TheLife
A day in the life of… Paul Dixon Children, celebrities and buyers with £30m budgets are all part of Paul’s varied day.
T
hrough Robert Leech & Partners in Surrey, Paul Dixon specialises in both the sale and acquisition of equestrian
and country estates. Previously a director of a national estate agency group, Paul set up the business in the 1990s with partner Robert Leech. The business focuses on the middle to top
end of the market, “Everything is a challenge in these economic times, but I am passionate about property and I believe it is all about determination,” says Paul. Property is the heart of the Dixon family
with daughter Lara working as Paul’s PA and son Hugh taking his Real Estate degree at the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester. Of his family Paul says, “Having completed her MA degree at St Andrews Lara is multilingual, so she works on the ‘International Desk’ and when she isn’t there she makes the tea. “And whenever I tell my son how much
I love the Cotswolds I get, ‘What am I doing here then?’ as the reply!” This is his ‘day’.
The night before the morning after This is not quite a typical day, as it started the previous evening. There I am with Tess Daly and Simon Cowell hosting a charity auction for the Katie Piper Foundation at the Savoy. As usual they are a noisy bunch so Tess says, “bash the mike a few times”. The resulting ‘banging’ quietens the baying mob. Working as a freelance property auctioneer has led me to take the rostrum at numerous charity events including the Elton John Aids Foundation. It now seems a very long way from Croydon, where I was President of the Auctioneers Association. Back at the Savoy, Rebecca Ferguson has
knocked out a number and we are into the auction. The first lot goes ok-ish with some bidding from One Direction. I ‘fine’ one individual £200 for being the noisiest guest and next I am onto the Chopard GT Watch. Things are slowing so I coax a bid from Simon Cowell, finally knocking down to him at £15,000 – well above its value. The event raises £100,000.
The morning after I struggle with a very early breakfast in Covent Garden; not because of the time, but because the cups have no handles. “Very French,” the waitress says. I drive from London down to Sussex to look
at a pile which is not on the open market. For some time I’ve had an enquiry from an overseas buyer fortunate enough to have a budget of £30m. It is a very elegant, original Georgian house, hidden in its own deer park. It always fascinates me to talk to the
owners, particularly when walking the land. They relate their plans, aspirations and often inner held secrets. It’s all ‘filed’ in my virtual black book; that is what deal-makers do.
50 l September 2012 l TheNegotiator The Auction Finance Limited team attends more than 400 auctions a year.
“I coax a bid from Simon Cowell, knocking the Chopard GT watch
down to him at £15,000.” Paul Dixon JP, FCMI, AssocRICS, FNAVA
Early afternoon Back at the factory in Surrey and the pressure is on. We have exchanged finally on a riding school in Warlingham. Buyers are going for an early completion, so I need to invoice. My ‘in box’ is full; I make it my policy to return every call, no matter who it may be. I have set up a network of overseas
property portals and someone from Saudi Arabia wants to view the Premier Competition Estate I am marketing in Lingfield at £5m. I will collect them from the local station and allocate them half a day. It reminds me of my early days in estate agency when you put an applicant in the car and showed them everything on the market. On one such outing, I found a woman in a vacant property hiding in the wardrobe – but that story is for another day.
Late afternoon I am joint agent with Knight Frank on a large farm in Surrey and the brochure must be approved by 4.30pm. I have a good working relationship with other agents; many pass
buyers and sellers to me. They prefer to work on a fee share basis, rather than deal with something which is outside their own domain.
Early evening I am in the office until 6.30-7.00pm and then I look forward to getting back home – a 17th Century house in the middle of nowhere. I have never been able to stand noise. “Keep quiet, then,” my wife, Marian, says.
Late evening I enjoy a couple of glasses of Australian Shiraz. I think a good diet is important and have moved to a Mediterranean influence. I don’t do the gym, as there are more interesting ways to exercise. I believe in my own set of values and trusting my inner self. Late on and there are many thoughts in my mind, but that, as they say, is for another day.l
What is your day like? Give us an insight into your working life. Write to
mail@thenegotiator.co.uk.
www.thenegotiator.co.uk
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