A secret service for 50 years, now to be publically launched on 1st October 2014 Award-winning Barton Wyatt Launches Private Office

Barton Wyatt, the prime multi award-winning estate agents Surrey , has been offering a concierge service to their clients since 1965, designed to fulfil the needs of international royal families, non-doms, celebrities and high net worth individuals who wanted more than "just an estate manager".

Over the past five decades, Barton Wyatt has further honed and developed this incredibly discreet and specialised service and today they launch their service under the name of Private Office as more and more clients seek this type of assistance.

James Wyatt, Partner of Barton Wyatt and Head of Private Office explains,

"We have been fulfilling a concierge facility for clients for fifty years but as demand has risen, we felt it was time to give the service a separate identity and more credence. 

"Our clients include those who hold properties all over the world but may only use their Surrey homes for one or two months of the year, whilst others may visit at weekends.  Some live here all the time but want to enjoy their own time to the maximum. We sit in the background of these luxurious lifestyles ensuring that homes and households continue to run seamlessly whilst the client is here or away." 

The Barton Wyatt Private Office offers a fully bespoke and customised service for clients although typical services include:

• Recruiting and managing household staff, ensuring they are fulfilling their role both within the house and the grounds
• Handling the utilities, ensuring best value and arranging maintenance of household equipment - this could be anything from swimming pools to whirlpools, kitchen and / or gym equipment, Wi-Fi, electronic gates and even internal lifts for both people and cars!
• Undertaking basic "running of the house" errands from the dry cleaning through to servicing the cars, cleaning windows and chimneys
• Arranging private transportation from limousine airport picks up through to private jets for national and international travel
• Organising social gatherings from lavish children's birthday parties through to gastronomic luncheons for 100 guests plus
• Assisting with finding suitable schools for off-spring - from pre-school to seniors, traditional English schooling and international schools, day or boarding
• Re-opening the house upon a client's return includes a deep clean, fresh flowers and filling the multitude of fridges and freezers with food that is often quite specialist and pertains to country and culture
• Closing the house upon a client's departure including once again a deep clean, laundering bedrooms, replacing any broken items during their stay and ensuring the house is safe and secure whilst they are away

James goes on to say:

"Wentworth and the surrounding area has a unique set of families who live here; many are from overseas, often of high standing or famous but almost exclusively they are all very wealthy.  With wealth comes very high expectations and offering the Private Office is not something that we have taken lightly. Our staff must have exemplary customer service skills and an in-depth knowledge on how to make things happen seamlessly.  Thankfully I have no hesitation in stating that we hold these skills and are looking forward to taking on more clients to assist them with running their households."

Needless to say the sky is the limit when it comes to the services on offer to members of Private Office.  Time is often short for the rich jet set and despite an army of staff, having someone on the ground at the Surrey country mansion enables better planning and organisation.  It is hard to organise dinner for 20 from Malibu or a champagne reception with a string quartet from Dubai.  But with Private Office no job is too hard, the team have the know-how and the savvy to be on hand to make things happen on time and as requested.

Wyatt says:

"Clients sometimes need assistance with interior design which will all come under the Private Office banner.  We are highly experienced with applying for planning for new extensions, assimilating quotes and ensuring work is carried out to the highest standard.  We create new bathrooms and kitchens, re-design any room in the house, select new curtains, carpets and often furniture for our clients.  No job is too big or too small."

The Private Office is available to client's who live in the vicinity of the Barton Wyatt Wentworth office in Virginia Water, Surrey. Prices are available on request but are generally calculated on the size of each property. 

For more details of this luxury service please contact James Wyatt at Barton Wyatt Surrey estate agents on 01344 843 000

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Barton Wyatt provide luxury and select Property For Sale in Sunningdale. James Wyatt MNAEA, MARLA, TRC, REALTOR ® is a partner at Barton Wyatt Letting Agents Surrey. Tel: 01344 843000

Bricks and mortar remain top priority for millionaires with half of the Surrey's wealthiest owning more than one home

Being a millionaire is a tough business to be in. Deciding where to invest that cash, be it hard earned or inherited, can be challenging. Do you go for an Aston Martin Vanquish, a multi-million pound mansion or just put it all in the bank? Maybe not these days!

