Voices in Property - Charlie Wells

Welcome to our quick-fire spotlight on industry leaders and entrepreneurs in Property.

In this edition, Charlie Wells MRICS,  Managing Director of buying agency Prime Purchase shares personal insights and experiences with anyone who may be currently working in or aspiring to join the London property industry.

What are you most proud of in your career?

The team we have assembled over the past few years at Prime Purchase is something to be proud of. We have full coverage across London and the Country, which no other buying agency can boast, from East Anglia down to Kent, up to the Cotswolds and everything in between, as well as a very senior team in London. The team is extremely well balanced and to a person very highly respected within their areas of expertise. 

First property job and how you got it

I got my first job before graduating from the Royal Agricultural College. It was a much-sought-after APC position with a renowned firm of land and property agents who specialised in the sale and management of sporting estates and diverse farming businesses. It was part of the milkround when various firms came and interviewed at colleges and universities; I went through a three-interview process, getting on very well with my ultimate employer, Mark Osborne, who was a renowned taskmaster but gave extremely good training. I learnt an enormous amount form him, particularly how to handle UHNWs and identify my strengths and weaknesses. 

What motivates you?

Two things – achieving something that my clients probably thought was not possible or very difficult to find. Finding the unusual, one of those hidden gems which are out there.

The second motivation is creating deals where there seemingly wasn’t one – putting a number of different elements of a property together to create something special for my clients. It is very rare that I buy straightforward bricks and mortar with a garden, it is always so much more complicated than that.

Best advice for preparing for an interview

Be extremely well prepared, research the interviewer and the company, bring lots of examples of your own past deals and achievements and be very well turned out. Nowadays, people think they don’t need to dress up and look the part, but I find looking the part always helps.

What advice would you give your 18-year-old self?

Have a lot more confidence in my own ability and push myself out of my comfort zone. I was pretty obsessed with the rural property sector in the early part of my career when working in a London or international market would have helped. But that would have required me to be a more mature or adventurous person than I was at 18.

Which leader, entrepreneur, founder or CEO inspires you?

It is difficult to pinpoint one because so many are so humble in how and what they have achieved. There is one very senior banker who springs to mind: I won’t embarrass him by naming him, but he has been extremely kind and given me some very good advice over the past 20 years I have worked for him.

Your best deal?

Probably my first significant property deal which I put together nearly 30 years ago. I was shooting and overheard a conversation where my client (who at that point wasn’t my client) said he had lost out on buying a grouse moor to another buyer. I left that day and set about finding, through my connections in that world, a grouse moor that might be available. I found one, did the research, got all the information and approached him cold with the opportunity. I persuaded him to retain me, and we successfully bought it.

Favourite restaurant?

Angela Hartnett’s Murano – it’s smart without being stuffy.

Apple or Android?

Obviously, Apple even if I only use one-hundredth of its capability.

Find out more about Prime Purchase here and connect with Charlie Wells here.

Collins Property Recruitment is a business with a purpose: to enable talent and businesses to meet and do great things together. We make this happen through an unrivalled network, a values-led, consultative approach and a hard-earned reputation as the go-to recruiter in property.

Should you have any enquiries, email us at info@collinspropertyrecruitment.com or give us a call on 020 7435 0309.