Services · Discreet sale
Selling without the market knowing
A discreet sale places a property with a limited number of previously verified buyers, with no public advertisement, no portal and no board. The property builds no price history, accumulates no time on the market, and is not visited by the curious.
The mandate is a selling mandate and is exclusive for its duration. We represent the seller and only the seller: none of the buyers on the list is our client in that transaction.
Why exposure costs money
A prime property advertised publicly accumulates two things: time on the market and a history of price reductions. Both are visible to any informed buyer and both are used in the negotiation. A property that has sat on a portal for fourteen months, with two reductions, negotiates from a weakened position — whatever its quality.
The effect is cumulative and does not wash off. Withdrawing the listing and relisting later does not restore the original position: the history is recorded by whoever collects it, and the question ‘how long has it been for sale?’ always has an answer.
Discretion is not an aesthetic preference. It is the preservation of negotiating position.
| What accumulates | Advertised sale | Discreet sale |
|---|---|---|
| Time on the market | Visible and rising, day by day | There is no public record |
| Price history | Every reduction is recorded and collected by third parties | There is no published price to reduce |
| Viewings | Open to whoever calls, neighbours and competitors included | By appointment, one at a time, after verification |
| What the other side knows | The buyer knows how long it has been for sale before the first conversation | The buyer assesses the property, not the listing history |
| Reach | Maximum, and that is its advantage | Limited by design, and that is its advantage |
Whom it suits
It makes sense where there is a real reason not to expose the property. Discretion solves a specific problem; where there is no problem, it solves nothing.
- A separation or divorce in progress, where the decision should not become public
- Succession or division among heirs, before there is an agreement that can be communicated
- An owner with public, professional or family exposure
- An asset whose universe of buyers is small, known and reachable one by one
- A tenanted or occupied property, where open viewings disturb the people living there
- A company selling an asset without signalling the transaction to its sector
Whom it does not suit
It does not make sense where the property needs reach in order to find a buyer. In that case we say no and explain why. A discreet sale wrongly applied is simply a slow sale.
- An ordinary property with many comparables and a large universe of buyers
- A need to sell within a short, fixed period
- A price above the range the comparables support — discretion does not correct price
- An asset advertised publicly in the recent past, whose history has already been collected
Where that is the case, we say so at the valuation, before there is a mandate. If you still wish to proceed by another route, we say which — including when that route is not with us.
How it works
Six steps. The property is shown only once it is documented and only once the buyer is verified.
01
Valuation in person
A visit to the property and a realistic price range, built from transaction comparables rather than asking prices. It is also where we say whether a discreet sale is the right route at all.
02
Preparing the file
Our own photography, floor plan, measurements and complete documentation: registry certificate, occupancy licence, energy certificate, registered charges and the service-charge position. The file is numbered and circulates under a confidentiality agreement.
03
Selecting the list
A closed list of verified buyers with demonstrated capacity and an interest consistent with the asset. The list is built case by case and shown to the owner before any approach is made.
04
Individual presentation
Each buyer is approached individually, under a confidentiality agreement signed before the file is released. There is no bulk circulation and no unidentified intermediaries.
05
Viewings by appointment
One viewing at a time, accompanied, at hours agreed with whoever uses the property. There are no open viewings and no visitors who have not been identified beforehand.
06
Negotiation and deed
The negotiation is conducted by us under the mandate, with every offer and counter-offer recorded in writing, through to the preliminary contract and the deed.
What ‘verified buyer’ means
Four checks before anyone receives the file. Without them, the list would be a list of contacts.
- Identification of the person or structure buying, and of whoever represents it
- Proof of funds, or a letter of intent from the financing bank
- Consistency between the buying mandate and the asset — anyone looking for something else is not on the list
- A confidentiality agreement signed before the file is released
What we guarantee in writing
Confidentiality is not a verbal assurance. It is in the mandate and it is enforceable.
| Commitment | What it entails |
|---|---|
| No portal, no board, no advertisement | The property is not placed on portals, carries no exterior signage, and is published neither on our channels nor on this site. |
| Address released only after a signed agreement | The opening file identifies the area, the typology and the floor areas. The exact address follows the confidentiality agreement. |
| Numbered, traceable file | Each copy is assigned to a named recipient, which makes any improper circulation attributable. |
| List approved by the owner | No buyer is approached without the owner having seen and approved the list. |
| Returned at the end of the mandate | When the mandate ends the files are recovered and contact data is handled under the privacy policy. |
| Discretion after the sale | We do not use the property as a case study, in presentations or in communications, without the owner's written authorisation. |
The other side of the same table
Where we already hold a selling mandate on a property, we do not represent the person who wants to buy it. It is the same rule in reverse, and it is why this house does not run four services that overlap.
See the four mandates and where each one beginsA valuation, with no listing and no commitment
The valuation is carried out in person, in confidence, and ends in a reasoned price range. If a discreet sale is not the right route for your property, that is what we will tell you.
No obligation to sign a mandate. What passes between client and consultant does not leave the room.