Testimonials

Recommendations from past clients

Mr & Mrs Jacobs

Donald, who supported and guided us with our onward move, was always professional and understanding, not pressurising us in any way. This made the whole experience for us less stressful.

He listened carefully to our requirements for a new home and paid attention to detail about the property and the location. He led us through the purchase process, working with us right up to the time of the successful completion.

Mrs Pamela Townsend

Trying to find a home in a new City after 42 years of living in the same house is daunting.

After looking for too long, I was ready to give up the search, even though my family had all moved to Oxford and I greatly missed my grandchildren.

Donald and Conor then came into our lives and at first, I didn’t see the value of the service they were offering; we could see everything on Rightmove so how could they help? They listened very carefully to what we wanted and they forged alliances with the local Estate Agents who would tip them off about upcoming properties. After a few viewings of various houses, they came up with our new home and it ticked every box.

Getting our offer accepted wasn’t easy as others buyers were interested and might have offered more.

We are very excited about our new life and without Donald and Conor I believe we would still be looking for a home – meanwhile living in a very expensive rented house.

Many times Donald had to “talk me down from the edge” when things got tricky. He reassured me as necessary that “this is normal” when I didn’t understand things and generally acted as mentor, adviser and friend. I would thoroughly recommend these guys.

Ms Jen Singer

I was first introduced to Donald near the tail end of a property negotiation, which was very much about to fall apart. Due to my naive negotiating skills I was backed into a corner and the sellers were about to walk away.

In a very short period of time, Donald was able to take the emotion out of the situation (it was running high on both sides) and devised a strategy which would ensure both sides felt they were winning. Undertaking a significant amount of research on the area and comparable sales, he was able to overlay market predictions of COVID-19 potential impact and came up with a strategy which enabled me to secure the property at a fair price.

Donald’s advice, guidance and rationale approach not only recovered the deal but also left both the sellers and myself feeling happy with the outcome, which meant all parties were motivated to ensure that we hit target dates for exchange and closing.

My only regret is that I was not introduced to Donald much earlier in the process. I had already lost out on several properties due to my ‘take it or leave it’ negotiating style. Additionally I was naive on the entire house buying process, which is very different from other countries.

Working with Donald has taking a lot of the stress and pressure off me. He is not only a great sounding board but truly listens to what is important to me, prior to weighing it up with facts.

Going forward I will be engaging Donald as my property advisor in all future investments.

Mr Matthew Lee

Donald Collins has been my sounding board for over a decade on all matters property related.

He has in-depth knowledge of market fundamentals matched with a pragmatic approach that helps get to the heart of the matter. He is an expert negotiator and calmly explains the state of play and advice for overcoming any obstacles.

Mr Andrew Shebbeare

In a complex transaction with limited comparables and plenty of unknowns, Donald Collins helped focus our minds and keep our nerve to secure the outcome we needed. His experience and market knowledge should benefit anyone approaching a significant real estate transaction.