Diane Howie and Arabella Pappini

London

County Homesearch London is owned and managed by Diane Howie and Arabella Pappini. We have a 7 strong Consultant Team who provide the detailed area specialisms essential to a London home-search provider.

Our team’s knowledge and experience covers the whole of London with each consultant having individual area specialisms. As well as being experienced relocation professionals our team all live in London and have previously worked, professionally, in a variety of careers within London. Crucially all our team have also raised families, shopped, commuted and generally “lived” in London providing them with the essential real-life knowledge our clients need to be able to fully settle into London life.

We can understand and empathise with all issues faced on a daily basis by our clients. Because of this, we pride ourselves on taking the time to listen and understand your individual wishes and needs. A testament to our success is the feedback we have received from many satisfied clients, who have settled quickly, and are now enjoying their time living and working in London.

County Homesearch London operates throughout Greater London providing home-finding services to both private and corporate clients. Our primary services focus on assisting clients to purchase or rent properties but we also provide numerous additional support services to ensure our clients settle into their new properties with the minimum of stress.

Our private clients include those moving home, acquiring a second home, buying an investment property or searching for a rental property and our services are tailored to meet the specific needs of each of our client’s circumstances.

For our Corporate clients we can provide a full programme of relocation support for employees being moved into or out-of London by way of services such as orientation, location and budget advice, rental searches, lease negotiation, settling-in services and departure programmes.

London is a vibrant and diverse City with locations to suit almost every person, whether they are looking for city vibe or rural idyll. We can guide clients through this maze and advise on areas that most suit both your budget and your lifestyle from commuting to family and leisure time.

We remove the stress of dealing with multiple estate agents and become your central point of contact for all your home-search matters. We have fantastic contacts with all the major (and minor !) London estate agents so you can be assured nothing will be missed. We will be the first to hear of new opportunities coming onto the market and are often privilege to information on off-market properties allowing our clients to be ahead of the competition.

We can assist with the negotiation process and should you require recommendations we have a number of trusted partner companies who can handle your conveyancing, mortgages, surveys etc. For removal services we recommend our partner company GB Liners (www.gbliners.com).

London is an amazing and vibrant city. With a population of nearly 8 million, it is one of the world’s top tourist destinations – and with good reason. We have award winning theatres, art galleries and many fantastic free museums. Royal Parks and heath-land are spread throughout the city so you are never far away from being able to ride a horse or row a boat and venues for classical music concerts sit well alongside those for bands. The Tube and bus networks move you efficiently around the city and when you need to leave it, the transport links are also excellent: seven railway stations and five major airports can easily whisk you away.

In other such large cities, it could be difficult to decide where to live but London should be seen as a collection of separate “villages” which have, through-out its 500 year history, gradually merged into the city we know today. Each “village” has its own distinctive character and identity and provides differing lifestyles to its residents. Our skill as home-search professionals is to match our clients to the areas or “villages” within London which will suit them best.

The primary geographical division within London is the River Thames which splits the city into North and South London, with Docklands and Canary Wharf to the East and Richmond and Kew to the West.

London has a rich array of excellent schools – both private and state, catering for children from the age of 2.5 up to 18. A very good research tool is the Good Schools Guide www.goodschoolsguide.co.uk
It is a critical review of hundreds of schools, often by parents, offering an independent overview of each institution, including facilities and public exam results. If you are interested in finding an international school within the city, take a look at the Good Schools Guide, International www.gsgi.co.uk .
For a comprehensive overview of exam results, every summer, the Times newspaper publishes a schools league table www.timesonline.co.uk.

London has exceptional transport links both within and into the City. It is served by 5 major airports, 5 major railways stations, an extensive network of buses and of course the famous London Underground.
Despite its press London’s public transport network is far and away the best in the UK allowing Londoners travel about the city without the need for a car. Indeed driving is actively discouraged via Parking charges and the Congestion Charge.
Journey planning is made easy via live update websites and the Oyster Card system allows seamless travel between train, underground and buses without the need for cash.

In summary -  great professionalism, listens to clients needs, helps decision-making and took time to regroup afterwards.
Pierre, May 2013, SW6

Sharon was outstanding in the service she provided us. Her knowledge of the areas we were looking at was first rate and her follow up always thorough. I could not recommend her highly enough! 
Ben, April 2013, SW6

We really appreciated the enthusiasm and professionalism that Diane applied to our search for a buy-to-let property in London. We were purchasing from overseas and had no knowledge of the London property market, so it was vital for us to have someone knowledgeable that we could trust on the ground searching and providing advice.

