Stories from 'A Country Agent'

Westbrook House Westbrook Hill, GU8  https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property/105763964 On with Hanover Private Ltd for £25,000,000 216 acres Swimming pool, spa, gym Tennis court Far reaching views Totally private and secure Beautiful formal gardens including impressive walled and kitchen gardens Lake and streams Woodland and parkland Lodge cottage  Outbuildings and barn To follow, watch, read or like please click below for access to all my social media channels: 👉 A Country Agent 👈 Or scan the QR code:

  A former hunting lodge on the Wentworth Estate... An extraordinary Grade II* listed Elizabethan country home positioned discreetly on the edge of Nettlestead village. Believed to have once formed part of the Wentworth’s estate and probably used as a hunting lodge because of its fine vantage points overlooking the surrounding countryside. Strutt & Parker £2,500,000 Nettlestead, Ipswich, Suffolk https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property/89901088 Details correct at the time of writing.  To follow, watch, read or like please click below for access to all my social media channels: 👉 A Country Agent 👈 Or scan the QR code:

Chilham Castle, Kent  “A truly magnificent house with an extensive history dating back to 1174.   Boasting its own Taittinger planted vineyard, parkland, lakes and extensive equestrian facilities. At the heart of the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty this Grade I listed property is surely one of the finest properties on the market today.”     Brochure : A truly magnificent property in a landscape of extraordinary beauty, Grade I listed Chilham Castle is unquestionably one of the finest houses in the south-east of England. In remarkable condition, not only is it architecturally outstanding, it is also an exceptionally comfortable family home. Wikipedia entry: The polygonal keep of the  Norman  Castle, the oldest building in the village, dates from 1174 and is still inhabited - making it perhaps one of the oldest dwellings in the UK. It was said to have been built for  King Henry II . But archaeological excavations carried out in the 192...

When doing this job it can often be all too easy to forget you are dealing with someone’s most prized possession. Their home, which they have entrusted you to sell, is usually one of the largest assets they have.   It is a core part of their life, it reflects their personality and the way they live and as such it should be treated with respect. During a viewing where a vendor might be in the house it is only appropriate ensure that fair warning is given to the viewer. The reason for this is to avoid the toe-curling embarrassment that immediately follows someone saying: " What an awful carpet !” or, " What on earth possessed them to buy those curtains ."  Viewers frequently have to be reminded that they are not buying the current vendors lifestyle, but a property that they may wish to choose to make their own home one day.  If they do not like how it is presented now, that is fine, but the current owner should most certainly not be made aware.   The best way...

  Our client, Mr Hull, sat in his Defender, door ajar, feet through the open window and a huge grin on his face chomping on a banana, I turned to look at the city slickers, and they looked horrified.   What lay before them was a scene from Jurassic Park; huge fences and thirty or so 8ft tall two legged creatures, some charging around & flapping their enormous useless wings, but most stood staring at us through the fence.  It was clear our friends were not particularly enthusiastic about entering the field. You see, I don’t just sell houses, sometimes I have to deal with what can only be described as the “stuff that the clients don’t want to do themselves”. On this particular occasion my longstanding clients had been approached by a telecommunications company to install a Mobile Phone Tower in one of their fields. The offer was simple, a 10mx10m parcel of land and they would pay an annual rent plus a sizeable up front payment as an incentive.  The client ...

Rupert Devonshire is “A Country Agent”.  A married father of two in his mid-fifties, Rupert has worked in the rural property market, selling some of England’s finest country properties, for the past 30 years.   Writing as “A Country Agent”, Rupert shares with us some of the amusing highs, and indeed  lows, of his career to date.  Whether he is  being  attacked by a swan, propositioned by a cougar or watching an ostrich chase a surveyor, there is usually a hysterical undertone.  If you have  read any of his tales , you will appreciate that Rupert Devonshire is probably not his name... To follow, watch, read or like please click below for access to all my social media channels: 👉 A Country Agent 👈 Or scan the QR code:

I always turn up a minimum of 15 minutes early to an appointment without fail, except for the odd natural disaster of course.    There are many reasons for this, mainly because I was always taught that to be “ on time was to be five minutes late ”. I have a particular aversion to being on the back foot.   You see, when you are about to walk into someone’s home and give them advice that they a may or may not like regarding their largest tax free asset you need to be in control of the conversation and confident in your evidence. I feel that being late is not only highly unprofessional but it prevents you from completing all of your preparations; it costs nothing to be on time and be polite and this is something that few of my competitors seemed to care about and in my opinion this give me a slight edge, or so I hope! Prior to an appointment I like to do a small amount of research on the property, the local area and comparable sales prices.   Turning up to the prope...