Wealden Times | WT264 | May 2024 | Love Your Home Supplement inside

Top & above left: Claire and Jonny decided to keep the bead-laden chandelier in the formal drawing room that was inherited from
Sole Street’s previous owner. It’s complemented by voluminous gold curtains which add a regal glow to this beautifully proportioned
room Above right: Over the other side of the house lies a smaller, snug sitting room which is bathed in afternoon light
there is no one to represent the interests
of the buyer. If we’d had an agent with a
direct line to the other agent we would
have saved so much time and money.”
Claire and Jonny’s situation was also
compounded by post contract issues
which, if they’d known about, may
have stopped the purchase. “It was an
absolute minefield. We’d taken on a
period property, with all of the issues
this typically comes with, including old
wiring, a septic tank, a roof greatly in need
of repair, as well as a large parcel of land
(the property sits in almost 30 acres) and
a sitting tenant. We probably shouldn’t
have bought it, but we just didn’t know
what we were letting ourselves in for.”
With time they worked through the
issues and formed a great relationship
with the existing tenant, who lives with
her family in a characterful flat above
one of the stable blocks, and continues
to run a successful livery there.
In 2023, the couple used their
experience to create First in the Door,
a property advisory platform aimed at
helping other buyers, ensuring they don’t
have the same negative experience as
they did. Claire explains, “We connect
homebuyers with buying agents who
represent and assist them through the
whole buying process, from providing
access to private and off-market sales, to
negotiating purchase terms, liaising with
all third parties and helping manage the
entire process through to completion.
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