First In The Door

17/11/2023

Last week, we were excited to feature on the homepage of PrimeResi, journal of luxury property and Estate Agent Today! Some of our buying agents may also have received a mention 😊 You can read the articles here...

https://www.estateagenttoday.co.uk/breaking-news/2023/11/new-platform-aims-to-match-buyers-with-buying-agents

https://primeresi.com/transformational-platform-launches-to-match-home-movers-with-buying-agents/

A new platform has been set up to help match affluent home-movers with buying agencies. "First In The Door" is an "industry first marketplace" that promises to "make it easy for homemovers to find…

24/10/2023

We are thrilled to announce that our new website at First In The Door is now live!!

Please check it out at www.firstinthedoor.com

First In The Door is a property advisor platform connecting homemovers with professional buying agents. Homemovers save time, money and stress with a dedicated advisor to help them navigate every step of the buying journey and gain exclusive access to off-market properties.

11/10/2023

What are the most important factors for home buyers?

For a country with famously unpredictable weather, it may seem strange that we prize gardens so highly, but a new report has found outdoor space is voted the most important factor when looking to purchase a property. More than one third of us appreciate the importance of soaking up the sun in our own small (or large) patch of England. 🌺🌻🌼

And with garden items such as hot tubs seeing a huge rise in the last three years, the desire to have some outdoor space as our own private sanctuary is vital.

Here’s a look at the top five factors we consider most important as home buyers, according to finder.com:

🌻Outside space and garden - 33%

🏠 The size of the property - 28%

🚗 Space for parking - 24%

🦗 Having a nice surrounding area - 22%

🚄 Good transport links - 21%

Finding the perfect property with a gorgeous garden requires research, patience and knowledge and, with one in eight of properties in the UK (one in four in London) not having any outdoor space, finding those precious properties can be a challenge.

At First In The Door, our expert buying agents are passionate property professionals with the expertise to find your ideal home with outside space, in addition to all the must-haves, on your checklist!

www.firstinthedoor.com

09/10/2023

We Brits have a seemingly endless fascination with period properties and the picturesque villages, towns and city squares where these most beautiful houses are found.

A building listed for its beauty and architectural significance, whether a Georgian townhouse or a Tudor cottage has even more allure and comes with even greater bragging rights for the many of us who want to live in and own a bit of the nation’s heritage. And it seems they are also a better investment.

The top ten locations with the highest number of listed buildings have witnessed a significant property increase of between 5% and 21% - compared to the national average of a 1.1% rise in one year. (https://lnkd.in/e_Vjhvt3)

Gloucestershire, which has one of the highest densities of listed buildings, saw an amazing house price increase of 21% - showing a clear link with home buyers' preference for period properties.

Why we love these historic homes:

🏠 Many believe that these heritage homes (in particular Georgian and Victorian properties) hold their value as much as, or more than, new builds

🏠 Buyers love the quirks and histories of the houses that make them unique and admire their period features

🏠 Well proportioned rooms and high ceilings give a lot of period properties a luxurious appeal

🏠 The most stunning houses can usually be found in the most picture-perfect places to live.

So, with a rise of home buyers relocating to these heritage hotspots, you may want to consider getting in touch with First in the Door. Our buying agent clients can help you find your perfect property, period!

www.firstinthedoor.com

02/10/2023

*Helping Buying Agents to do what they love.*

Are you a buying agent? If so, First in the Door can help you do the thing you love. Turning fantasy properties into dream family homes for buyers.

Our community of buying agents is full of passionate property experts who want their home buyers’ dreams on paper to jump out of the page and become a reality.

So where does First in the Door come in?

✔️ Win more clients on the UK’s first dedicated platform for buying agents

✔️ Reach high-net-worth property buyers

✔️ Only receive qualified leads

Less time on these tasks means more time on hunting those houses of a lifetime.

Get in touch if you’re a buying agent and would like to find out more. www.firstinthedoor.com

26/09/2023

If you're going to relocate to live in your forever home, the location has to be spot on.

Kent ticks many boxes - it's green (the Garden of England no less) and, whilst it might not have the same pull to the beach as Cornwall, you’ll be hard pressed to beat Kent’s 350 miles of splendiferous coastline this close to London. And let’s not forget its table-topping schools and enviable commute times - think Central London to Sevenoaks in an impressive 33 minutes!

Need a few more reasons to make the move? How about:

🏡A winning culinary scene with 24 restaurants in the Michelin Guide (we love the The Sportsman in Whitstable, frequently voted the best gastro pub in the UK).

🏡Royal Tunbridge Wells and the idyllic surrounding villages of the High Weald AONB.

🏡Education, education education…Kent has some of the best independent and state schools in the country, including top performing FREE grammar schools!

