95% sales valuation accuracy
91% sales fee satisfaction
98% lettings valuation accuracy
93% lettings fee satisfaction
Feb 20,2023
Feb 20,2023
0
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I came to talk to James after having an unsatisfactory experience with the areas leading agent (their words to me) who had over 40% market share or something like that. At the time it all sounded very impressive although perhaps naively, I expected the staff of said agent to all have the same passion as the person I met at the valuation. At the time he assured me they had a database full of buyers, and that they’d be willing to pay a very attractive price for my property.
But it didn’t materialize. After several excuses about the market being difficult, and buyers not wanting something exactly like my property, they were soon on the phone telling me if I didn’t reduce my price it would be a big mistake. I started to think the big mistake was me falling for it ‘hook, line and sinker’. It seems the other 25 odd branches that I’d been led to believe would be also selling my flat, couldn’t muster a single viewing between them. And when agents did carry out viewings, they didn’t seem particularly interested and didn’t seem to know my property very well either. I don’t think the different agents viewing it helped in any way either as it seemed incohesive to me from my perspective.
After this rather frustrating experience I stumbled across Get Agent where I then had a call from one of their team explaining what to look for in an agent and how their stats could help me. On the phone they mentioned James, explaining he was a smaller Company but had VERY good sales stats, so I ticked the box to request him to call me.
After an initial chat, we agreed a meeting and he explained what he did that no other agent did, which is to help me create the right advert by helping me to style my property for his photographer. In fact, on the day he insisted I left him to it. I can tell you my previous agent did nothing to help whatsoever. In fact when I complained about some of the photos being poor, they did absolutely nothing about it. James’ photographers were far from poor. The previous agents photographer had been and gone within 30 minutes, James spent almost 1hr and 30 minutes moving furniture, and things he deemed unnecessary out of view. I also noticed his passion in asking for very specific angles and photos he wanted that he’d taken time to set up and stylize for his photographer. It was a very different experience from the market share and leading agent. They didn’t attend with their photographer, didn’t give any constructive advice to me about how to create a very good property advert. The other smaller agent spent over two and half hours here, explaining how better adverts attracted the right people and left looking physically exhausted after moving half my furniture around! It was a case of the difference between being told ‘hot air’ and being told how to make a real difference.
We shared a whatsapp group with James and his admin assistants who he says help book his diary. He did all the viewings himself, which was very reassuring as he clearly knew what he was doing, and in the end negotiated a very good result for me, one which I was absolutely delighted with. The fist agent had failed to get an offer from a buyer.
He did tell me he was self-employed and he did also tell me that he only earns a living if sales actually go through, and perhaps that accounts for the difference between the first agent who seemed rather complacent in their dealings with me, and James, who always seemed very focused and committed – even messaging me in reply late into the evening when I wasn’t expecting one.
I would give James 5 stars for the effort. 5 Stars for the advice which turned out to be 100% accurate. 5 stars for the execution, of how he negotiated, patiently with my buyer, offering me reassurance he was actively working with my interests at heart.
Never did I expect a self-employed agent who only deals with a few clients each month to offer such a resolutely better service than a market leading agent, however that is exactly what happened and I’m very glad out of frustration I decided to call Get Agent that day.
Just lastly I would like to make a mention of James’ helper Susie, who communicated with me, the buyer and all the different involved parties throughout the sale of my property. She was very good at keeping me updated and like James seemed to be working outside of the hours you’d call usual.
I have recommend James to a very good friend and I know they’ll be in very good hands.
Thank you James and Susie for all your hard work and effort in helping me make my move. I am now very happy indeed.
But it didn’t materialize. After several excuses about the market being difficult, and buyers not wanting something exactly like my property, they were soon on the phone telling me if I didn’t reduce my price it would be a big mistake. I started to think the big mistake was me falling for it ‘hook, line and sinker’. It seems the other 25 odd branches that I’d been led to believe would be also selling my flat, couldn’t muster a single viewing between them. And when agents did carry out viewings, they didn’t seem particularly interested and didn’t seem to know my property very well either. I don’t think the different agents viewing it helped in any way either as it seemed incohesive to me from my perspective.