For most millionaires, owning bricks and mortar remains a top priority with 49.9% of the UK's wealthiest people owning more than one property in the UK according to Skandia's 'Millionaire Monitor' report 2012. Furthermore millionaires under the age of 50 are significantly more likely to invest in multiple properties with over 60% of the rich under the age of 50 owning more than one property compared to 42% if they are over the age of 50.

They say an Englishman's home is his castle, but is this strictly true? Female millionaires it appears are in fact more likely that their male counterparts to own more than one property with 20% choosing to own overseas versus 16% of men.

But why exactly is owning property so appealing to millionaires?

Personal use is the driving force for second homes, perhaps a country pad, a pied-a-terre or a place by the sea to retreat to for long weekends. Having a home away from home to relax and recharge the batteries before heading back to the daily grind is clearly high on the wish list.

With second homes in mind, the Skandia report interestingly also revealed that in July 2011 the volume of UK high net worth individuals planning on leaving the UK was 7.7% compared to only 3.6% this year. Good news for the high end domestic property market.

Further boosting this sector is the ever increasing number of high net worth foreign nationals relocating to the UK, especially the South East, keen to experience a far greater degree of safety and security for their family than other parts of the globe.

Barton Wyatt Estate Agents in Surrey, multi award-winning high end estate agency located in the heart of in Surrey examined their prospective home buyers this year compared previous years discovering that 75% of their clients are from overseas rising from 65% last year. This figure appeared to reflect the same values for both the sales and the rental market and this increase in overseas clients poses some interesting challenges to the team at Barton Wyatt.

Reflecting on the findings, James Wyatt, owner of Barton Wyatt Estate Agents Surrey, comments:

"When I first started working in this area 25 years ago I would have suggested the population of foreigners living in Virginia Water was 5%. This figure has markedly increased to around 20% with droves of overseas nationals attracted here by the wonderful standard of living that the Wentworth Estate offers and often for the high standard of private education available on our doorstep.

"Our foreign clients also look to this area due to the value for money they achieve as opposed to living in central London. The sporting venues in the locality are another driver - golf, Ascot and Guards polo - and of course the area has become well known for attracting families from overseas which in turn creates more interest."

So if you are the lucky owner of a few million pounds, why not consider splashing your cash on these stunning Surrey properties:

Mariners, Virginia Water £3,995,000

A newly built mansion house in a handsome Georgian style with a contemporary internal finish. An elegant sweeping staircase leads the eye up to the first floor and impressive galleried landing. The dining area is open plan to the entrance hall and creates a tremendous feeling of space around the core of the house with views from the front door all the way through to the rear garden. The more formal drawing room and study are double aspect rooms and the tremendous kitchen/breakfast/family room is designed for contemporary family lifestyle.

The first floor has four bedroom suites with en-suite bath/shower rooms, the master having a dressing room and sitting room, opening on to a balcony overlooking the rear gardens. On the second floor is a further bedroom and bathroom suite and an adaptable room, ideal for a cinema or gym etc.

Over the three-bay garage is a studio apartment with a small kitchenette and shower, ideal for staff or an au-pair.

Eastry House, Wentworth, Surrey £4,750,000

Five bedrooms (four with en-suite dressing and bathrooms) principal bedroom with balcony and fireplace, reception hall, cloakroom, five reception rooms, kitchen/breakfast room with granite worktops, conservatory, utility, gas central heating and double glazing, detached double garage, swimming pool, tennis court, long private drive, 4.4 acres.

This magnificent house is approached via its own long sweeping driveway. It has been extended over the years to form a splendid large home with en-suite facilities to all bedrooms on the first floor. The ground floor is ideal for a growing family with four good size reception rooms which all enjoy beautiful views onto the parkland style gardens that surround the house.

