Day in the Life of a Relocation Agent
10am: My morning finds me in the stunning Chiltern hills at a meeting with restoration experts at a beautiful Grade II listed house. We have agreed on a sale on the property for our London clients, however the survey has come back with concerns regarding the pointing. With the property being built in the 17th Century, the limestone wall was repointed with Portland cement instead of Lime mortar. This needs to be removed and repointed by a specialist company who deals with heritage and restoration works so we located two specialist companies and arranged to meet them at the property. Both offered great help and guidance, and we now await the quotes. Any work to be carried out will need to be approved by a Conservation Officer from the Council.
Midday: I head over to Cholsbury – a beautiful village just south of Tring and west of Berkhamsted – to preview a Grade II listed converted windmill for a client. The former working windmill has been beautifully maintained by the current owners who have lived here for 10 years and boasts an interesting list of previous famous owners including links to JM Barrie the creator of Peter Pan. Much to my surprise, I also learn that there is painting of the windmill in the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford painted by Mark Gertler and titled Gilbert Cannan and His Mill. As lovely as the windmill is, it is unfortunately not suitable for our clients due to the bedroom layout for their four growing children. However, it was a privilege to visit and enjoy the fantastic views over the Chiltern Hills from the top of the windmill.
Afternoon: Back in the office and I speak to a family who have arrived in the UK with their dog and need rental accommodation in Oxford. They are staying in an Airbnb in the short term but need to get settled as soon as possible. I juggle some appointments and set up a Viewing Day early next week with our Oxford specialist to show them a shortlist of rental property options. The rental market is very tight now, and bringing a dog always adds to the challenge but we know the best options in these situations.
I carry out Anti-Money laundering checks for a couple moving from South Africa who are relocating to Chiswick. This is all part of government regulations that must be in place when relocating clients to the UK.
Next up is keeping a close eye on the progression of our ongoing sales by speaking to the solicitors in charge of the conveyancing process. One sale is waiting for their searches to come back and then they will be ready to exchange and another is in discussion over completion dates, so exchange should be soon.
Finally, I start preparations for Chiltern Relocation’s 18th Birthday Party in January. We look forward to meeting many of the clients we have relocated over the past 18 years in addition to the many professionals we have worked alongside who have all contributed to our success.
