London buying agency Eccord is celebrating its 20th anniversary after helping clients acquire and manage hundreds of homes across the capital.
Jo Eccles founded the firm in 2006 to address the imbalance between professionally represented sellers and buyers who frequently navigated property searches and negotiations alone.
Eccord has since acted on more than 400 transactions, ranging from £2 million pied-à-terres to £60 million trophy homes, while remaining an independent, buy-side-only agency.
The firm reports a 95% success rate in finding and securing properties for clients and says it has won 85% of competitive bids—even though its clients were not the highest or strongest bidders in two-thirds of those cases.
OFF-MARKET DEALS DOMINATE
More than 60% of Eccord’s acquisitions now involve off-market properties, reflecting the increasingly fragmented nature of London’s prime housing market.
Founder and Managing Director Jo Eccles says: “When I founded Eccord, my vision was to ensure London buyers also had expert representation, entirely focused on achieving better outcomes and protecting their interests.
“Twenty years on and the need for expert guidance and competitive advantage is greater than it’s ever been. The market has become increasingly difficult to navigate with the growing number of new selling agents and hybrid brokers.”
The business has advised entrepreneurs, corporate leaders and clients from the music and entertainment industries, while consistently appearing among the highest-ranked buying agencies in the Spear’s 500 Index.
Eccord expanded its services after the 2008 global financial crisis, launching a rental search and relocation operation for individuals, families and senior executives moving to London.
MANAGEMENT PORTFOLIO GROWS
Over the past decade, the firm has also developed a property management division from its Sloane Square headquarters.
It now oversees more than 150 rental properties and private homes for landlords, owner-occupiers and international family offices.
Eccles says the move into management followed clients asking Eccord to look after former homes when they relocated or purchased larger properties.
“Today, half of our landlords are unrelated to the property search side of our business, choosing us solely for the personal service, expertise and peace of mind we provide,” she adds.
“We are now also privileged to work with central London homeowners who want the comfort of knowing their homes are immaculately cared for, whether they are in residence or overseas.”
Main picture: (Left to right) Helen Bradley, Finance Director; Amy Cleaver, Director – Search & Acquisition; James Markham, Property Manager – Rentals; Jo Eccles – Founder and Managing Director; Sarah Baxter, Private Homes Manager; Simmi Sangha – Private Homes Manager; Georgia Quigley, Office Manager & Marketing Assistant; Catriona Mackay, Senior Rentals Specialist; Sian Watson – Executive Assistant to Search + Acquisition Team and Steve Wilson, Senior Property Manager.
