years since Rampton Baseley opened on Northcote Road and in that time they have quickly established themselves as a leading neighbourhood presence in the local property market (in 20...
5 Things to Expect from the Redfern
25.02.2016The biggest UK housing review since Dame Kate Barker published the 2003 Review of Housing Supply has commenced, amidst concerns about the sustainable future of Britain’s housing stock. Conducted by ...
Leading Economists Predict Property Price Rises in 2016
04.02.201688 leading economists have suggested that house prices will rise in 2016, according to a Financial Times study which asked whether government initiatives to support homeownership and deliver new homes...
Selling Houses – Advantages of the High Street Approach
26.01.2016So this article was supposed to be about our new office on Bellevue Rd. “New office!?!” We hear you cry. “Are you mad?!? You’re expanding as the dark storm clouds of internet agency inex...
Find a London property gem? Check its lease
15.01.2016According to Property Wire, almost all flats in England and Wales are classed as leasehold property, yet a high amount – around one fifth of owners – aren’t clued up on the most fundamental poin...
Why we’re not worried about our London markets
08.01.2016It was a big year for London property markets in the 2015 election year, with big, bold headlines to ring in January as the industry took its first tentative steps, with the prospect of potentially c...