Robert Bailey

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‘We are totally client focused,’ says Robert Bailey, founder of the eponymous property buyers. It’s an offer built on Bailey’s extensive experience - having spent three decades working with London’s super prime property market.

Having set up his own firm in the mid-2000s, the former Knight Frank partner tells Spear’s that the firm’s buzzword is discretion – a valuable attribute when you’re working with UHNW families. ‘We work with a small number of trusted lawyers, builders, architects, surveyors and mechanical/electrical specialists who provide our clients with an exemplary service,’ he says.

As for his immediate staff team, Bailey describes them as ‘highly-motivated’ property professionals with an ‘unparalleled knowledge’ of central London and all levels of its property market.

‘All of my colleagues have different strengths which makes our team work and approach so much more rewarding and cohesive for our clients,’ he adds.

He traces his ability to work well with UHNW clients to a previous role at Chestertons, then the most highly regarded firm in London residential property.

‘I was tasked with looking after the Target fund in Belgravia and Mayfair, the single largest residential property fund in the UK. This gave me invaluable experience and knowledge in terms of how the premium market works–insights that I still rely on today,’ he says.

After Chestertons he worked for Strutt & Parker, where he was involved in the sale of commercial properties (for conversion to residential) to foreign investors.

Having impressed in the role, he found himself head-hunted by Knight Frank to set up the firm’s private client department in London.

‘I think Knight Frank recognised I had a loyal following of clients – some of whom I still look after today,’ he says. He adds that it’s not uncommon for clients to refer their friends and contacts to him. Recently he even found himself acting for the adult offspring of a long-standing client.

One thing his clients respect is his longevity in the industry. ‘A little bit of grey hair is quite a valuable thing,’ he says. ‘A lot of young people haven’t seen a bad market before.’ It’s in those situations, he adds, that those years of experience really pay off.