Scottish sporting estates remain ever popular, in particular with overseas buyers who are benefiting from the weaker pound and are beginning to turn to their own ‘personal shopper’ to find their ideal property.
Engaging a buying agent helps to address some of the challenging issues purchasers encounter including:
Do I have to pay over the asking price? A buying agent will pay for their fees several times over if they can not only save you something on the price, but more importantly find you the right property. It may be that their advice is in fact to pay over the asking price to cut out the opposition and secure a deal for the property you want.
What are the running costs? Don’t ask a selling agent for income figures – most estates and large country houses will cost money to run. An experienced buying agent can give you good, impartial advice on likely running costs, albeit a lot will of course depend on how you wish to run things.
Who is on my side? Don’t forget that the selling agent, however helpful, is acting for the seller. Agents are obliged by the Estate Agents Act to be 100% accurate with the information they provide, but this does not necessarily apply to the asking price. A buying agent will advise you on this and will also sniff out all the hidden problems and issues which may not be immediately apparent.
Are there roads or wind turbines nearby or are any planned? Are there low flying aircraft or other issues likely to cause a nuisance? Don’t necessarily be put off by nearby roads in Scotland – most traffic is light or virtually nonexistent on the smaller roads in the Highlands and rural Scotland. Wind turbines can also be a consideration and maps are not always the best basis for making any decisions. With our local knowledge we know what’s going on on the ground and what might be planned, often long before it’s in the public domain or on the internet.
Will I ever find anything I want? Either be prepared to compromise or to wait. Most buyers end up having to take on or give up on something. However with 11 offices throughout Scotland, we have ears to the ground and unrivalled local knowledge and are better placed than any of our competitors to find you the right place.