After this rather frustrating experience I stumbled across Get Agent where I then had a call from one of their team explaining what to look for in an agent and how their stats could help me. On the phone they mentioned James, explaining he was a smaller Company but had VERY good sales stats, so I ticked the box to request him to call me.
After an initial chat, we agreed a meeting and he explained what he did that no other agent did, which is to help me create the right advert by helping me to style my property for his photographer. In fact, on the day he insisted I left him to it. I can tell you my previous agent did nothing to help whatsoever. In fact when I complained about some of the photos being poor, they did absolutely nothing about it. James’ photographers were far from poor. The previous agents photographer had been and gone within 30 minutes, James spent almost 1hr and 30 minutes moving furniture, and things he deemed unnecessary out of view. I also noticed his passion in asking for very specific angles and photos he wanted that he’d taken time to set up and stylize for his photographer. It was a very different experience from the market share and leading agent. They didn’t attend with their photographer, didn’t give any constructive advice to me about how to create a very good property advert. The other smaller agent spent over two and half hours here, explaining how better adverts attracted the right people and left looking physically exhausted after moving half my furniture around! It was a case of the difference between being told ‘hot air’ and being told how to make a real difference.
We shared a whatsapp group with James and his admin assistants who he says help book his diary. He did all the viewings himself, which was very reassuring as he clearly knew what he was doing, and in the end negotiated a very good result for me, one which I was absolutely delighted with. The fist agent had failed to get an offer from a buyer.
He did tell me he was self-employed and he did also tell me that he only earns a living if sales actually go through, and perhaps that accounts for the difference between the first agent who seemed rather complacent in their dealings with me, and James, who always seemed very focused and committed – even messaging me in reply late into the evening when I wasn’t expecting one.
I would give James 5 stars for the effort. 5 Stars for the advice which turned out to be 100% accurate. 5 stars for the execution, of how he negotiated, patiently with my buyer, offering me reassurance he was actively working with my interests at heart.
Never did I expect a self-employed agent who only deals with a few clients each month to offer such a resolutely better service than a market leading agent, however that is exactly what happened and I’m very glad out of frustration I decided to call Get Agent that day.
Just lastly I would like to make a mention of James’ helper Susie, who communicated with me, the buyer and all the different involved parties throughout the sale of my property. She was very good at keeping me updated and like James seemed to be working outside of the hours you’d call usual.
I have recommend James to a very good friend and I know they’ll be in very good hands.
Thank you James and Susie for all your hard work and effort in helping me make my move. I am now very happy indeed.
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Feb 20, 2023
Thank you so much for the very kind words. I'm just pleased that I finally helped you to make your dream move away from London, and I'm very grateful that you passed a friend to me too. As always call me if you want any information about the property markets, in London or rural Kent.
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Latest Reviews
31st Oct 2023
reviewed by 'Claire'
29th Oct 2023
reviewed by 'Ralph'
12th Jul 2023
reviewed by 'Joe'
10th Jul 2023
reviewed by 'Abigail Evans'
31st May 2023
reviewed by 'Sam'
26th May 2023
reviewed by 'Sue'
Opening Hours
Address
fish need water
1-2 The Parade, Felbridge HouseDog Kennel Hill
East Dulwich,London
Greater London
SE22 8BQ
02086907766
Performance statistics
| Services | Valuation Accuracy | Fees Satisfaction | Min Price of property reviewed | Max Price of property reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sales | 95% | 91% | £23,637 | £5,500,000 |
| Lettings | 98% | 93% | £763 | £4,766 |
Review statistics
| From Landlords | From Tenants | From Vendors | From Buyers | Other | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | 1 | 62 | 3 | 121 | 4 | 30 | 0 | 5 | 5 |
Areas covered
- SE22
- London
- SE15
- SE4
- SE23
- SE16
- SE1
- SE5
- SE6
- SE10
- SE12
Services offered
- Sales
- Lettings
- Block Management
- Surveys
- Conveyancing
- Mortgage Advice
- Home Builder
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Images & Videos
Oct 31,2023
Oct 31,2023
1
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Brilliant experience with Fish Need Water!
