The Joys of Househunting with little ones

Why they came to Stacks

Like many, Mr & Mrs K finally decided to leave the hustle and bustle of North London for a new life in the countryside with their two young girls.

Based on positive feedback from family members who had used Stacks before they decided to give us a call to embark on the journey of whittling down a suitable location.

What the local area offer could offer

When there are no particular geographical ties, it can be difficult to whittle down areas.

Stacks offer a much higher level of flexibility with the search area than other search agents who reportedly charge separate fees for each county that you’re looking in. This helped to put Mr & Mrs K’s minds at rest,  knowing that they were not committing to a specific area from day 1 and that we could draw on the Stacks regional network to find the ideal house.

The initial sweep ‘left of London’  evaluated Buckinghamshire areas, and eventually settled on the excellently commutable Bedfordshire / Hertfordshire borders. 

What they were looking for

They had a ‘high level view’ of what was required : village setting, close to good schools, commuting distance to London, lots of indoor and outdoor space for the girls, and once that was matched to a realistic budget,  opportunities could be explored in our target areas.

How Stacks helped

Their Regional Director for Buckinghamshire, Rachel Johnston, says “Every search is individual, and the tools we bring to make it as smooth and enjoyable as possible are tailored to suit you and your family.

House hunting with two young children under the age of 3 is not a task to be underestimated! I do my utmost to ensure that the experience is as easy as possible, working with you on your availability, bringing appropriate goody bag with activities and treats to keep the kids happy, and scheduling breaks to keep tantrums at bay.”

The initial part of a search is focussed on really understanding the exact house that you are looking for. For this search, Rachel would spend time in the week to identify potential properties with a high level of variation in terms of location / layout / style. Over the weekends the family would then drive out for the viewings, which were incredibly well structured. For each viewing Rachel provided with notes, layouts, comparable data which allows calm reflection and accurate comparison after days filled with emotions and impressions. 

The happy outcome

Better to hear from them in their own words …..

Mr K says, “Our initial expectations were quite limited, we needed Stacks to help us find the right house in the right location for the right price. This would prove to be only the tip of the iceberg in terms of the services that we received. 

The onboarding process was swift and personal.  The Stacks team really helped us to structure our thoughts, begin to narrow down the search and ensure that the right Regional Director was allocated to us. Once the relevant Regional Director was Rachel, she was able, over the course of a few video calls, to understand our requirements and then set out to spend a few weeks doing a pre-search.

The Search

Our requirements did change dramatically over this period of searching, but Rachel was ever patient with us and finally we narrowed down the criteria that made up our “dream house”

The next part of the search was much more focussed, moving from looking at 3-4 properties in a search day to 1-2 to that met our exact requirements. Throughout this phase we never felt any pressure from Rachel to make a decision, she was fully committed to ensuring that we found exactly the right house for us, which we did in a 300 year old cottage with extensive gardens and outbuildings.

From Offer to Moving In Date

It was at this point that we thought the support from Stacks would begin to tail off, but boy were we wrong! The process of buying a house can be frustrating and emotional,  Rachel really came into her own in helping us to navigate the process and taking point to ensure that the sale went through as quickly as possible:

• Completing an initial due diligence on the house value and searches
• Negotiating the sale with the agents to ensure we got a fair price for the property
• Reviewing the results of the survey with our appointed surveyor and summarising any points for concern
• There were times in the process when we were stressed and emotional, Rachel was always available to talk things through, and ultimately put our minds at rest
• When it was clear that the chain was stalling Rachel stepped in to bring all the various agents / solicitors and finalise the completion within a few weeks
• In preparation for the move Rachel made sure we had everything in order with utilities, overnight bags etc. most of which we probably would have forgotten!

On an overall basis I can’t recommend Rachel and the Stacks team more highly. They offer a truly personal service to understand what their clients are looking for in a property and provide full support across every stage of the journey.”

How Stacks made a difference

Stacks knows house-buying and house-buyers, and, whilst we do this, day in and day out, we never forget that this is one of the most important decisions you will ever make, and work hard to make you feel that you are our priority.

If you are feeling the pressure of the huge commitment, it only makes sense to have a professional in your corner, with your best interests at heart.  Call Stacks and speak to the team that will help you make the important decisions to get started.