Q. Are you estate agents?
A. No. Estate agents work for the seller to achieve the highest price for their client. Property Vision works for the buyer only and is trying to get the right property for the lowest possible price.
Q. So are you in competition with estate agents?
A. No. Competition implies that we are fighting for the same fee. Estate agents are paid by the seller. Property Vision is paid by the buyer. Estate agents know that Property Vision represents the best buyers and give us advance notice of properties that are coming onto the market.
Q. Don't estate agents do this as well?
A. Over the last few years, many have copied Property Vision's success and started up buying departments but they have problems with conflicts of interest between their buying and selling departments – this is cultural as much as anything. They are 99% selling and 1% buying. Property Vision is 100% buying.
Q. Where do you operate?
A. The London side of the business operates in prime Central, South-West and North London. (London Coverage)
The country operation is based in 3 offices in Hungerford, Ascot and Exeter and covers Southern England from Kent to Cornwall and up to Northamptonshire. (Country Coverage)
From our office in Nice, our France Team cover the Côte d'Azur from St.Tropez to Menton, Provence, Paris and the French Alps. (France Coverage)
Q. Aren't I looking for what everyone else is looking for?
A. No. There is inevitably some overlap but, given the size of the market and clients' hugely varied needs, conflicts are, surprisingly, rarely a problem.
Q. Do you only buy grand houses?
A. Not at all – though we are always buying 'best of breed' in whatever price range. Much of our business is buying investment properties and farmhouses. In London we start at about £750,000, which is the minimum price of a decent 1-bed flat, and in the country-house market at about £1 million, which is the starting price of a good house in the counties we cover.
In the South of France, we work for buyers with budgets from €2 million which is the starting price for prime properties in the area we cover.
Q. Do you find rental properties?
A. Yes. We are not letting agents but work for the tenant to find them the best property. This is primarily for individuals but also for corporate clients.
Q. Do you find property abroad?
A. Yes, we now operate in France covering the Côte d'Azur, Provence, Paris and the French Alps.
Q. Do you also look after international clients?
A. While the majority of the property we buy is within the UK, many of our clients are based elsewhere - and, in order to give the highest levels of service, we have national specialists familiar with the culture and language of our clients. Our experienced team in the South of France have opened up what we hope will be the first of several markets overseas.
Q. How many clients do you look after?
A. Each executive looks after a maximum of eight clients at any one time.
Q. I do not know specifically where I wish to buy; is this a problem?
A. While some buyers are very specific, many are looking across a wide area. This is where size really does matter as we are able to cover large geographical areas with individual specialists linked into a cohesive team.
Q. Are you able to offer any advice with regards to schools?
A. Yes. We have an exclusive association with an educational consultant who has had years of experience in helping parents with these decisions.
Q. How can you be part of the HSBC Group and independent?
A. We have been owned by HSBC Private Bank since 2001. We are part of their armoury of advisory services operating independently from our own offices with our own board and the same management that started the business. We are under no pressure to sell HSBC or its services but enjoy the backing and reputation of one of the largest financial institutions in the world and one that is known for its probity.