Nandos

Simon - your first blog in two years absolutely cannot be about Nando’s”

Now, Mrs Deen is rarely wrong.  Fortunately for me, even when she’s right she doesn’t really say so.  Anyway, as far as I’m concerned, no one ever read my blogs for updates on the London property market.  And besides, this blog isn’t about Nando’s.  It’s about chicken.

Back in 2010, Mrs Deen wasn’t Mrs Deen, but in her third year of the interview process.  Around mid-November I announced that we were off to Paris for our thirtieth birthday celebrations.  Because we were born four days apart, and Paris is the city of love.

As it turned out, Paris was also a city where the weather in late November was shockingly cold, where there was no hot water in our hotel, and also where, to my surprise, all the shops were closed on a Sunday.

Thankfully, for at least one of us, the lack of retail therapy was of little concern.  My plans for the day did not include the purchasing of tailored trousers, but instead the wearing of elasticated ones.

Because I am someone who once, after an overly enthusiastic Sunday lunch, had to ask the Florentine hotel that I’d just checked out of if they had a room where I could lay down.

I was in Paris for Chez L’amis Louis.  Specifically, the chicken.  A chicken which had clucked its way onto my bucket list via a friend who talked exclusively about two things with almost equal enthusiasm - football and eating.

So, after a freezing Parisian morning which one of the travelling party had spent wondering if there would be a marriage proposal, and the other what would be an appropriate breakfast ahead of a long planned lunch, we arrived at our destination.

Only to be told with unapologetic Gallic brevity that there was no reservation under our name, no chance in hell of a walk in table, and could we immediately stand aside and let the people behind us through.

Che L'Amis Louis

And that was that.  No engagement ring. No lunch at Chez L’amis Louis.

And then this week I saw a video of someone eating their first Nandos.  The person in question was Ali, the owner of a Shawarma Hut, a Lebanese restaurant in Elephant and Castle where you can get half a chicken and three sides for £6.  Yes, £6.

These days a whole chicken at L’amis Louis apparently costs well over £100.  The one at Le Petit Maison in Mayfair is £150.  I did tell you that this blog was about chicken.  And you did choose to read on.

Also this week, a transaction that had been more arduous than complicated and more stressful than joyous, finally got to the point of exchange.  A transaction that was nearly derailed, more than once.  A transaction that would have genuinely benefited from a buyer who understood the value of a great team of professionals.

Because when someone cannot differentiate between the quality of the options presented to them, problems arise.  When that person is buying a home, and thinks that a lawyer who charges a third of the price of another provides the same level of service, the chances of things going wrong increase exponentially.

Everyone has to work twice as hard to keep things on track.  The benefit of the doubt ebbs away.  Sellers think time delays are a tactic, even when they’re not.

I usually recommend a lawyer so good that I worry that he’ll become over-subscribed and will no longer have time for me.  Ditto a surveyor, and a mortgage broker.

These people are at the very top of their games and charge appropriately for their decades of experience, sound advice, and most importantly, superb judgement.

This is not a problem which is restricted to law.  The internet has democratised marketing.  Designing and running an online advertisement takes no time at all, and you can more or less say whatever you like.  AI has, and will continue to compound this.  And as a result people are less sure than ever of what actually constitutes quality.

In my world, the internet has made life easier for both buyers and estate agents.  But it’s made it harder for sellers - firstly to differentiate between agents, and then to actually choose one to represent them.  On what is usually the biggest financial transaction of their lives.

Homeowners don’t just want more choice, but more confidence in the choices presented to them.  Buyers don’t just want more facts, but to have their views either confirmed or challenged by people who know what they’re talking about.

Whilst every situation is different, nearly all are made better by professionals who are genuinely able to guide both buyers and sellers towards a mutually rewarding outcome.

With calmness, confidence and conviction.  With a depth of knowledge that can’t be Googled, and clarity of judgement that’s impossible to fake.

Of course, I am already planning a trip to Elephant and Castle.  But I am not expecting to arrive there and be seated at a table furnished with a perfectly pressed white cloth, with a tomato and lemon sitting on it - that could only lead to disappointment.

Because, to steal a line from George, all chickens are equal, but some chickens are more equal than others.

SDRE news

I started SDRE because I love estate agency, but especially the version I was taught - a focus on exceptional marketing and the desire to provide clients with sound advice from a place of deep experience.  But after sixteen years of working for someone else, it was time to take the next step.

I started writing a blog because I felt like I had a lot to say about the industry I’ve now spent over two decades working in, and no platform to say it beyond the obvious social media ones.  And writing longer form content always felt more like me.

But then I stopped.  It was time consuming, I was busy.  Perhaps I was hiding behind perfectionism.  But in an era where so much content is written by AI, I think there’s space for my writing again.

I enjoy writing blogs, and people seem to enjoy reading them.  If that’s true of you, please feel free to share.

Things I’ve enjoyed this week

The late, great AA Gill, who else, and his review of Chez L’Amis Louis - Tour De Gall

Shawarma Hut’s Ali eating his first Nandos.