Eastry House forms a comfortable home that also has enormous potential to further improve or remodel subject to any planning consents. The property is located on the main island which is a much favoured location as one can walk to the golf course along the private roads that surround Wentworth.

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Barton Wyatt provide luxury and select Property in Surrey. Tel: 01344 843000

Multi-generational living more attractive than ever before as 'granny flat' Council Tax halved

Last August 25th, Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles announced new government plans to remove an unpopular Council Tax surcharge on family annexes or so-called 'granny flats' in an effort to support the housing needs of extended families.

This reduction of 50% in Council Tax is due to come into effect in April 2014 with many households containing annexes welcoming the estimated £500 annual saving.  The reduction will only be applicable to annexes however which are supporting a family member - so grandparents or young adults most likely.

James Wyatt, Partner of Barton Wyatt Estate Agents in Surrey comments:

"In our neighbourhood we are unlikely to benefit from this Council Tax reduction which is a great pity.  In Wentworth these annexes are almost exclusively used for housing staff, whether it be an au pair, a house keeper or a cook.  The reduction only comes into play when 'family members' are residing in the annexe, achieving slightly divorced living arrangements, a sort of family apartheid!!

But Wyatt goes on to say, "there is a good argument to say that an au pair is part of the family and not an employee in the traditional sense, therefore anyone with an au pair should be entitled to this reduction.  The UK government website states that an au pair should be treated as a member of the family they live with and get 'pocket money' instead of a salary - usually about £70 to £85 a week. We will definitely be looking into this further."

With an already estimated 24,150 family annexes present in the UK, it is hoped this tax break will encourage more families to build so-called 'granny flats' further boosting the construction industry and enabling more older people to live independent lives.

James Wyatt goes onto suggest a possible alternative to this double taxation if you are building a new home:

"The current legislation is all to do with kitchens! If you are building a new home and you only install one kitchen then I believe only one Council Tax will apply.  The moment you start adding a second kitchen you are in trouble. Obviously the very nature of an annexe means you need a kitchen. There's little point having granny or nanny squirreled away if they need to appear in the family kitchen every time they want to make a sandwich!" 

  

Homes with annexes

Waterford House, Wentworth Estate                                             £4,250,000

Five bedrooms, five bathrooms, five reception rooms, cinema room, games room, three car garage with studio annexe over with shower room and kitchenette, beautifully landscaped gardens.

Waterford House was built in 2005 for the current owners, a house of considerable charm and character and individuality. No expense was spared in the construction of the house using the finest materials and construction methods. Of particular note is the amount of technology within the house with Crestron and Lutron systems controlling the audio visual, curtains, blinds and even the running of the bath via IPhone technology. Throughout the house there is a feel of sophisticated luxury with attention to detail and design.

The property is approached through wrought iron gates on brick piers with a driveway that has ample parking for many cars.

The gardens were designed and created by Urban Red Landscape Architects who have managed to achieve a wonderful variety of changing colour throughout the seasons. An extensive terrace spans across the rear of the property to a slightly raised dining area off the concertina doors from the kitchen. A pathway leads around the perimeter of the rear garden to a sun terrace in the north west corner of the garden with an attractive pond and water feature. In the centre of the garden is a very attractive Rill which can be seen as you come through the front door of the property. The gardens are really quite a feature of the property and should be viewed to be appreciated

Park Place, Windlesham                                                                £6,250,000

This is a magnificent country house which stands impressively within a mature woodland setting and approached via a private road.  Wrought iron gates open onto a gravelled drive flanked by mature trees and rhododendrons which leads to a central fountain in front of the house.

Built in 1995, this Georgian style property has been built to an exceptionally high standard.  The imposing reception hall with a central staircase, marble and granite floors with under-floor heating, a hand-made kitchen and custom made furniture in many parts of the house all blend to create a unique and wonderful home.

Ground floor includes: reception hall, dining room, cinema, drawing room, music area, kitchen and utility, sitting room, study and cloakroom.