Diane listened to our requirements and only recommended properties that fit our criteria. We ended up making a successful offer on the second property she recommended to us. Diane also recommended a solicitor and other service providers, and helped us navigate the UK purchase process, which was unfamiliar to us.

We are very happy with our new rental property and the service that County Homesearch provided to us.

Alison - Thank you for your support and guidance during my flat search. Although you are a professional and give your very best to all your clients, I felt as if you went above and beyond the regular routine on my behalf. In short, I felt as if I had a new friend. Your warmth, kindness and ready good cheer removed any stress normally associated with such a weighty decision as finding a new home. Thank you for all your patience!! I am so grateful that I could turn to you as I wrote and re-wrote my changing points of view. I feel confident that my new flat and neighbourhood is my home. - Claire, May 2012, Kensington

Alison, I am short of words to thank you for all your help in getting us settled, it is really wonderful of you taking all the pains for us, It was a pleasure for us as well. Anpam - Feb 2012 - Chiswick

I really appreciated the professionalism of my contact at County Homesearch (Alison Whelan). She was really reactive and helpful at each step of the process to answer my needs. She knew very well the geographic area where I was looking for accommodation and she was always very reactive. She represented very well my application toward agencies and landlords to get an accommodation. She was present during the check-in day to help me during this process and even after my move in my new accommodation she helped me to open accounts for facilities and her Settling-in notes gave me all the information to settle in UK. To sum up, professionalism, reactivity and support. I recommend the County Homesearch company. Delphine, Sept 2011, Wimbledon

Alison has provided outstanding service so far, understanding specific needs of myself and family. She has been very helpful throughout the process and I would recommend her to anyone any day. Yoshito, Sept 2011, Maida Vale

The support and level of mastery of her business provided by our consultant Debbie Applegarth was more than outstanding, the experience could not have been more positive for us.  Jorge, September 2011 - Chiswick

Thank-you Jane and Diane for your note and closing the deal.  You both have been just amazing to work with and it’s crazy that just a week ago Sheila and I were saying how difficult it was to find anyone good!!   It just so happens, we found the BEST.  Sheila and I are thrilled about our move to London now… Thanks 2 u two.   WE OWE YOU BIG TIME!
Brian and Sheila, September 2011, Richmond

Alison has helped us a lot to settle in, she did a tremendous job, she is a real professional, organized person and knows what “service” means.  Alison, I take this opportunity to thank you again as it was great having your support and a real pleasure to interact with you. Pierre, September 2011, SW7

I would like to note that Sharon Cubley-Mack has been particularly good in helping me in settling in: it has been quick and efficient, she has been really helpful settling up my gas and electricity account, she also provided me with a bunch of useful info on the accommodation and its environment. M Gaillard, August 2011, SW5

I think Homesearch was great. Sue was extremely knowledgeable and provided us with all the right information before the move - we were well prepared even before I travelled over. Muthe, August 2011, St John's Wood

Sue Webster was absolutely great !!! Very responsive and helped and advised on every little detail. Tina, July 2011, Highgate N6

Linda Wallace-Radcliffe did an outstanding job in finding the accomodation suiting my needs. She also went the extra mile in helping me in my moving logistics as I was quite stressed at work.  Hafssa Serraj, March 2011, Kew

The agent - Debbie Applegarth - was extremely helpful, she lived in the same neighbourhood so she had 100% knowledge of the area and she helped me negotiate with the landlord a very good deal. She was very proactive and always available. I would recommend such services to everybody!
Filip Urbanek, Feb 2011, Richmond

Sue Webster from County Home Search was absolutely fantastic. She went above and beyond in every aspect. I would give her my top rating, excellent, couldn’t have been better".
Ernest Del, Feb2011, SW1

Sue Webster was fantastic to work with. I appreciated her insight and knowledge of the city. I would definitely recommend her and would enjoy working with her again.
Jennifer, Jan 2011, E1

A brief note to express my appreciation for your hard work on the homesearch. Please know that your assistance allows Beatrice to go and make an impact on the lives of our "boss" like Ndeye.
Beatrice, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, December 2010, Clapham

Sue Webster was extremely helpful throughout the home search process. Her knowledge of the neighbourhoods I was interested in was great. She quickly learned what types of housing would and would not be appealing to me and I valued her opinion during the search process. She was always responsive and was diligent in getting any issues resolved quickly. I would definitely recommend her to colleagues as someone to work with.
Charmin, Nov 2010, SW7

