Becky Fatemi is used to matching clients — no matter how selective — with the perfect property. But in 2022, one tried something new: he would only buy a property if it had his dog’s approval. “The dog would come in, the dog would look around. If the dog liked it, he’d buy the house,” says Fatemi, executive partner at Sotheby’s International Realty. “They bought a house in St John’s Wood. The dog loved it.”
A handful of these super-prime deals are conducted every week in London. According to Knight Frank’s research, there were 147 sales above $10 million (£7.9 million) between January and September this year. Buyers flock towards the “Platinum Triangle” of Mayfair, Belgravia and Knightsbridge, as well as Holland Park, Hampstead and Highgate. Some come from overseas, some are born into family wealth, and there is an emerging breed of younger, tech start-up types.