First floor has the master suite and 4 further bedroom suites.  Second floor - another 4 bedroom suites.

The ample garage will house 3 cars and has a staff flat over.  A generous cottage in the grounds offers further accommodation with kitchen, living area, 3 beds and bathrooms.

St Christopher, Virginia Water                                                          £3,750,000

St Christopher is an elegant and impressive family home built in approximately 1994. The main reception rooms are laid out in a formal fashion, yet the kitchen/breakfast room which incorporates a generous conservatory overlooking the rear garden offers a comfortable living space, ideal for family and formal gatherings.

Set well back in a mature and established gardens, the property has an air of elegance and grace but also provides a good degree of privacy and security behind the electric wrought iron gates.

Master bedroom with en-suite bathroom and separate dressing room, guest bedroom with en-suite bathroom, four further bedrooms, entrance hall, cloakroom, drawing room, dining room, study, kitchen/breakfast room incorporating conservatory, family room, utility room, one bedroom annexe with en-suite bathroom, triple garage, gardens.

For more details contact Barton Wyatt on 01344 843000.

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Barton Wyatt provide luxury and select Property in Sunningdale.  MNAEA, MARLA, TRC, REALTOR ® is a partner at Barton Wyatt Letting Agents Surrey. Tel: 01344 843000

Non-UK buyers drive up prime London house prices

Article by Barton Wyatt Virginia Water Estate Agents


Prime central London homes have gained about 1,200 pounds a day in value over the past year, taking their average price to 3.2 million pounds ($5 million) at end-November and underscoring their role as a safe haven for rich non-UK buyers.

Property agent Knight Frank said prime London residential property prices rose 1 percent in November, contributing to an annual growth rate of 12.6 percent. Prices have risen 39.5 percent since their post-recession low in March 2009.



“Our forecast for the prime central London market in 2012 is for positive price growth, but at a slower pace than we have seen over the past two years,” said Liam Bailey, Knight Frank’s head of residential research.
“We are expecting a rise of 5 percent across the whole of next year,” he said in a statement.
Prime central London property has been in vogue in 2011, with the Arab Spring and euro zone debt crisis serving as catalysts for rich buyers — particularly from Europe’s southern periphery — to snap up blue-chip properties to protect their wealth.

Prime London house prices had gained 1,202 pounds a day in value over the past year, Bailey said.
On Nov. 16, Bailey said London had performed better than any other European capital city, with its well-heeled Chelsea, South Kensington, Mayfair and Belgravia areas in demand, a trend he expected to continue.

On Monday, mortgage lender Halifax said it expected Britain’s housing market would likely stagnate in 2012, with low interest rates offset by a squeeze on household budgets.

Halifax said it expected house prices to be strongest in prosperous parts of Britain, such as London and the south-east, Surrey and weaker in areas dependent on public sector employment.

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 Barton Wyatt provide luxury golf villas in Florida and select Property in Sunningdale. James Wyatt MNAEA, MARLA, TRC, REALTOR ® is a partner at Barton Wyatt Letting Agents Surrey. Tel: 01344 843000

