Architectural photography
A full day in the house, with the light chosen room by room and the garden shot at dusk. Nothing is added in editing that the house does not have.
Fine homes, shown to the right few
Halcyon Estates sells country houses, city residences and coastal villas for owners who would rather not see their home on every screen. Each house is photographed and filmed with care, offered first to buyers we have met, and shown by appointment with one of us in the room.
By appointmentevery viewing accompanied
Vetted buyersidentity and funds checked
Film toursfor buyers far away
Selling quietly, one vetted buyer at a time
Some owners want their home sold without it appearing on a website, in a window or in the local paper. For them we keep a private list of buyers we have met, whose identity and means we have checked and whose brief fits the house. A short brochure without the address goes to the few who match, and a viewing follows only when the owner agrees to each name.
Nothing about the house is published unless you choose a wider launch, and you can widen the search at any point if the right buyer has not come forward.
- No board, no listing on property sites, no address in print
- Confidentiality agreements for buyers when the owner asks
- Staff, neighbours and family diaries respected at every visit
Three ways to bring a home to market
Owners choose how public a sale becomes, and can move from one way to the next whenever they wish.
| Private list | Quiet launch | Open campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who hears of it | Buyers on our list whose brief fits | Our list first, then advisers who act for buyers | Anyone, through listings and print |
| Address | Shared once a buyer is verified | Shared once a buyer is verified | Area shown, address on request |
| Photographs and film | Sent privately | Sent privately, plus a private page | Published in full |
| Viewings | Accompanied, by appointment | Accompanied, by appointment | Accompanied, by appointment |
| Suits owners who | Value privacy above speed | Want reach without exposure | Want the widest field of buyers |
Our fee is a percentage of the sale price, agreed in writing before launch and the same whichever way you choose. Rules on how agents describe homes and show their fees differ by country; each sale is run to the rules of the country where the house stands.
Presentation, from the first photograph to the printed book
Every house we take on is presented in full, and the cost sits inside our fee. What a buyer sees on paper is what they find at the door.
Styling with what you own
A stylist moves and removes rather than hiring furniture, so the photographs and the viewing show the same rooms.
Narrated film tour
A slow walk through the house with an agent's voice, so a buyer abroad knows how one room leads to the next before booking a flight.
Measured plans
Every floor drawn to scale with its areas, and the grounds plotted, so buyers compare like with like.
A printed book
A short run of clothbound books for serious buyers, with no address on the cover and none left on a train.
Live video viewings
An agent carries a buyer through the house on a video call, answering questions room by room.
Rooms as they were presented
Photographs from our brochures and films. The houses are not named here, and the owners asked us to keep it that way.
Film tours for buyers who cannot fly in
Many buyers of fine homes live a long flight from the house they are weighing up. For them we film the house in the order a visitor walks it, with an agent describing what the camera cannot show, from the morning light in the bedrooms to the distance to the nearest village.
After the film, an agent can show the house live on a video call, so the buyer asks their own questions before travelling. Views are never altered, and any room that has been styled is said to be styled.
- Filmed in the order a visitor walks the house
- Live video viewings with an agent in the room
- Aerial footage only where the rules and the neighbours allow
A private viewing, step by step
The same five steps for every buyer, whoever they are and however far they travel.
Introduction
A call about what the buyer is looking for, and who advises them.
Verification
Identity and proof of funds, or a lender's agreement in principle, checked before an address is shared.
The film
The film tour and the floor plans first, so time in the house is spent on what matters.
The viewing
An hour or more in the house with one of our agents, at a time that suits the owner.
A second look
A return visit, often with family, a surveyor or an architect, before any offer is made.
In the words of owners and buyers (example reviews)
The house never went on a website, and only four buyers came through the door, each with the right questions. That was exactly what was asked for at the first meeting.
Watched the film twice from overseas and knew the house before arriving. The viewing then answered what no film can: the quiet of the place and the view from the bedrooms.
The photographer worked with our own furniture instead of bringing in props, so nobody arrived to a different house. The clothbound book is still on the shelf.
Begin with a private conversation
Tell us a little about the home you are selling or the one you hope to find. A partner replies personally within one working day, and nothing you write is passed on.
- A written appraisal of the asking price for sellers
- Buyers' briefs kept on our private list
- Nothing shared without your agreement
Asked in confidence
How are buyers checked before a viewing?
We meet or speak with every buyer first, confirm who they are, and ask for proof of funds or a lender's agreement in principle. Money laundering checks are a legal duty for agents in many countries, and we carry out the ones that apply where the house is.
Will my address appear online?
Not unless you choose an open campaign. On the private list and in a quiet launch, the address goes only to verified buyers you have agreed to.
Can a house be sold while we live in it?
Yes, and most are. Viewings are fitted around your diary, an agent is always present, and staff or family can be told as much or as little as you wish.
How is the asking price set?
From a written appraisal of the house and of comparable homes, talked through with you before launch. An agent's appraisal is not the formal valuation a lender asks for, which a qualified valuer makes, and in some countries the difference matters.
Do you act for buyers too?
We keep a private list of buyers, but in every sale we act for the owner. Buyers who want an adviser of their own are welcome to bring one.
Can the photographs and film stay private after the sale?
Yes. They belong to the sale, go only to buyers you approve, and are taken down or deleted when the house is sold if you ask.
Visit the office, or ask us to come to you
Appraisals take place at the house. The office is kept for conversations better had face to face, and the door is answered by appointment.
The partners' line
A first floor office in the old town, entrance by appointment
Hours
| Monday to Friday | 09:00 to 18:00 |
| Saturday | Viewings by appointment |
| Sunday | Closed |
Across time zones
For an owner abroad or a buyer several hours ahead, calls can be arranged early in the morning or late in the evening.