About Us

Looking for a new home can be a full-time job, so we do it for you.

North by Northwest was set up in 1998 in recognition of the problems buyers can face, particularly in the London property market. Historically, UK homebuyers have been left to manage for themselves. This might be fine if you find the property of your dreams on the first day of looking, your first offer is accepted and everything runs smoothly up to completion and beyond…..but how realistic is that?

What if

•   You can only make viewings in the evenings or at weekends which wastes   your leisure time, but the estate agents are busy or closed?
•   You have made an effort to view a property but it isn't what you expected?

•   you find a home that you like, but the seller has an unrealistic idea of value?
•   you end up in a bidding competition?
•   the survey reveals problems?
•   the vendor wants to pull out on the day before exchange?  

We have encountered all of these problems (and worse!) so we can use our experience to make sure that you get what you want.

We can also take an independent view when necessary. If we think your expectations are unrealistic, we will say so rather than waste your time. In most cases, however, we have been successful in finding our clients what they want at a price they can afford.

We specialize in northwest and central London and the areas we focus on include : Hampstead, Belsize Park, Regent's Park, St John's Wood, Primrose Hill, South & West Hampstead, Hampstead Garden Suburb, Golders Green, Marylebone, Maida Vale, Little Venice, Holland Park, Notting Hill and Kensington.

We focus on a relatively small area for two reasons:

• The better we know the search area, the better advice we can offer. Which are the best streets? Which houses are next to a railway line? Where are the new developments being built? What is a fair price for a particular property? This type of information helps us to ensure that you get the best possible value when buying your new home.
• Being local also helps us when dealing with estate agents. The local agents know us well, and know that we only represent committed buyers. This means that we often hear about new properties before they are officially available.

We act solely in the interests of our clients – the buyers. We never represent sellers and we therefore avoid any conflicts of interest. We also never accept instructions from any new client with similar requirements to an existing client without the prior consent of both parties.

Liat Elstein is the Managing Director of North by Northwest. She has been active in the property industry since 1988, is an Associate of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, and has comprehensive experience of property acquisitions, valuation, development, leasing, sales and management.

In 1998, after 10 years with international property consultants Jones Lang LaSalle, Liat set up North by Northwest so that buyers of residential property can have the same high level of service that commercial buyers have always enjoyed. She has built up an extensive network of contacts in the property industry over the years, ranging from estate agents to developers and investors. Liat has a proven track record in property negotiation as well as in-depth knowledge of the residential property market in northwest and central London.

North by Northwest is an associate member of the Association of Relocation Agents.