Thanks so much, Sue.  I can’t tell you enough how wonderful you’ve been.  Bea and I were talking last night about how you’ve turned a potentially very difficult and stressful situation into something very easy and pleasant.   We really appreciate your help!
Joey, November 2010, SW11

I had a lovely and productive day today with Jane. Jane showed me interesting places to live, but best of all, she very rapidly comprehended my family requirements and on the spot adopted the itinerary that made sense based on the new information. Very professional, competent and wonderful guide to introduce London to a newcomer like me.  I feel she went beyond the call of duty, to accommodate my family’s needs and get the information I asked for.
Tomasz, Twickenham, Nov 2010

The service was excellent and Henry was very responsive, knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. I have no suggestions on how you could improve this part of the service as it exceeded all my expectations.
Paul, Clapham,  October 2010

Thanks for your continuous support Alison.  All your effort was really key on helping us find a place so quickly.  Really appreciate it.
Fernando, Westbourne Grove W2

I am certain that without your expert help I would still be searching for a nice apartment. I also really appreciate the insight you gave me into the area and the general tips on life in London. Your friendly and positive attitude turned what could have been a very stressful two days into a very pleasant and enjoyable experience.
Paul, Clapham, Aug 2010

Great list of properties to choose from which were exactly what I was looking for. Consequently I obtained this property very quickly.
Sean, Kensington W8, July 2010

You should know how wonderful Sue has been to me, both when I was looking for a flat in May and since; she's really been unbelievably helpful and I couldn't give anyone a higher recommendation.
Paul, SW5 July 2010

Linda was very helpful and very knowledgeable. She helped make my transition into UK life fast and efficient. She did a great job.
Edward, Richmond May 2010

Sue Webster our contact at County Homesearch was fabulous and did everything and more to help us and get what we needed.
Irshaad, Ealing April 10

Thanks for ALL of your help and guidance yesterday. From cell phones to mattresses to apartments to travel, your tips and advice are a huge help. I'm sure I'll be back in touch with more questions. It was a great day yesterday. I'm very pleased with the apartment we found and I look forward to moving in.
Ted - Richmond, Surrey - March 2010

Sue was a pleaure to work with. Knowledgeable, efficient, and fun to spend time with. She made a real effort to understand what we were looking for, was brutally honest when it counted, and landed us in a house and neighbourhood where I think we will be quite happy.
Paul, NW1 - Aug 09

Sue was brilliant. As well as setting up a large number of good viewings and finding me a lovely place, she also told me about the neighbourhood, gave me lots practical advise and helped me setting up various accounts.
Caroline, W8 - June 09

Again, HUGE thanks for today. I really appreciate the efforts! I really did enjoy the time we spent on this search and really enjoyed getting to know you. You are just the type of person that having met you makes me feel like the move was a good decision. You made me feel at home and at ease instantly
Kimberley, SW7 - July 09

Let me take the opportunity to really thank you for your exceptional work and help in this tight process. I have home searched a dozen times over my career in many countries in the world, more than once in the UK. Never did I encounter such professionalism, speed, quality, reliability & absolute commitment to a job well done.
Christina, SW5 - June 09

Alison Wheelan is exceptional! In terms of the effort taken to understand my requirements, taking us through the options and then contuining to be in touch and help on issues that were not even strictly her job.
Raka, SW19 - March 09

Just wanted to tell you how wonderful it was to meet and work with you. You are quite an impressive women, my friend. Thank you so much for all your help with so many details of our upcoming move. You were professional, efficient and fun at the same time. It is a pleasure working with you.
Ron and Jenny, NW3 - April 09

Great understanding of my needs since the beginning with the pre scan work done by intenet! Sharon has a wonderful attitude towards customer satisfaction and always make it easy for me. Sharon also has a great network with other local experts which in my view allows her to maiximize time and align search criteria wich definitevely saves time.
Fernando, SW1 - April 09

Sharon has done a great job in turning around what had suddenly become a very difficut job. She managed to get the apartment from another bidder and through the agent and landlord managed to jump all the financial and legal loop holes. She has been great. She also understood my needs easily and was very thorough and proffesional in her appoach.
Nikil, SW19 - April 09

Address:

County Homesearch Company Ltd
26 York Street
Marylebone
London
W1U 6PZ

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+44 (0)20 8971 9109

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