A retained buyer search is not a common service in mainstream estate agency, and the term gets used loosely. Some agents use it to describe a basic portal alert. What we offer is different: a proactive, network-driven search on behalf of a single buyer, with a written brief, regular updates, and a fee structure that aligns our interests with yours.

How the retainer works

We charge £2,500 to begin a retained search. That fee covers the initial briefing process, the preparation of a written search document, and the first three months of active searching. It is credited in full against the success fee when you complete on a purchase. If we do not find you a property, the retainer is not refunded, but we will tell you honestly at the outset if we think the brief is too narrow or the budget is not realistic for the area.

What makes a useful brief

The most productive briefs are specific about the things that cannot be changed and flexible about the things that can. Location is usually the fixed point: a buyer who needs to be within forty minutes of a particular town is easier to help than one who is open to anywhere in the Midlands. Size, configuration, and condition are often more flexible than buyers initially think. The brief we prepare with you is a working document. It changes as we learn more about what is available and what you respond to.

What we do with the brief

We circulate it to a network that includes independent agents in adjacent areas, solicitors who handle probate and estate sales, surveyors, and landowners we have worked with over the years. We also visit properties on your behalf before shortlisting, which means you only see the ones that are genuinely worth your time. Most buyers on a retained search see between three and five shortlisted properties before making an offer.

Timescales

The average retained search takes between two and five months from instruction to offer accepted. That range is wide because it depends heavily on how specific the brief is and how active the relevant market is at the time. We give every client an honest assessment at the outset. If we think the search is likely to take longer than six months, we say so before you commit the retainer.

If you have been searching through the portals for more than six months without finding the right property, a retained search is worth considering. The first conversation is free. Call +81 72-438-7779.