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A rookie in property development in south west London is giving
their profits away to charity groups.
Charlotte Grobien is managing the construction of three houses
in Putney. They should sell for a tidy profit, which Grobien is going to
donate to local charities. She originally wanted to refurbish a house to make
a quick profit of £50,000, but a lack of a suitable property meant that her
company, Give It Away, had to tackle two new build schemes, from which
she expects to make a profit of £300,000.
A Putney property is being demolished to make two homes with four bedrooms
and three bathrooms. She also plans to turn an empty plot into a coach house.
She has no salary, but most of the work is being done for free or at
discounted rates by professionals including Savills, the estate agent,
Faegre & Benson, conveyancing solicitors, and specialist craft and
building firms.
Alex Howard Baker of Savills said: "She's serious, just like any
conventional developer. But because of her negotiating skills and the causes
involved, she'll get better deals than most developers. It's a virtuous
circle and everyone should benefit.”
Grobien said: "The less we spend, the more we have to give away. We need
two complete kitchens to be donated or at least heavily discounted. I've also
written to celebrity gardeners. It'd be ideal publicity for them and free for
us."
The profits will go to Shaftesbury Homes; Arethusa, a charity
for children in care; Fairbridge; Skilltrain, for
13-to-25-year-olds who have social difficulties; a pre-school called Small
Steps; Whizz Kids, which provides mobility for disabled children;
the Shooting Stars Hospice; the South London Actionnaire Club's
centre for blind and partially sighted children and the NSPCC.
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