When we started thinking about moving house we didn't know where to start and so we spoke to a few agents, mainly high street as well as James. We took a bit of a gamble going with James, but ...
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Oct 29,2023
Oct 29,2023
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I couldn't recommend James highly enough - in fact he saved our skins when we'd pretty much lost hope in the whole sale purchase. We were originally working with a high-street estate agent and getting absolutely nowhere - a few months of barely any viewings ...
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Oct 29, 2023
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Thanks so much Ralph. I couldn't have hoped to woek with a better client. Best of luck in your new home. Thank you, James ...
Jul 12,2023
Jul 12,2023
1
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We came across James using google to find a local agent. After he called and we spoke he explained that even though the office where he works part time is in Dulwich, he lived in Eltham, not far from my property in fact. James explained ...
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Jul 10,2023
Jul 10,2023
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We recently sold our flat with Fish Need Water. After speaking to several estate agents in the area, James stood out as the most knowledgeable and passionate so we decided to go with him. He helped us style the flat and we had over 30 excellent ...
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May 31,2023
May 31,2023
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Everyone I’ve spoken to and met have been very friendly and professional. And the house we have viewed is perfect....
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May 26,2023
May 26,2023
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Over and Above
I had used fish need water previously to let my property in the Art Deco built Ealing Village. I hadn’t spoken to James before, and when I enquired about selling my property, it was he who visited and reported back to ...
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Apr 27,2023
Apr 27,2023
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Thanks for all your help James! Always a pleasure to work with you and the team. The images and video were fantastic and attached buyers quickly and Susie was great at updating us on the progress....
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Apr 24,2023
Apr 24,2023
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This is the second time we have used fishneedwater. We found James to be exceptional, his customer service between us the seller and our buyers was above and beyond. I would highly recommend using this agent....
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Apr 21,2023
Apr 21,2023
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James and Susie at Fish Need Water are simply amazing! They helped me sell my property and I cannot thank them enough for their hard work and personal approach. They went above and beyond to make sure that everything went smoothly and kept me in ...
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Apr 21,2023
Apr 21,2023
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Outstanding service from start to finish. I can’t rate James highly enough. Excellent communication keeping me informed at all stages. Would highly recommend....
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Apr 21,2023
Apr 21,2023
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James was incredibly efficient, honest, and a pleasure to work with when we sold our one-bed flat in Crystal Palace.
We selected him over other agents for his emphasis on staging the property for the listing photos. In this area he truly delivered, ensuring our ...
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Feb 20,2023
Feb 20,2023
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I came to talk to James after having an unsatisfactory experience with the areas leading agent (their words to me) who had over 40% market share or something like that. At the time it all sounded very impressive although perhaps naively, I expected the staff of ...
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Feb 20, 2023
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(1)
Thank you so much for the very kind words. I'm just pleased that I finally helped you to make your dream move away from London, and I'm very grateful that you passed a friend to me too. As always call me if you want any information about the property markets, in London or rural Kent. ...
Feb 06,2023
Feb 06,2023
0
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I’d never heard of fish need water, or James previous to finding out about him on the estate agent comparison website getagent.
I had been on the market with a leading agent locally, the type with multiple offices in nearby towns.
Initially when meeting ...
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Feb 06, 2023
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Thank you so much Michelle, it was a pleasure helping you make the move. I hope you are all very happy there. ...
Jan 18,2023
Jan 18,2023
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James was instrumental in selling our 3-bed house in Camberwell recently. We engaged around 5 local estate agents (incl. the most reputable ones in the area) and James outshone them by a mile. He was by far more knowledgeable on the market, the neighbourhood and had ...
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Jan 18, 2023
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Thank you Teresa, for such a wonderful review, it was my pleasure. ...