The Generation Game

They know all about the Generation Game in Virginia Water - Sir Bruce Forsyth has owned property for much of his working career.  For a keen golfer looking for some privacy such as Brucie, the Wentworth Estate in Virginia Water is the obvious choice. Two other local gents playing the Generation Game are James and Rupert Wyatt, joint co-owners of award-winning estate agent Barton Wyatt.  Born and bred in this discreet and extremely tasteful Surrey village, the boys first home was the top floor flat over the family estate agency and they have early memories of helping out with some of the more menial daily tasks. Barton Wyatt Estate agency started life in 1927, with the first offices opened in Teddington and Twickenham by Rupert and James' grandfather Stanley Wyatt and his Partner Clifford Barton.  In 1964 Barton retired but the agency maintained the name for what had become a strong local brand.  It was during the late 70's that Wyatt senior retired making way for his sons Paul and Hugh Wyatt, father of James and Rupert who in turn has left his sons to it for the past 12 years.  These charming and forward thinking Brothers continue to take this stand alone agency from strength to strength. With this type of early breeding it is hardly surprising that this independent agency is bucking the trend of the big chains with year to date sales figures up by 116% there is much to be pleased about at Barton Wyatt. Younger brother Rupert Wyatt comments on why he feels there is confidence returning to the market and in particular to his family run business. "Surrey and the Home Counties have benefited from the ongoing property boom in London more recently led by overseas buyers and a weak pound. In relation to our own success at Barton Wyatt we are confident that this is driven by being an independent agency."  "In larger agencies there is almost always a long chain of command so very often the actual person selling the property will not know what their peers are doing or saying and getting answers can be a long process.  That is not the case at Barton Wyatt.  We have a complete open door policy and any of our staff are normally only seconds away from having a decision or able to chat ideas through in a very open forum. "Both James and I are dedicated 100% to our agency and to our staff.  This feeling rubs off on the staff and they feel empowered being part of such a close team.  We are confident that they are proud of who they work for and keen to support the team around them." Messrs James and Rupert Wyatt are extremely well known in the area, both living on the Wentworth Estate and being members of the Club.  Both have their ear to the ground when it comes to property.  This local knowledge has proved to be extremely useful for prospective buyers.  The Wyatt brothers are often able to pull another property out the woodwork when a local owner might have just mentioned they 'might' be thinking of selling.  Before they know it another sale is made and more happy customers are moving house.

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Barton Wyatt provide luxury golf villas in Florida and select Property in Sunningdale. James Wyatt MNAEA, MARLA, TRC, REALTOR ® is a partner at Barton Wyatt Estate Agents Sunningdale. Tel: 01344 843000

Making a 'smart' sale. Pioneering Surrey Estate Agent seal the deal with latest QR code technology

It is no secret that the property industry has dealt with its fair share of hardships over recent years with agents and developers under pressure to adapt and change marketing strategies to stay ahead of the game. One such strategy has seen pioneering agents such as Barton Wyatt Surrey Estate Agents (with properties for sale in Virginia Water) exploring mobile phone technology and adopting QR codes in an attempt to attract new property buyers.

It is estimated that by 2013 around 1 billion people will own a smartphone, a small and powerful device that allows us to connect to the internet, run programs, hold data and generally organise our lives on the go. It is a device that is fast outselling the PC and will soon allow us to purchase items using swipe and pay technology being developed by Google. And with mobile phone systems moving from 3G to 4G technology and with Apple rumoured to be incorporating 4G connection speeds into its next generation iPhone 5 that will allow download speeds of somewhere between 20 and 50 Mbps, making it several times faster than the UK's average web connection, smartphone technology is fast becoming the best search and data collection option around.

With this in mind, Google also estimate that over 50% of property searches will use smartphones by the end of 2012, so it is no surprise that real estate agents are jumping on the smartphone bandwagon using the aid of QR Codes to sell their properties.

But what is a QR Code? In simple terms a QR Code or Quick Response Code is a matrix style two dimensional bar code image containing black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background which can encode product information, URL links to a video or coupons which can be used at an outlet for example. This code, designed to be downloaded at high speed can then be read by a smartphone and stored away.

With the help of a code, potential property buyers no longer have to pursue real estate agents for information about the properties on sale. Indeed, for customers the tedious process of searching for the perfect property can now be made easier enabling customers who visit a particular property to scan the QR Code found on the "For Sale Sign" and instantly obtain access to its property specifications, quotes, community information, virtual tours and property pictures as well as finding links to mortgage options, information on similar properties and related services such as interior decorators and furniture stores.

Certainly, QR Codes can instantly join the buyer to important property information providing a simple, effective and faster alternative to traditional methods of closing a sale and one which Surrey based estate agent, Barton Wyatt has embraced, becoming one of the first estate agents to start using them in the UK.

