Inside this stunning Harrogate home with its own brand of Victorian charm
With their sights set mainly on high end homes, character homes, and those that linger on the market longer than they should, James and Steven Child have a different take to most mainstream agents on how to sell properties.
The Mr and Mr Child estate agency has been up and running for just a few months, and the partners in life and business who created it are gradually making their presence felt in West and North Yorkshire.
Both men have impressive CVs in property and marketing: they engender interest in properties by promoting lifestyles, tweaking room arrangements to allow viewers “to imagine themselves living in that home”.
They currently have their first Harrogate listing, with others soon to follow: a stunning Victorian home with lower-ground-floor flat overlooks Valley Gardens, and has an 'exquisite bespoke dining kitchen with a balcony over the enclosed south-facing courtyard garden'.
Vermont is a six-bedroom, four-bathroom semi-detached property with a £1.5m. price tag.
Its beautifully renovated accommodation is vast and impressive. The agents say: "No stone has been left unturned as this magnificent home's Victorian charm has been reinstated."
This holds from the elegant sitting room to its ‘show-stopping kitchen' with bespoke cabinetry, painted in Studio Green with multiple coats to ensure a hard-wearing finish, beneath leather-finished granite worktops. It has a woodburner, and a bespoke bar, with French doors to the terrace. A walk-in pantry is behind a concealed door.
The principal bedroom has a dressing room with bespoke wardrobes, and a stunning copper bath within the bedroom itself, along with its modern en suite.
There's a lovely guest bedroom too, with bespoke wardrobes, and an onyx-tiled en-suite with roll-top bath and wet-room-style shower. A laundry room has bespoke cabinetry to conceal washing machines.
Three bedrooms, an office and two bathrooms, all high spec, are on the second floor, then on the lower ground floor is an entirely separate, self-contained two-bedroom apartment.
There’s a rear paved garden and an insulated garage ideal as a home gym or office.
A 'secret' Georgian Grade ll-listed home with walled garden, overlooking the Stray, will be the second Harrogate property on the agency’s books, with offers invited over £1.25m.
The boutique agency offers a highly personal service and is "prepared to go the extra mile" for clients. They charge that bit more at 1.5 per cent, but find people don't shy away.
"We provide a full service and people come to realise that they will get money back on the value of their home,” explained James.
"There are no up front costs and no risks."
The men look hard at how to improve properties that have failed to generate much interest, and through use of video and photographs will present the ‘essence’ of a home.
"Sometimes the best parts of a property - a huge, warm kitchen, its views from particular windows, or aspects of the house enjoyed by its current owner can be overlooked”, added James. “We can highlight these, maybe brighten some neglected areas. We genuinely can make a difference, and love to help."
"We appeal to a broader market, and have had some wonderful reactions from clients so far,” added Steven.
Vermont, Harlow Moor Drive, Harrogate, is priced at £1,500,000 with Mr and Mr Child, Yorkshire, tel. 01423 225121 or email: [email protected]