Jason Harris-Cohen is one of the UK’s leading professional house buyers. On average, each year, he buys in excess of 60 properties which in 2014 ranged from Glasgow to Southampton.
Jason buys a varied type of residential properties for Open Property Group ranging from empty homes, problem properties, tenanted, short leases, and renovation and redevelopment opportunities. The business objective is to add value to assets, trade profitability, and retain investment opportunities where they predict house price inflation over medium to long term.
Open Property Group are happy to take a view on properties which are very difficult for the typical homeowner to purchase. They range from property with subsidence issues to properties which need to be sold quickly due to the threat of repossession or, from families who just want to cash in an inherited property without the hassle of viewings that are usually required through an estate agent.
Jason’s career started in property in 2005, so has lived through ‘good times’ and ‘bad’ in the property market. He started life working for a respected estate agent: Rolfe East which covered the Greenford and Acton area. Within a short space of time, Jason became one of the company’s lead negotiators, and was responsible for the valuation and negotiations of millions of pounds worth of residential property.
From learning how to sell properties, Jason moved to work with his great uncle in the family business, managing over 1,500 properties from their offices in the west end of London. Before the economic crash in 2007/8, the company had over 25 employees and the business was handling between 100 to 200 leads a month. Individual properties through to portfolios of 50 or more properties were being bought, averaging around 20 purchases a month.
Jason was the highest performing property buyer in the company and acquired property with a valuation of several million pounds. Jason worked with them until 2014 when he decided to go in to partnership with two entrepreneurs and establish Open Property Group as one of the leading home buying companies in the market.
The ambition of the company is to create a friendly, approachable, national home buying company and assist homeowners when they want a fast and certain property sale.
Currently Jason is one of 3 directors of Open Property Group in charge of business development and head of acquisitions.
Jason lives in Buckinghamshire with his fiancé Carli, and son Eddie.