Our Journal

The great thing about cities such as London is the rich and diverse neighbourhoods that they’re made up of. No two areas are quite the same. Each has its own identity with people gravitating to certain areas for varying reasons. 

However, buyers and renters often set their hearts on one specific location without always considering the alternatives, but the perfect place could be right under their nose without them realising.

Take our recent sale of this wonderful apartment on Bloomsbury’s beautiful Guilford Street. The purchaser came to us with a firm brief of ‘Covent Garden or bust!’, insisting on being in the thick of it for the authentic West End lifestyle with culture on tap and everything on the doorstep.

But after an exhaustive search with no success, they’d all but given up and resigned to disappointment. Until that is, a bit of lateral thinking from ‘our Craig’ who is never one to shy away from a challenge… 

Rising to the challenge

Knowing the buyer’s requirements were going to be tricky to match in Covent Garden without unlimited time or an elastic budget, he suggested looking to Bloomsbury. Here the streets are wide, the buildings handsome and their budget may go a little further giving a greater number of options. The wonderful Georgian architecture, leafy streets, garden squares and quaint pockets make Bloomsbury one of our favourite neighbourhoods, with a relaxed atmosphere that is still within easy reach of all the wonderful things the West End has to offer. 

The neighbourhood is one step removed from the constant hustle and bustle, with Covent Garden, Soho & Fitzrovia all only a short walk to the West. Clerkenwell, Farringdon and the City are a similar distance East with Kings Cross to the North. Bloomsbury really is a genuine neighbourhood that offers everything.

When we were first introduced to this apartment, the client had recently vacated, taking all their worldly possessions with them. So despite being a wonderful space with a great specification in an attractive building and a popular address, it was perhaps lacking a little in ‘feel’. 

Dressed to impress

After a brief period of consultation with the client on strategy, it was agreed we would dress and style the interiors before launching our marketing campaign. Introducing a supplier to undertake the work, after which we commissioned our photographer to produce some studio-quality interior shots and went about creating bespoke digital marketing collateral to fully showcase the finished product.

The results speak for themselves. More importantly, they spoke to our determined Covent Garden buyer.

On first thoughts, they may not have considered venturing east to Bloomsbury. However, so taken were they with the images when presented as an option, they insisted on an immediate viewing to investigate further and see for themselves.

Love at first sight

Needless to say, they were smitten on first viewing, wowed by the space and the wonderful private terrace garden at the rear (which we also dressed and staged), something they would struggle to find in Covent Garden.

And all for a price well within their original budget.

A swift transaction followed without a hitch, much to the delight of both our client and buyer, who is now enjoying the more genteel Bloomsbury lifestyle whilst indulging in a regular West End fix, and excited at the prospect of time in their garden once Spring has sprung.

So despite a little compromise, a happy customer has ended up with something better than they first expected, proving first impressions really do count when it comes to presentation.

However style must be backed up with substance, so investing time to build trust with both buyers and sellers is key, as well as a thorough knowledge of local micro markets as so often a good agent knows the best fit for a buyer before they know themselves.

Want to know more about Bloomsbury? Then check out our Neighbourhood Guide

Tavistock Bow offer the full suite of property services including Residential Sales, Lettings, Property Management, Property Search & Acquisition along with professional services including Block Management, Asset Management and Development Consultancy.