Alex Bourne, one of the stars of the recently aired ‘BUYING LONDON’ on Netflix, is founder and director of the estate agency London House, located on Weymouth Street – just off Marylebone High Street in London – serving an international VIP client base that includes royalty. Alex started out in early life as an actor, enjoying the creative lifestyle it offered while living and working in London and performing at prestigious venues such as the Royal Albert Hall and New York’s Radio City Music Hall. As he got older and settled down to have his own children, he felt he needed a more stable environment and, having come from a family with a background in property, real estate seemed a natural path for him. Here we discuss the high value properties his company London House typically handles and the profile of client that buys them…
I love how people emotionally connect with their homes and I help bring those stories to life for buyers so they fall in love with our clients’ homes and just have to have them. That’s really the secret to what my team and I do at London House – we get under the skin of each property and listen to buyers and what they want from their lifestyle, not just their home, so we can connect them with the perfect property and make both sides extremely happy…
Alex Bourne, London House
C&B: “Alex, it sounds like you’ve had two very distinct careers – first show business, now property…”
AB: “Yes, I followed my now business partner, Richard Douglas who was also a former actor, to one of London’s leading corporate agencies and rose through the ranks very quickly at the top end of the market. After joining Hamptons to help run their St John’s Wood Office, I went on to set up the second office of an existing agency in the West End and immediately gravitated to the prime real estate sector…”
Our first sale was a Knightsbridge townhouse asking £16,950,000 and we haven’t looked back since…”
Alex Bourne, London House
AB: “We named our company ‘London House’ in 2021 to symbolise our discreet ‘members club’ feel and have built one of London’s leading prime real estate agencies. My journey has been a collaborative one, and I think this holds the key to industry growth and building client trust to continually evolve, identify trends and move with the market…”
C&B: “And you’re operating right at the very top end of the residential market…”
AB: “Yes, London House specialises in high value residential real estate, primarily across central London. Our properties are collector’s items, including statement addresses like 70 Chester Square, a £25 million townhouse in Belgravia that combines period and contemporary elegance and also the Aria Penthouse, a £14.95 million property with some of London’s most iconic views overlooking The City, Southbank, London Eye and the Houses of Parliament…”
C&B: “What would you say is the typical profile of a London House client?”
AB: “We cater for a range of clients, predominantly for high net worth vendors, but we also advise buyers and investors. They’re typically looking for a premium service where discretion is of the utmost importance, and over the past ten years we’ve helped return clients sell their properties as well…”
C&B: “What’s the minimum value of a property that you typically handle?”
AB: “We help clients sell properties ranging in value between £1m and £100m. Our clients usually have something special and they trust us to showcase their home’s uniqueness and connect them to the right buyer. We have some of London’s most beautiful homes in our portfolio…”
C&B: “Would you say that you specialise in helping celebrity/UHNW clients to find their perfect home – and if so, what are they specifically looking for?”
AB: “Yes, we deal with UHNW individuals and celebrities and many of our clients like to keep their property searches private, which is why they entrust us to advise them. We also handle rentals for celebrities and global musicians who are in London for a while and want a ‘home away from home’ while they’re here. They usually need something extremely private and often have unique requests, such as a recording studios or a a great space to entertain in…”
We’re lucky in that our bespoke offering is often word-of-mouth recommended, which has created a long-standing community that returns time and time again, entrusting us to buy or sell the city’s most unique multi-million pound properties. We like to help clients understand the lifestyle aspects and trends of every postcode we operate in – for example, where the best fine dining restaurants are located or the arts and culture attractions and any other location advantages…”
Alex Bourne, London House
C&B: “Do you have a particular marketing strategy when it comes to selling high value properties?”
AB: “We always try to think outside of the box. Social media has played a big role in our marketing and PR campaigns since the pandemic. We view each property on an individual basis to sell the lifestyle, as opposed to just bricks and mortar, and we put our clients’ homes at the heart of everything we do. Our business is all about our clients and making sure we find the right buyer for them at the right price. With exclusive access to some of London’s most unique high value homes, our strategy is simply to let these properties do the talking. We’ve created a rich platform for engaging people in London House’s values and our passion for emotionally connecting people with a space and their chosen lifestyle.”
C&B: “Do you attract many international clients and, if so, what are they looking for?”
AB: “The international clients we work with are looking to buy and sell unique ‘collectables’ – one-of-a-kind properties with something so special about them that people just have to have them. London has it all and global HNWIs are attracted to central London’s lifestyle, from art lovers to those who want to own something with historical relevance, such as a Grade I listed penthouse apartment St Pancras Chambers, valued at £19.95 million…”
Our long term relationship building with our clients, our understanding of London and its different neighbourhoods and the ability to cross-sell each location and its lifestyles. We are proud to retain our traditional, understated, and refined approach to prime real estate that focuses on listening to vendor and buyer needs to meet their personal vision…”
Alex Bourne, London House
C&B: “Is there a certain style of home decor that you find best helps the sale of a property?”
AB: “Homes that are interior designed, utilising space and natural light well, alongside selling the lifestyle of the property. Anything after that is very personal to the client, which in turn helps capture the imagination of the right buyer. We feel that the more emotive the connection is to how you live in the space, the better…”
C&B: “What type of advice/suggestions do you find yourself giving home owners when it comes to getting their property ready for sale?”
AB: “We advise that our clients to declutter and stage the properties with furniture in a way that stays true to personal vision, however it can often be counter-productive to depersonalise properties as our aim is for buyers to fall in love with their new home and own something unique and with a ‘money can’t buy’ vibe…”
CONTACT: http://www.londonhouse.co.uk