Enough to whet your appetite? Check out the best places to live in Kent in our Kent Area Guide and start making the move you have always dreamed about:

https://www.firstinthedoor.com/area-guide/best-places-to-live-in-kent/

21/09/2023

It’s many people's dream to live in the country. Drinking their morning coffee with a ‘buena vista’, a bustling village and local pub, and long walks with the dog in their Barbour and wellies.

The one main thing stopping them from doing this? Being tied to the office and their place of work.

The tide is turning though.

In this article, the Office for National Statistics states that 44% of workers in the UK are working remotely at least part of the time, 16% of these are fully remote and 28% are hybrid.

That’s nearly half the working population and, whilst there are bosses calling for a return to the office, we believe remote and hybrid working is a trend that is here to stay.

Long-term, prime rural villages and market towns a little further out and within reasonable commute times of the city are those locations which are set to benefit most. And for all you digital nomads out there, the world is your limit…

Start planning your relocation adventure and get in touch with an expert local buying agent at First In The Door.

Visit our website today if you'd like to find out more. www.firstinthedoor.com

19/09/2023

Buying a house - the most stressful event in your life!

Buying a house is challenging and, as the results of this recent poll show, house buyers find it the most stressful event in life - over divorce, bankruptcy and even bereavement. (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2690545/How-buying-house-stressful-bankruptcy-divorce-death-loved-one-according-poll.html)

Here are the top 10 most stressful aspects of buying a house from the poll:

1. Slow solicitors
2. The risk of it falling through
3. The huge sums of money at stake
4. All the documentation to complete
5. Endless phone calls
6. The survey
7. Difficult vendors
8. Difficult estate agents
9. Being gazumped at the last minute
10. Disruption caused to your working day

In every other event in life - and seemingly occasions that are less stressful than buying a property - people seek professional help, a divorce lawyer who deals with the process, or a private banker or solicitor to help through financial difficulties.

So why can’t home buyers have an expert to guide them through the most challenging and anxious event of their lives? Well, they can.

In steps First in the Door and its community of professional buying agents to hold your hand through every step of the house moving journey.

Here’s how an experienced buying agent on First In The Door can magic away those stresses:
✔️ Get expert advice to navigate a complex transaction and keep things on track.

✔️ Save money with a professional to negotiate the best possible purchase terms.

✔️Save yourself the hassle and leave it to our expert buying agents to coordinate with estate agents, solicitors, surveyors and other third parties.

Reimagine buying a house with First In The Door.

www.firstinthedoor.com

23/08/2023

Thinking about moving to West Sussex and wondering what the locals have to say?

Our area guide is jam-packed with the latest info about what’s hot in this beautiful place. From Chichester to Worthing, we’ve the inside track on how the locals spend their time. Our thanks to Christian Heyman, Founding Director of - a leading independent buying agency, who helped us compile this guide.

You can view the guide through the link in our bio..

P.S. The locals say… "Goodwood Revival is an incredible day out…you get to dress up to the nines in old school glamour and revel in the atmosphere, oh, and watch the odd race too if you make it out of the champagne bar.” Sounds perfect to us! Where do we sign-up?

21/08/2023

The one thing many of us want from a new home is not just to do with the number of bedrooms, the size of the garden or even the wifi connection.

It’s about whether or not the property falls into the catchment area of a good school.

Our buying agent partners have a wealth of knowledge about the best schools and catchment areas and can help you on your way to securing a perfect new home which ticks every box including the right location for the school of your choice.

Back in 2017, the government carried out its own research and found house prices around the best 10% of primary schools were 8% higher than the surrounding area. For secondary schools, properties close to the top 10% were 6.8% higher.

When so much is at stake, property choices become complex and stress levels start to soar. But help is at hand, as a buying agent will help you negotiate the right property at the right price.

Visit First in the Door today to connect with an expert buying agent.

14/08/2023

Think buying agents are only for those looking to bag a £5m country pile with tennis courts, a swimming pool and a driveway bigger than a football pitch? Think again. This may have once been the case but, today, are catering for many different budgets.

A report by Hamptons (from data collected across the Countrywide group) shows the average price of a property sold ‘off-market’ was £850,000 in 2021, down from £1.2m over the five years preceding the pandemic.

One of the best ways to find ‘off-market’ properties is by using a local buying agent who will be in close contact with the estate agents who are selling them. While different buying agents will focus on different price points, the Hamptons’ data goes to show it’s far from just property millionaires who are leaning on the valuable expertise of buying agents to view the many off-market properties which aren’t listed on ANY of the property portals… including Rightmove .

Find a buying expert in your local area by visiting First In The Door today.

www.firstinthedoor.com