“This was largely due to having a dedicated private banker. They liaised with our mortgage broker, enabling quick turnaround times in terms of replying to emails, jumping on calls, issuing requests and sending information to credit committees to make decisions on mortgage approvals. Our previous bank (which also had an international wealth offering) was not able to operate anywhere near as quickly and the processing times alone were two to three times longer than that which Coutts offered. If we had gone with them, we would have lost the sale as we were up against fast-turnaround cash offers.
“Coutts were also the most understanding of our global wealth and portfolio of assets. This was very helpful as our property holdings were in flux – we were in the process of selling two homes in the US to fund the acquisition of the London property. There was real clarity in terms of communicating the timeline of the approval stages; when we could expect decisions to be made and when requests for more financial information might come – so we were ready and able to turn things around quickly. This was very helpful in securing the purchase and for communicating with the seller, legal team, and estate agents.
“We moved back to the UK with two young children and have wanted to ensure we had a good lifestyle balance both in London and in the countryside, with one eye on the family’s future and schooling specifically. So, since using Coutts for our first property acquisition in moving back the UK, we’ve now used them for the purchase of our second house purchase in the UK. They were as brilliant as the first experience.
“Their full-service offer has also introduced us to our UK buying agent. Through Coutts, we got preferential rates with the buying agent and the service provided by the agent was second-to-none. Their team did extensive due diligence on the property and, through their negotiation, they managed to save us £200,000 off the asking price.”
