Top Ten London Buying

When Jo Eccles worked in banking, she and her colleagues felt misunderstood by estate agents. She felt they were trying to sell clients whatever was on their books, regardless of suitability. The idea took root, and in 2006 Eccles founded SP Property Group. ‘We were initially a buying agency with a clientele of bankers, she says. The firm now serves a miscellany of clients from bankers to boxers, and has extended its services to property management. It is this unique split, says Eccles, that sets the firm apart: ‘Fifty per cent of our revenue is property management, which is very sustainable and recessionproof, as opposed to the buying side, which is more transactional and less easy to predict,’ she says.

‘Because we’ve got such an established property management share, and because we are so stable financially, the integrity of our advice never needs to suffer.’

Since the election, says Eccles, seller confidence has been boosted: ‘The government uncertainty has been removed and we will have more idea of what Brexit might look like in the coming months, so I’m optimistic.’ But she cautions: ‘All the Conservative win does is keep the status quo – it hasn’t suddenly dropped stamp duty or removed any barriers to purchase.’