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01603 369977
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01603 369977
Upper Barn is a remarkable equestrian home set in over twelve acres of Suffolk countryside near Harleston. By the time The Ivybridge Collection was instructed, the owners had been on the market for some time with other agents, with very few meaningful viewings and even less real hope of moving on to the next stage of their retirement.
This case study sets out how we repositioned Upper Barn from an overlooked listing into a highly desirable equestrian opportunity, using strategy led marketing, detailed storytelling and a director led approach at every stage.
When the owners first contacted us, they had already tried two estate agents. Despite the quality of the home, they had experienced:
The property had not been positioned as a true equestrian home. The earlier marketing barely acknowledged the menage, underplayed the paddocks, and failed to explain how the land, stables and facilities worked together for serious horse owners.
Our first step was to view the home in person and understand why such a special property was not attracting committed buyers. It was immediately clear that the problem was not the house or the land. The problem was the story that had been told so far.
Upper Barn sits along a small track in open countryside, surrounded by fields and hedges. As you approach, the setting unfolds slowly. The paddocks, gardens and pond reveal themselves, then the barn and its annexe come into view. You feel that you have arrived somewhere secluded and special, yet still connected to the small village of Mendham in the distance.
Standing in the garden, the most striking impression is the peace. You hear little other than birds in the trees and the gentle sounds of the countryside. The majority of the main rooms face west, which means that from early afternoon, light pours into the house, the terrace and the lawn. In the evenings, you can watch the sun set on the horizon from the bedroom or the patio. It feels like a private viewing gallery for summer skies.
Inside, the craftsmanship is immediately obvious. There is a mix of old and new timber, stone floors, robust joinery and carefully considered finishes. The snug with its wood burning stove feels intimate and cosy, while the dining room, with its original beams, has the character of the older barn. The main living spaces are bright and generous, with views of the gardens and countryside, giving the home a strong sense of both comfort and occasion.
For equestrian buyers, the land and facilities are as important as the house itself. Upper Barn offers over twelve acres divided into three main paddocks, supported by:
The menage is well fenced and hedged, providing a safe and secure schooling environment. The paddocks are well drained and productive, making them suitable for both turnout and hay. The whole equestrian area is set discreetly away from the main house, yet close enough to be convenient in daily use.
We knew that serious equestrian buyers would immediately appreciate these details, but only if they were clearly presented. That meant using specialist equestrian language, explaining how the acreage worked in practice and showing how the home and the land support day to day horse ownership.
For a deeper overview of how we approach equestrian homes in the region, you can see our guide Equestrian Properties in Norfolk and our broader specialist equestrian property sales service.
Beyond the equestrian facilities, Upper Barn supports a complex modern lifestyle. The main house has four bedrooms, with a vaulted hallway leading to three bedrooms upstairs and a further bedroom downstairs. The flow works well for both family living and entertaining.
The separate two bedroom annexe has its own kitchen, utility room, shower room and private terrace area, including wiring for a hot tub. This makes it ideal for multi generational living, extended family, guests or a potential income stream, subject to any required consents.
For those working from home, there is a well proportioned office within the main house with a double aspect over the courtyard and paddocks. There is also a further room attached to the garages, currently used as a dog grooming parlour, which could be repurposed as an additional workspace.
The gardens wrap around the property, with distinct areas for different uses. There is a large rear lawn that could lend itself to further landscaping, a pool or additional paddock if required, along with a beautiful pond area. Here, a small decked terrace allows you to sit with coffee by the water, surrounded by planting, with moorhens and fish creating a sense of quiet life in motion.
The owners of Upper Barn were a professional couple who had invested heavily in the property over the years. They knew the home was special, but they were tired of being on the market with so little to show for it. Previous viewings had often been with unqualified buyers or people for whom the property was clearly unsuitable.
They told us that they were fearful of wasting more time, but they could also see that we worked differently. They recognised that we understood not only how to list a home, but how to communicate its emotional and practical appeal to the right buyers.
They were particularly drawn to the director led model at The Ivybridge Collection. Rather than handing their sale from valuer to photographer to negotiator, they knew that the same people who first visited Upper Barn would also oversee the staging, direct the photography, interview the buyers, host the viewings and handle every negotiation.
Our first task was to completely reposition Upper Barn. That meant:
We rewrote all of the copy from scratch, using our strategy led approach to equestrian property marketing. Instead of listing measurements, we focused on how the spaces feel and function. We explained how the acreage divides between grazing and hay, how the menage supports year round schooling, and how the practical details of the utility room, access and storage make daily equestrian life easier.
We also made sure that the multi generational potential of the annexe and the work from home options were clearly set out. The aim was to help qualified buyers quickly recognise whether Upper Barn matched the life they wanted to build next.
Because we stage and direct our own shoots, we spent a full day at Upper Barn with our professional photographer. Our focus was to show the home in active use rather than as an empty backdrop.
Outside, we:
We then styled key lifestyle scenes. The pond terrace was set up for quiet coffee in the countryside. The patio table was dressed for an evening supper with the fire lit and the sun setting behind the fields. Finally, we conducted a dusk shoot, lighting the house throughout and capturing the warmth of the interior spilling into the gardens.
We produced a cinematic film that combined aerial footage of the land with close up details of the home and pond, set against the backdrop of the surrounding countryside. The brochure and online listing were built around this visual story so that buyers could feel the property before they viewed it in person.
Once the new photography, film and narrative were in place, Upper Barn was relaunched to the market through The Ivybridge Collection website and selected portals. We also introduced the property directly to relevant buyers from our database who had registered interest in homes with land and equestrian facilities.
We monitor buyer behaviour on our property pages, including which sections attract the most attention. This allowed us to refine the online copy to support stronger engagement before scaling the wider promotion.
Every enquiry came through to Nicola or Robert personally. Because we knew the property intimately and understood the equestrian details, we could quickly determine whether an enquiry was likely to lead to a serious viewing. This meant:
Viewings were then conducted by us rather than by junior staff or a separate host. This gave buyers direct access to someone who could answer detailed questions about the land, facilities, layout and lifestyle, and who had personally experienced the home over the staging and filming days.
Upper Barn needed a new story, a new strategy and a new standard of presentation. Once the property was repositioned as an equestrian sanctuary with serious facilities and a rare level of peace and privacy, interest followed.
The move from generic listing to strategy led campaign produced:
For the owners, the biggest shift was psychological. Instead of feeling stuck with a property that would not move, they could see clear evidence that the right buyers were now engaging with their home on the right terms.
If you own an equestrian home, you may recognise some of the challenges that Upper Barn faced before it was repositioned. Perhaps the acreage is not being properly explained. Perhaps the menage, stables or turnout have been underrepresented. Perhaps the lifestyle is not being communicated clearly enough to attract the right buyers.
Our role is to bring clarity and strategy to that process. You can explore our broader guidance in:
If you are considering a move, you can also:
If you would like to talk about your plans in confidence, a conversation with our directors is the simplest next step.
