For estate agents
Keeping listed sales on track
Listed and conservation-area sales stall when buyers can’t see what they’ll be allowed to do.
A buyer falls in love with a Georgian house, then the questions start. Can we extend? Were the previous works approved? What will the council accept? Without clear answers, confidence drains away and sales slip or fall through.
Our Pre-Purchase Consultation gives buyers an independent architect’s view of the house, quickly and in writing, so they can proceed knowing what is realistic. Since 2005, Ade Fowler has personally submitted approaching 400 planning and listed building applications across London, Hampshire and the south coast.
Refer a buyer
48 hoursProperty visit with Ade Fowler, where possible
3 daysWritten report after the visit
From £795+ VAT · Pre-Purchase Consultation · Visit and written summary, paid by the buyer
Where sales stall
The questions we answer
01
Can we extend or alter it?
What is realistic for a rear extension, basement, roof or reconfiguration, and how likely each is to gain consent.
02
Were past works approved?
We check the planning and listed building consent history against what is on site, and flag works that may lack consent.
03
What does the listing protect?
What is original, what has been altered, and what matters most to the council’s conservation officers.
04
What happens next?
A clear route for any applications, with realistic timescales, so the buyer can plan with confidence.
Credited if appointed. If the buyer goes on to appoint us for their project, the £795 is deducted from our fees.
Need more depth? Our Historic Home Review (from £1,995 + VAT) goes further into the building’s history, significance and consent position.
Our reports are architectural and heritage advice. They are not a structural survey, valuation or legal opinion, and consent outcomes cannot be guaranteed.
Before the offer
Turning hesitation into an offer
Introduce us when a buyer is interested but hesitant. A fast visit and a written view of what is possible often turns uncertainty into an offer.
Once a sale is agreed, the same clarity helps keep it moving, answering questions about past works and future plans before they cause delays.
Before marketing
Answers in the particulars
Sellers can commission a review before the house goes on the market, so you can answer the obvious questions upfront: what has consent, what could be extended, and what the listing protects.
Buyers arrive better informed, and viewings turn more readily into offers.
Reviews are prepared for the client who commissions them. Others should not rely on them without taking their own advice.
How referral works
Simple for you, fast for your client
01
Introduce us
Email the property address and, with their permission, the buyer’s name and number. Or simply pass them our details.
02
We call the buyer
Usually the same or next working day, to understand their plans and agree the scope and fee, confirmed in writing before the visit.
03
Visit within 48 hours
Ade Fowler visits the property in person, where possible. We can arrange access through you.
04
Summary within 3 days
A concise written summary goes to the buyer. With their agreement, we are happy to share it with you or talk it through.
Independent advice. Our advice is given independently to the buyer. We are not acting for the seller or the agent, and we do not pay or receive referral fees.
In practice
A sale that had stalled
On Canonbury Square, a Grade II listed house next door to one of our completed projects had been on the market for around eighteen months. We introduced buyers who could see what the house could become, and they bought straight away.
We then secured the consents for their works during the purchase.
See our projects →
Refer a buyer
Have a listed sale that needs answers?
Send us the address and your client’s details, or call Ade directly. We respond personally, usually within one working day.