Downsizing – terrible word but a great opportunity.

At Stacks, we have been helping people make one of the most important decisions of their lives for 30 years. Yes, the choice of a family home to make a nest is important, but where to enjoy life once you have raised a family is just as crucial.

Retirement itself brings new challenges and decisions to be made. You want to look at all your options, as how to best enjoy your life now that work is behind you.

Our first job is to sit down with you at home and talk about property. We want to know what it means to you, how it fits with the family, but most importantly we ant to talk to you about what you are looking for over the next stage of your life.

Is it lock-up and leave? Do you want a slightly bigger garden? Do you want a smaller garden?! What access to services are important?

And then geography is important. You might want to stay close to friends and connections, being closer to the family might be important.

There is a lot to talk about. We like to think of ourselves as ‘property doctors’ – able to give solid, guiding advice based on helping others for many years. Those questions that have been going round and round in your head for many years can often be answered in ten minutes.

Once a brief has been established, we are going to get out and about, and test that brief.

You can leave all the estate agents to us. We have day-to-day dealings with them and it is our job to badger them constantly on your behalf to come up with the right property. As you will know, most properties that they produce do not match your criteria. We will go and view properties that look as if they might suit you. Most won’t and we will save you the bother of having to go and view them yourself.

Once properties of interest have been identified, we will arrange viewing days for you to view the property with us. We will deal with all the arrangements, book the viewings, collect you from home/the station etc. and accompany you so you can concentrate on the properties, without being sold to by the estate agent.

Finding the right place is in some ways the easy bit. First, you have got to really make sure that it is the right property. We will take you back for second viewing, a third, fourth, as many as you want.

Negotiation is about information and all the time we will be collating information about the property, the vendors’ position, what the estate agent thinks. And not only is information important for negotiation, it is also critical to help you make an informed decision. How much work do you want to do? How much will that cost? Will you get planning? What’s happening next door? What’s happening in the neighbourhood? We will find answers to all these questions.

Back to negotiation – our job is to fight your corner. The estate agent and their client want to get as much money out of you as they can. We want them to get as little as possible. So we negotiate hard on your behalf.

Once an offer has been accepted, then the fun really starts. Currently 40% of agreed deals are falling apart because of issues arising during the conveyancing process. Most of the problems are resolvable if somebody is prepared to put the effort in, which we are.

We will work with your surveyor, solicitor (and we know the good local ones) closely to make sure that the i’s are dotted and the t’s crossed to make sure that the property and title are sound and strong.

When you have moved in, we live locally and are to help in any way we can. Need a new lawn mower? Which is the best local barber? Where do I play golf? Builders, architects, groundsworks, landscaping? Yes, we know where to go to.

Start your property search today

Call us on +44 (0) 1594 842880 or complete the form below

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    How we can help you

    View our property finder services

    When making probably the most important financial decision of your life, it pays to have the right advisors at your side.

    Property Finder Service

    We search high and low, on the market and off the market, and we keep hunting until we’ve found the right property for you. Next we negotiate the best price and terms on your behalf. And then we make sure you enjoy a hassle-free move.

    Downsizing or Resizing

    Retirement or semi-retirement is an exciting stage in life. Finding the right home to live in and enjoy it to the full is important. We know that and will do all that we can to understand what you’re looking for… before starting to search. And search we will, until we find the house of your dreams.

    Moving from Abroad

    Relocating is time consuming and stressful. We regularly work with clients who live abroad. We hunt, short-list, prepare your viewings, and make the search process as easy as possible. We oversee the negotiations, manage the conveyancing, and deal with the headaches, so you can concentrate on other aspects of your move.

    Holiday Home Hunt

    A holiday home is often an interesting mix of investment and heartfelt connection. You want to use it, but you may well also be keen for others to use it too. We can advise you on what factors to consider in making your decision. And we can then find the perfect holiday home for you to enjoy.

    Investing in UK Property

    Others say, ‘location, location, location’. We say, ‘location, purpose, price, capital growth, rental returns’… the list goes on. Knowing the market is critical. Local knowledge is key. We ensure all aspects of your investment decision are addressed. Finding, analysing, negotiating, and completing… it’s what we do.

    “You showed fantastic attention to detail, anticipated all eventualities, and provided timely and practical help and guidance every step of the way.  Above all, you supported me in making my own considered decisions, and I am so grateful to you for all your help in getting me to where I am now!”

    “We firmly believe that without Rachel and her skilled negotiation we would not have secured the property.”

    “We felt they genuinely wanted to help.”

    “Stacks’ performance on this assignment has been absolutely outstanding and more than met my expectations. Her understanding of the brief and the ‘after-find’ service set a standard of professionalism that I have not met before.”

    “It is not often that one is pleased to part with money but I can truthfully say that I am on this occasion. You have earned every penny of this cheque and what is more, you have done it with great courtesy and good humour. It has been very pleasant working with you. You really did take most of the stress out of our house hunting.”

    “Encouraging me to think creatively about what could work for me.”

    “Finding a plot not yet on the market and persuading the developer to enter into an exclusive contract with me to build to my specification.

    “I was impressed by the efficient, kind and courteous service provided by Stacks”

    “Stacks were a tremendous help and we would never have found our home without them. She is a lovely person with a great sense of humour which was essential during some of our tricky negotiations

    “You gave a much-valued ‘younger’ perspective on our situation, which was a real asset”

    “We found the service extremely helpful and professional at all times”

    “I have been delighted with the service I have received from Stacks and will not hesitate to recommend Stacks in the future.”

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