James Wyatt, Partner of award winning estate agent Barton Wyatt comments,

"I have watched the US market grab the idea of QR codes and now is the right time for us to show our competitors and clients that we are still leading the way in innovative and effective marketing. We will first begin using them on sales boards before moving onto adverts and other suitable areas, and in light of the current smart phone obsession we hope that this new technology will prove very useful in securing property sales."

With its very own QR code, Wilton House on the Wentworth Estate in Virginia Water offers 7 bedrooms and bathrooms with 4 reception rooms, professional gymnasium, and a self-contained staff flat comprising bedroom and sitting room, kitchen and bathroom set above a triple garage.

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Barton Wyatt provide luxury Propertyfor for sale in Sunningdale. James Wyatt MNAEA, MARLA, TRC, REALTOR ® is a partner at Barton Wyatt Letting Agents Surrey. Tel: 01344 843000

Prime Virginia Water Properties Top of Polls

Mortgage lender Halifax has recently released a report listing the twenty wealthiest streets to live on in England and Wales; the findings are a breath of fresh air to the property market after such a negative 2009, it would seem properties on these streets have maintained their price tags throughout the recession, however, serious interest will only come from those with deep pockets... Overall the findings revealed that prices in the south east of England still outrank those in the north and Wales by some margin. Properties in the most expensive street in southern England cost more than four times as much as their equivalents in the most expensive street in the north. In Wales, properties on the most expensive street are on average £600,000 pounds compared to over £5 million in London. Unsurprisingly more than half of the most expensive residential streets can be found in London's Chelsea and Kensington, with the report showing many of these streets tightly clustered together. Moving away from the capital however the south-east glitters in golden properties. Surrey's Virginia Water, Cobham and Weybridge are being targeted by foreign investors who are reportedly snatching up multi million pound properties in order to make the most of the weakened sterling. Barton Wyatt, exclusive Virginia Water based estate agency is pleased but not amazed to see Woodlands Road West featuring in the top 20 wealthiest streets list. Here the average property will set you back £2.3 million based on property sales between 2005 and 2009. James Wyatt, Senior Partner at the agency comments, "In 2009 alone we have seen much higher property prices in the area than the stated £2.3 million average and in the future we would expect more roads to be cited in the wealthiest streets list based on the properties and estates on the market, how well they sell and the demand from wealthy buyers. "Virginia Water exemplifies the best of high-end English living, many of the properties have been custom built to suit the owners' requirements including leisure facilities and staff quarters and are set in private grounds providing a slice of English countryside whilst only being a short commuter distance from the centre of London as well as London Heathrow airport and London Gatwick, the M25, M4 and M3 motorways. Wealthy families are drawn to the area with its excellent schools." Properties in Wentworth, sometimes referred to as 'the stockbroker belt', are roughly £400,000 higher than the national average and the area has also been listed in the Halifax report as the location for overall highest property values outside of London, something that Forbes agrees with specifically giving the GU25 postcode this rich status. This could be why it attracts celebrity residents such as ex-Formula 1 boss Eddie Jordan, Ernie Els, Bruce Forsyth and a number of foreign Royal families. James Wyatt continues, "Woodlands Road West on the prestigious Wentworth Estate boasts properties such as Woodlands Brae which is currently on the market for £5,950,000. It is an example of a newly built mansion with approximately 11,000 square feet including an indoor swimming pool complex. The property has very generous room sizes including an enormous kitchen/breakfast/family room with a Smallbone Walnut and Silver kitchen, it offers a master bedroom with dressing room and en-suite bathroom, guest bedroom with dressing room and en-suite bathroom, four further bedrooms, three further bathrooms, staff flat with living room and bedroom, second floor games room, drawing room, dining room, sitting room, study, kitchen/breakfast room, utility room, sauna, swimming pool, gardens." With quality properties such as Woodlands Brae nestled on the likes of Woodlands Road West, it is no wonder that these streets command such high price tags for the post code status.

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Barton Wyatt provide luxury Property in Wentworth. Tel: 01344 843000