Behind closed doors: Saul Empson on the strange business of super-prime deal-making
In a new series for PrimeResi, seasoned buying agent Saul Empson reveals the absurdities and dramas that unfold behind the scenes of high-end property sales, from Notting Hill townhouses to country estates...
Saul Empson is an independent property buying agent, offering a personal, bespoke service to a small group of private clients. He has been involved in the central London property market since 1985 and spent his first fifteen years as a selling agent selling residential property and running sales offices for some of the big high street names. In 1999 he made the switch to finding and buying property on behalf of clients instead of selling houses and has never looked back.
Saul Empson: What the Dickens is going on in the prime property market?
If we all stopped in our tracks every time the papers rang a bell to call the onset of the next property crash, none of us would have bought homes since 1998, says buying agent Saul Empson...
By Saul Empson
London Super-Prime Market Survey: What changed in 2025 – and what lies ahead in 2026
Non-dom exits, international bargain hunters and a raft of trophy listings reshaped the £15m-plus sector over the last 12 months, reports Beauchamp Estates,
London’s super-prime property market slumps to five-year low
£15mn-plus deals dropped off by a quarter in 2024, reports Beauchamp Estates, as tax hikes, non-dom changes & political uncertainty spooked billionaire buyers.
Most read
Lai among senior hires as UK Sotheby’s bolsters PCL line-up
Brokerage's recruitment drive continues as top-end operators join from firms including YOUhome and Chestertons.
‘Absolutely brutal pricing’ now the only way to get activity, says top PCL agent
Winkworth flags 'major reset' as market adjusts to a new reality.
£23.5mn price tag for SHH-designed Little Venice villa
In Pictures: Grade II listed specimen has been fully reworked and kitted out with a subterranean wellness complex.
Buying agency Black Brick boosts team with trio of hires
Former Prime Purchase director Alex Oliver is among three new additions to the firm’s London-based operation.
Park Lord brings in ex-JLL & Foxtons duo
Sebastian Born and Alexi Earl join Joshua Marks' Mayfair-based brokerage.
Savills shifts £180mn of super-prime new-builds in Q1
Run of deals, including a number above £30mn, 'confirms London’s enduring appeal among UHNWIs', the agency said.
Knight Frank launches new investor advisory offering as buy-to-let landscape shifts
Agency hosts panel discussion to debut new team, with discussions focusing on landlord caution, regulatory pressure - and where investors are still finding opportunities.
Nobu plots first rural retreat with branded residences in Rutland
Luxury hospitality brand teams up with 185-acre English country estate for hotel, members club and residential concept.
By PrimeResi
The London Broker signs high-profile ex-Sotheby’s director
Lee Koffman joins expanding platform after more than 30 years in prime London agency, becoming TLB’s first broker hire since Harding Green deal.
Big-ticket London home sales slide by over a third as caution returns
Latest data: Savills says wealthy buyers are retreating towards the capital’s traditional golden postcodes, with geopolitical jitters weighing on activity.
LATEST ARTICLES
Political uncertainty to weigh on prime London market, warns Knight Frank
Latest data shows offers and transactions stayed below long-term averages in April, while PCL prices now sit 22% below their mid-2015 peak.
Expanding law firm brings in new director to boost PCL offering
Increasing legal complexity and buyer caution mean transactions are getting harder to close, says Leadenhall Law Group.
Grade I Belgravia mansion goes for £35mn
Biggest house deal officially filed so far this year revealed.
London Square gathers top design names for Milan debrief at new Mayfair HQ
The Aldar-owned developer has ramped up its presence in PCL with a luxurious new Bruton Place base.
Monday Market Review: Key figures & findings from the last seven days
Your essential five-minute briefing, featuring data, forecasts and analysis from Knight Frank, Savills, LonRes, Enness Global, ONS, Rightmove & more...