Ben Horne – head of our Country Buying department, and Ashley Wilsdon – head of London Buying, both joined Middleton in 2015. They sat down for a chat to mark their 10 years with the business.
Your journeys prior to joining Middleton couldn’t have been more different.
BH: “I did study at the Agricultural College, Cirencester, which is quite a typical route into country property – but I then had a 17‑year diversion with the British Army via places like Iraq and Afghanistan.”
AW: “If you think fighting for your country sounds tough, my ten‑year career as an estate agent began year before the financial crisis!”
BH: “I wouldn’t have believed that the business world could afford a similar sense of teamwork and accomplishment that I felt in the Army, but I think we’ve created something very special at Middleton.
Some of the clients who I first worked with are coming back with very different briefs because they’re at a new stage of life,
and it’s so satisfying to feel you are part of their journey.”
AW: “When I set up the London department in 2015, the challenge was explaining to our clients why they needed a buying advisor. While London and the country are very different markets, the core dynamics are the same – the best houses are sold off‑market, and value is a far more complex equation than simple pounds per square foot.
Ten years on, it’s become harder than ever – even for a savvy buyer – to navigate. An increasing percentage of property across all price points is sold privately, via a quite fragmented array of selling agents, brokers and intermediaries.”
You’ve both bought family homes in the last 10 years. Did you make good ‘clients’?
BH: “I definitely did what I would advise any client to do. If there is a property that you absolutely love and you can get to it before it comes to market, that is incredibly valuable. I’d have very likely lost my house in competition. Now that I’ve been there a few years, it feels like fantastic value in retrospect.”
AW: “Property agents make the worst buyers and sellers – I was a nightmare! Not having representation to help me navigate the emotional side of the transaction reminded me of the importance of having someone in your corner who can be objective during moments of high stress.”
What would you change about the property business?
BH: “Some of the restrictions on listed buildings are so costly and carbon counterproductive. And secondly, I might be the only business‑person in the country crying out for more regulation, but the industry needs to become more professional across the board.”
AW: “Legislation – around planning and building regulations, which is implemented without proper consultation with industry. And I’d overhaul the current legal process in the UK for buying a property – one of the most archaic in the world.”
If you were trying to convince each other to swap London for the country, where would you recommend?
BH: “Ashley thinks everyone in the country spends their weekdays on the train and their weekends cycling head‑to‑toe in Lycra, which is ironic because he grew up in the Cotswolds, so I’d only encourage him if he could also keep a flat in London.”
AW: “If Ben lived in London, it would probably be a turret in the Tower of London or somewhere near the river, although I don’t think you’re allowed to fish in the Thames.”
