Wooing the seller worked for me

Russell, co-founder of the Country House Dept, moved to Sutton Courtenay in Oxfordshire from London in 2017. “I wanted a house down a drive in the middle of nowhere, and I ended up buying a terraced house in the middle of the village,” he laughs. The ex-Strutt & Parker agent was charmed by the property’s timber frame, dating back to the 16th century, and the River Thames at the bottom of the garden, which has its own mooring. Unsurprisingly, interest in the property, which was on the market for the first time in 40 years, was high. But Russell believes that meeting the owner on his second viewing – a woman who had raised her family in it – worked in his favour. “It was really beneficial because she could see that we were a young family. My boys were aged two and three at the time, and we were making a similar move out of London to the one she had probably once made.” On the third viewing, they took flowers: “It sounds smarmy but wasn’t intended to be,” he says. “We got on very well, and ultimately, you’re taking up someone’s time.”

Russell accompanied his offer with a letter explaining why they loved the house. “A lot of people don’t care who buys the house, as long as they get the money,” he says, “but equally, if someone’s lived somewhere for a long time, there is a strong emotional attachment.” Despite others putting in higher offers, Russell clinched it. Putting pen to paper is a move he recommends to prospective buyers; some write about the local schools they hope to send their children to.

Once he got the keys to the cottage, Russell rented for six months while it was gutted, rewired, replumbed, and reconfigured downstairs: “We wanted the character features, but with a modern kitchen and bathrooms that actually work.”

As ever, cash buyers remain at the top of the chain, but those willing to rent in order to be unburdened when their dream property becomes available can prove a savvy move. Of course, that comes with caveats: “It doesn’t suit everybody – there’s hassle and cost involved, and you’ve got to move twice,” says Russell.

Andrew Russell at his home in Oxfordshire: he had to see off a number of rival buyers