After years of helping US and Canadian buyers purchase property in Central London, I've discovered that the perfect London pied-à-terre is often not the property people imagine when they start the search.

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For a start, bigger isn't always better.

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Many overseas buyers arrive assuming they need two or three bedrooms because that's what they're used to at home. Then they realise they'll actually spend most of their time in restaurants, meeting friends, walking the city or disappearing off to Europe for a few days. Suddenly that extra bedroom starts looking less like a necessity and more like an expensive storage unit.

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The sweet spot is often a beautifully designed one or two-bedroom apartment that works brilliantly rather than a larger property that works adequately.

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Location matters even more than size.​ The perfect Central London apartment isn't the one that's closest to a famous landmark. It's the one that makes your life easy. Somewhere you can step outside and immediately feel connected to the city. Somewhere where walking becomes your default mode of transport because almost everything you need is within twenty minutes.

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The best pied-à-terre owners often spend surprisingly little time inside their apartments. They're buying access to London as much as they're buying the property itself.

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Natural light is another thing that moves up buyers' priority lists very quickly.​ London can be grey enough without voluntarily living in the darkest apartment in the building. I've seen buyers fall in love with period features, fireplaces and ceiling mouldings only to realise later that the sun never quite makes it into the living room.​ A bright apartment in Central London is one of those things that never goes out of fashion.

 

Storage matters more than anyone thinks.​ This may be the least glamorous advice you'll ever receive from a buying agent, but a cupboard you don't notice during a viewing can become your favourite feature six months later. A London apartment that can comfortably hold suitcases, winter coats and the things you don't want to fly back and forth across the Atlantic is worth its weight in gold.

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And finally, the perfect London pied-à-terre should feel easy.​ Easy to lock up and leave. Easy to maintain. Easy to arrive at after an overnight flight from New York or Toronto.

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The biggest mistake overseas buyers make when buying property in London is trying to recreate their primary home in another country.​ The buyers who are happiest with their Central London property usually do the opposite. They buy something that fits the way they actually live when they're in London, not the way they live everywhere else.

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That's usually when the magic happens.