Dec 20,2022
Dec 20,2022
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Got us £100k more than Hunters.
James and Fish Need Water are brilliant estate agents. Friendly, courteous and professional and genuinely dedicated to getting you the best price. James booked two sessions with photographers, came over an hour and a half before the shoot to ...
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Dec 05,2022
Dec 05,2022
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James Hall is an estate agent you can count on to have your property sold. He is especially good with advice on how to present your property to ensure success. He goes all out to make ensure a sale within a short time.
Before I ...
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Nov 21,2022
Nov 21,2022
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I choose James and Fishneedwater over the major high street chains for their personal service and because James had a great presence, calm, not pushy and seemed like an urgent I could trust and ultimately someone I would buy a house from too. James was ...
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Nov 11,2022
Nov 11,2022
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James and his team at Fish Need Water were very helpful, friendly and not like the usual smooth-talking estate agents. Down to earth and trustworthy, they are just the kind of people you'd like to be dealing with when buying a home. Highly recommended!...
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Oct 29,2022
Oct 29,2022
0
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what can i say what a team, i personally see a lot of fish need waters tenants as contracting as a electrician for them, and always spoken about in high regards, they get repairs done promptly, know the regulations and understand if work needs to ...
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Oct 28,2022
Oct 28,2022
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This was the first property that I have sold and I was a bit apprehensive about what the process would be like.
I approached a number of agents and found their responses formulaic until I met James from Fish Needs Water. Immediately I felt at ...
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Oct 07,2022
Oct 07,2022
1
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I thought it would be very daunting becoming a first time landlord, however, FishNeedWater made the whole process painless and extremely smooth. Thank you for all your help!...
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Sep 08,2022
Sep 08,2022
0
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I’ve used James a few times. He talks straight. I like that about him. He tells me what I need to hear, not what I’d like to hear, but I always feel he’s being totally honest. My property was not a especially ...
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Sep 08, 2022
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Thank you Mark, it's always a pleasure to work for you, and as always I really appreciate your business and referrals. Thank you, James ...
Aug 05,2022
Aug 05,2022
0
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He was very helpful, knowledgeable about the market and honest in his approach to valuation. He went over and beyond the ask, he didn't have have to given the circumstances of the valuation....
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Jul 19,2022
Jul 19,2022
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Amazing handling from start to finish. James was really passionate about the house market, and did such a thorough amount of research at the beginning and worked together with us to produce amazing photos, styled the house and drone video which set us apart from ...
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Jun 14,2022
Jun 14,2022
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I had put my flat on the market with a high street agent with disappointing results. After a pause I got in touch with James at Fish Need Water. His approach was refreshing. He advised us how to declutter and present the best features of ...
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Jun 08,2022
Jun 08,2022
2
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James recently sold our 4-bed home in South London and we couldn't have been happier with the service and the result. From the first telephone call, James had a clear strategy that really made sense to us - put the property on the market for ...
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Jun 08, 2022
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Thank you so much Susanne. I'm so grateful for such a lovely review. ...
Jun 08,2022
Jun 08,2022
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I've known James for quite a few years now and this is not the first property he has sold for me. Usually, I have a few local estate agents over to give their opinion, and James is always on point with his estimated valuation however ...
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Jun 06,2022
Jun 06,2022
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My experience with fishneedwater Ltd has been fantastic 👌 Thank you Jack for your help. You are the best! It's a pleasure working with you....
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Apr 04,2022
Apr 04,2022
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James was incredible.
James and Fish Need Water did a great job advising us and a beautiful job dressing, photographing and even filming our house. The listing, photographs and film all got lots of complements. It felt like a really personal service, from someone who ...
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Feb 17,2022
Feb 17,2022
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I have just sold my wonderful flat with Fish Need Water. I have been extremely grateful for the help and support from this small agency. I was previously under the assumption that estate agents were all the same only their commission varying. However I was ...
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Best Estate Agent in SE22 
Best Estate Agent in SE22 
