Hamptons International

Don't believe them when they say they can’t lower their commission, Hamptons offered to sell our £2M Paddington Basin apartment for 1% commission - ONE PERCENT!

Via Gaby Tang in the Paddington office we put our apartment on the market in May, while there were plenty of viewings there were no sensible offers so after 12 weeks we went multi agent. Hamptons then introduced a buyer with a very low offer and as we had found another property we reluctantly accepted. Because of the buyers over aggressive negotiating I didn’t trust him to honour his offer, I suspected he would try and lower the agreed amount just before exchange so I asked Hamptons to organised a £10,000 lock in/out deposit - his solicitor refused point blank.

Almost at the same time another agent came in with a much better offer and a lower commission (1.5%). I asked GabyTang to match the commission, they said they couldn’t under any circumstances reduce their commission (2.0%), however overnight the low offer from their overseas client ‘who couldn’t afford a penny more’ was immediately raised by much more than the other offer from the other agent, they also suggested that the higher amount from the buyer compensated for their 2% commission. Not only did this infuriate me it also made me more suspicious so I withdrew from selling to their ‘client’ and confirmed I was going with the other agent.

Later that day and when they realised I was serious, Gaby came back saying ‘Head Office’ were making an extraordinary exception and found it possible to match 1.5%. I refused on principal and for a number of other reasons, not least was their overall performance - I had to constantly chase for feedback after viewings and I felt Hamptons had the buyers interests far in front of mine. Then, unbelievably, their regional sales director Richard Broer contacted me pleading with me to sell to their client, when I said no he came back again offering 1% commission, I have his email confirming this pinned up in my study. Rightly or wrongly their desperate attempts to salvage this deal made me even more suspicious.

You must make up your own mind if you want to sell your property through Hamptons however my advice to anyone thinking of engaging them is to print this review and have it with you when you ask them to explain their policy on commission.

We instructed two agents with the sale of our ground floor and basement flat. (Knight Frank was the other one) While the flat is very nice, not everybody wants to live in the basement. The difference between the two agents could not have been starker. Gaby always kept contact, was upbeat and positive and managed to get relevant viewings (not sending totally irrelevant people for the sake of it). After three month she got very closed to finding us a buyer and after six month she found us a dream buyer - easy, fast, no hassle. Gaby is competent, ambitious and good at communicating. We are so happy she got to sell the flat and not the other agent! We would use her again any time!!! Dorte

It is a very poor service all in all - chaotic management and unpleasant to work with. This company just doesn't care about their customers. I recommend Savills Nothing Hill which provides a much better service and experience.

My wife and I sold her property with Hamptons Hyde Park & Bayswater. We live in Sydney, Australia and we expected the process to be daunting and difficult, especially as previous experiences with other agencies was very poor. However, with the help of Gaby Tang, Katherine Francis and Tom Folland, we felt totally in control and confident that our best interests were always being served. Gaby's feedback and communication was first rate, and her patience and diligence in finding the right buyer and getting the best price was relentless. I cannot recommend them highly enough. Gaby never let us down and came through. I work in the real estate industry in Australia and know the difference between a good agent and a totally forgettable one. Gaby Tang is definitely a great agent and Hamptons Hyde Park & Bayswater a great agency.

i feel compelled to describe the truly excellent and professional manner with which Aidan Coates dealt with my property search and purchase in Paddington. He was knowledgeable and informative, and guided me very well without pushing or pressurising me in any way - respecting my judgement and making the process altogether fun and interesting. His engaging manner helped both with my search and clearly with his dealings with the vendor and their agent during negotiations. He was appropriately assertive, but remained friendly throughout the period of offer to purchase, doing everything he could to make sure it happened.
I felt altogether very comfortable throughout the whole process, and would strongly recommend Hamptons and in particular Aidan Coates. I now have a total of three apartments in Paddington and as a result of this recent experience will be looking to transfer all rentals and sales dealings to Hamptons from a local competitor.

i am truly impressed by the professionalism and follow up actions of the Hamptons team. Not based in UK, I needed a team who is highly efficient to manage the sale of my property and many other miscellaneous matters that comes along with the sale. The Hamptons team exceeded my expectations and I was assured that I was in good hands. Special thanks to Katherine who followed up with the deal so closely and went beyond her work scope to assist me to get my left behind furniture and items sorted out as well as the utilities readings taken. These matters might seem small and trivial but to me who is not at the scene of the matter, your assistance really means a lot. Katherine's highly meticulous attitude means that she takes pride in her work. So Katherine, keep up the good work! Thanks also to Aidan for always trying your very best to get viewings arranged. So to the team at Hamptons - Katherine, Aidan & Tom, thanks for making my journey an enjoyable one.

Hamptons managed a quick and efficient sales process. They kept us well informed throughout and we came to accept that the high fees they charged were fair in light of the amount of work they put in on our behalf.