ENHANCING VALUE THROUGH PROPERTY INVESTMENT

Emile Fonderson, Managing Director, FE Samuels Property Services

London-based property company FE Samuels are revolutionising the property investment market. Dominic Bliss finds out how.

The world is full of stunning real estate but severely lacking are property experts with the skill and knowledge to identify them. This is where FE Samuels Property Services come in. The London-based company employs some of the best property search consultants in Europe, with all the local specialist knowledge they need to track down the very finest houses and apartments, especially in the London area. More and more non-British nationals are using their professional services to tap into the lucrative UK property market. “We have very discerning clients all over Asia, the Middle East, the Americas and mainland Europe,” explains FE Samuels’ Managing Director, Emile Fonderson. “We specialise in helping them find residential and investment property throughout the UK. It’s a role we perform with passion, integrity and commitment.”

DEDICATED TO THE BUYER

Sitting in his central London headquarters, overlooking London’s Hyde Park, Fonderson explains exactly how his company’s property services work. Unlike normal estate agents, his team’s mission is to serve the buyer rather than the vendor. “Our clients tell us exactly what kind of property they’re looking for,” he says. “They may need a multi million pound dream home as a London base; or they may want to create a substantive portfolio of apartments as a long-term investment. In either case, we will source the properties for them and ensure we match their budget and requirements. We like to think of ourselves as a creative partner for our clients.” In addition to sourcing property, FE Samuels also have links with specialist professionals further along the house-buying chain. They will arrange every stage of the property purchase from mortgage brokers and surveyors to solicitors and accountants. For their buyto- let customers they have even pioneered what is known as a ‘deferred completion programme’.

“With most physical properties you have to pay the entire deposit up front,” Fonderson explains. “For overseas clients this can be as much as 35% of the property value. But we allow our clients to put down a small deposit and we defer the payment of the remainder over a number of years. It makes buy-to-let investments much more attractive for our non-UK clients.”

Refurbishment AND RENOVATION

Property renovation is a key aspect of FE Samuels’ services, too. “For many clients, buying a property is only part of the story,” Fonderson continues. “We can act on their behalf as project managers, taking care of all the paperwork, hiring tradesmen and sourcing materials. From interior design and decoration, all the way through to full-scale renovation, we can help our clients transform a house into their dream home.” And when it comes to buy-to-let, FE Samuels makes the entire process as hassle-free as possible. In addition to finding and vetting suitable tenants, they will prepare all the paperwork, arrange the inventory, and maintain and refurbish the property whenever required – crucial for clients who may live thousands of miles away overseas.

PROPERTY BOOM

Established in 2004, FE Samuels now have 40 employees, working out of subsidiary offices in Florida, Switzerland, Dubai and Africa, as well as their central London headquarters. But it’s at the latter that the most lucrative property sourcing is taking place. With its dynamic economy, centred around the City – by far Europe’s most important financial centre – London is enjoying a property boom that shows no signs of decelerating. Thanks to the 2012 Olympic Games, house prices are expected to increase even further over the next five years. From his offices occupying the entire 21st floor of the Marble Arch Tower, Fonderson is perfectly placed to keep an eye on the most thriving properties in Britain’s capital city. Looking east he can see the London Eye, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, with the huge towers of Canary Wharf in the distance. To the north are the green, open spaces of Regent’s Park and Hampstead Heath. Out to the west looms the colossal arch over the recently opened Wembley Stadium. Fonderson says that whenever he has particularly specific or technical requests from his clients, the stunning views over London inspire him to source the very best residences available.

BUILDING CLIENT RELATIONSHIPS

FE Samuels have many customers equally delighted with the service they have received. They have a database of over 4,000 contacts across Europe, China, the Americas, the Middle East, Africa, India and the former Soviet Union. Staff in their London office speak a total of ten languages between them. Already they have sourced prestigious properties in some of the smartest areas of London, including Chelsea, Belgravia, Hampstead and Mayfair.

The company prides itself on the relationships it builds with its clients. “We’ve realised that helping someone buy a home or investment property is a very personal matter,” Fonderson says. “That’s why we always make the extra effort to understand exactly what kind of property our customers want. We really try to get inside their heads, so to speak. No one else that we know of offers such a bespoke service.”

Business CONCIERGE SERVICE

This even extends to giving clients complimentary use of office space and one of the company limousines when they come over to the UK. To this end, Fonderson and his team recently launched their business concierge service. “For many of our overseas clients, London can be quite a daunting city,” Emile explains. “So we decided to make their visits as stress-free as possible. We can now send a chauffeur to pick them up from the airport in a limousine. The vehicle remains at their disposal while they’re in town and we also allow them to use our office facilities here in central London.”

It seems that once you become an FE Samuels client, you are almost treated like royalty. “We really like to spoil our customers,” Emile says proudly. “That’s why they keep coming back to us.”

Contact: For more information, visit www.fesamuels.com

Published in the July/August 2007 Issue of Irish Entrepreneur