A second home…

Last Updated on : 17th March 2016

It’s been eight years since Rampton Baseley opened on Northcote Road and in that time they have quickly established themselves as a leading neighbourhood presence in the local property market (in 2011 they sold just over 40% of all houses Between the Commons and that figure hasn’t gone down, despite stiff competition), so it was only a matter of time until they branched out beyond SW11. At their second, dare we say even smarter, office on Bellevue Road, we caught up with co-founder Joel Baseley to find out how the estate agents are settling in to their newest location.

NVN: Why did you decide to open a second office?

Joel: With two partners in the business, it makes sense to have two offices. We already had business here, people like our brand, but we needed presence to make a meaningful impact. I live in the Magdalen Estate, my children go to school here and it’s the right site; I spend most of my time at this office now.

NVN: Why Bellevue Road in particular?

Joel: Obviously the personal link is very important to me. But vitally it’s because we’re focussed on the immediate surrounding area – Bellevue Village, Magdalen, Trinity Road and roads off it, the Toast Rack, but also broadening out to the Nightingale Triangle and the Heaver Estate.

NVN: What changes have you noticed in the housing market here in Nappy Valley?

Joel: There’s a fall in buyers coming from Chelsea and South Kensington. Now the vast majority at the upper end are people moving locally, selling from Between the Commons, so the profile of those buyers has gone back to where it was. Whereas people were moving back to the country, now they’re upgrading here.

NVN: How have tastes changed?

Joel: Later period homes, that is Edwardian to 1930s, are becoming more popular. Before people didn’t like the suburban image of post-WW1 architecture — all a bit Terry and June and The Good Life – but attitudes have changed. You get a wider plot than with a Victorian house, almost a third more, so there’s a lot you can do with it.

NVN: What does the future hold for Rampton Baseley?

Joel: We are an owner-operated business and this makes us special and unique. We are specialists in this area, it’s part of our DNA and we don’t want to lose that. We are an alternative to the global brands that operate around here – we can stand toe-to-toe with those companies but I think we have a more motivated approach. It’s inevitable when the director is personally heavily invested!