Julian Masson launches Maison Sage, a bespoke estate agency in Chiswick

Julian Masson

‘Created with a simple vision: to provide a more thoughtful, attentive and personal approach to selling homes’

Chiswick is getting another estate agent.

“Why in the name of all that’s holy would we need another one?” I hear you ask. After all, we already have 35 or so estate agents operating in the W4 postcode.

Maison Sage is setting out to do things a little differently.

For a start, it will not have premises on the High Road or anywhere else. Founder / Director Julian Masson will be operating without a traditional office.

The model is intentionally different he told me.

“Some of the most successful estate agencies and brokers in London now operate on a hybrid basis. The industry has moved on. Clients value expertise, accessibility and results far more than whether their agent has a window on the High Road.”

And Maison Sage’s usp is that Julian will offer a bespoke, director-level service from start to finish, looking after customers from valuation to sale himself, which he describes as a “more considered, attentive and personal” approach.

In a traditional agency model, he says, a seller may meet a very experienced agent at the initial valuation but then deal with several different people throughout the sale.

“I wanted to create a model where the same experienced person remains closely involved from the initial advice and marketing strategy, right through to negotiation and completion. Continuity matters, particularly when you’re dealing with someone’s most valuable asset.”

Julian has plenty of experience. He has spent 15 years working in both larger, corporate companies and small, independent estate agents, including a decade in Chiswick, seven of them with John D. Wood & Co. running an office on Turnham Green Terrace.

This is where I should declare an interest. I have reason to be grateful to Julian, as John D Wood & Co. sponsored The Chiswick Calendar in its early days, seeing it as a positive initiative in Chiswick, promoting the area and celebrating the good things which happen here, as a genuine community asset.

That sponsorship enabled us to grow to the point where it was reaching a big enough readership to attract advertising.

Artists At Home and Chiswick House Dog Show also have reason to be grateful to John D. Wood for supporting them in organising community events which enrich Chiswick.

“There is a tremendous sense of community in Chiswick; people want to support local businesses and there is a focus on people helping each other.”, he told me.

What prompted him to set up on his own?

“When I was headhunted to join a firm in Chelsea, it gave me the opportunity to work at a different level and ultimately gave me the confidence to launch my own business.

“I learned a huge amount from the experience, and it made me realise I was ready to take everything I had learned over the years and build something of my own.”

And now the time feels right. In the past 18 months he has moved to Chiswick, had a baby with his partner Jen and decided to take the plunge.

“I wanted to build the kind of estate agency I would want to instruct myself. One that feels personal, considered and genuinely invested in the outcome.”

He and his partner Jen bought a house in Strand on the Green last summer, home to baby Willow and their half Cocker Spaniel, half Norfolk Terrier, Frank.

While Julian was born and raised in Ealing, Jen is from Surrey, so Chiswick felt like a natural middle ground for them.

“Strand-on-the-Green in particular has that village feel. It feels like a world away from central London.”

Maison Sage will specialise exclusively in residential sales. Julian has deliberately chosen not to offer lettings, allowing the business to remain focused on the area in which he has built his career and expertise.

He will operate “on the principles of integrity, trust and reliability”, and says clients can expect straightforward, candid advice throughout the process, whether that means having an honest conversation about price or recommending changes to the presentation of a home before it comes to market.

Another difference – Maison Sage will be a member of The Chiswick Calendar’s Club Card scheme, offering a 10% discount on Julian’s fees, which would mean a discount of c.£1,500 on a million-pound sale.

You can see the Club Card page here.

It is “daunting, but exciting”, marking “a significant milestone in not only my professional career, but also my personal life”, says Julian.

Find out more about Maison Sage from Julian’s website:

maisonsage.co.uk

And from his Instagram account:

maisonsage