Less Clients, Better Service

It doesn’t matter which industry or which product you are selling the same always applies. If you have less clients, you are able to do a better job, give more attention with more specific focus on results.

Perhaps one of the biggest irritations for clients in this industry is instructing an agent on your behalf and then subsequently having tremendous difficulty speaking to the same person twice in the team. This leads to lack of understanding and a fractured service and quite often a frustrating and damaging relationship between client and agent.

I’ve chosen to work in a very different way. I have a small team that pivot around me. They all specialise in a particular part of the job. However, I’m always involved and pulling the strings behind the scenes.

As an example, it always amazes me that you can instruct an established agent to do the job and when it comes to certain critical elements such as handling an offer (which done correctly can make tens of thousands of pounds of difference) its passed to any member of the team, some inexperienced and sometimes have no business handling the important task of the offer.

I have a limit on the number of clients I deal with at any one time so that all the important and impactful things are all handled by me. Experience and timing is crucial.

Transparent with Our Fees

I am always fully transparent about my fees. I detest the smoke and mirrors and the way in which it’s accepted in this industry not to give straight answers on charges.

Yes, I am an estate agent. However, I don’t talk like one, I don’t dress like one and I don’t think like your average estate agent. People I meet frequently complain to me how difficult it seems to get an agent to simply tell them what they charge. This starts a relationship on the wrong foot…the very person you are trusting to sell your largest asset is failing to give you a straight answer at the beginning of the relationship.

I don’t play this game. It’s 1.5% + VAT and no sale no fee. How easy was that! If you ask me to haggle the fee goes up 😊

I don’t spend my time haggling with clients and on scripted sales pitches. I spend all of my effort on building a nice, trusting relationship with you and making sure the property is promoted in a way that no other local agent can offer.

No Long Agency Contracts

Whatever I might be, I am very confident. In fact, so much so in how I work and how I promote property, how my relationships with clients blossom, that I don’t even ask you to sign a contract that ties you in.

One of the most frustrating aspects of selling your home these days is the way in which estate agents insist on the client signing a lengthy contract meaning that you are legally tied up and locked in for best part of half a year.

This is irrespective of how well it goes or how good the service has been. The client is still bound for months and months and months, often when they wish they could be free.

This of course takes an element of trust. However, I do a really great job for my clients and I have a strong belief that people are reasonable and will give me a reasonable opportunity to prove myself. So the way I see it, there’s no need to tie anyone in.

Streetwise in Marketing Homes

Pretty much every company in this industry promotes the service of professional photography. This ranges widely between an employee that’s done a half day course and shoots on their iPhone to the occasional agent that does employ an actual photographer. However, because estate agents operate under a no sale no fee basis, they ask their photographers for this to be done very quickly and at low cost which affects quality even with capable photographers.

I have been taking photographs of homes for over 20 years now. I have learned and studied this skillset intently. At best guess I spend 4-5 times longer in getting this process right. My photography, filming and attention to detail on this is second to none.

My sole focus here is promoting the property in the best way, and that’s all I focus on.

The way the modern world is going, potential buyers are stuck for time and have become very visually reactive. People scan websites looking for something that catches their eye. This is what true property promotion is about. Standing out. Making people pause when they see the photos of your home. This takes time, effort, skill, patience, and a bit of theatre to get it right. BUT what a difference it makes.

I Don’t Have Office Hours

Moving home, trying to sell your property and get the move finalised and over the line is renowned for being one of the most stressful things you will do in life. I will make myself as accessible as possible to you throughout the transaction.

I know from personal experience that quite often in the middle of the process of moving home you will discuss things of an evening. Then you have to get up and go to work the following day. Most agents don’t answer their phone until late morning and can be quite inaccessible and then who knows if you will be able to get hold of the right person or have to repeat yourself to get anywhere.

From 7am I’m always on the daily dog walk 😊 Come rain shine snow or blizzards I will have my ear buds in and I’m free to listen to anything you want to discuss.

Clients love this part of dealing with me. Same applies in the evenings. We can have a conversation by phone, text or WhatsApp etc, whatever is convenient. You can then get on with your day with confidence that it’s being handled.

I Will Quote You, Not Hound You

I understand that asking agents out to value you home is a daunting process. Like opening a can of worms. Constant phone calls, agents explaining against your will about why they are the best. How they have buyers already, and sometimes just outright begging you to use them.  I understand that this can be very irritating and even stressful which is why I promise to be the one worm that will stay inside the can. And give you time to think. And respect your decision. How refreshing!

I will quote you, not hound you.

I Won’t Play the Blame Game

This is possibly a controversial statement. However, I do feel it needs to be addressed. Going along with the transparency vibe I am putting it out there for everyone to read…

Look, estate agents typically will ask for a long period of time in which you are tied in to them. The reason they do this is because of the no sale no fee culture in the industry. To be fair, estate agents do spend money, time and effort on promoting property with no guarantee of a pay day and want to have a long time to sell in order to protect their investment.

Being a small business, it is important that all my clients share same logic I do. The industry is awash with sales culture and salespeople when the job really should be about marketing ability and the ability to promote a property in its best light. The unescapable fact is that often it is irrelevant how good an individual is at salesmanship. For example, no matter how good someone is at selling, they can’t convince you to buy a 1 bed apartment if you want or need a 4 bed detached house. Ultimately there comes a point that a property sells itself. If the right buyer meets the right property at right price it will sell.

The only thing I ask is a gentleman’s agreement that you understand this and that if a property hasn’t yet sold that we are a team. We both want to sell your home and sometimes that takes a bit of patience and consultation to improve the interest and move towards a result.

If you’re happy to work on this basis, then nothing can stop us and I’d be honoured to sell your home.

Things You Have to do, Things You Love to do

To be honest I’m not one for many words. If anything I can be quite reserved in my persona, which may be the opposite of what you’d expect from someone in this industry. However, I have a deep deep passion for property and I know what good looks like. This passion is what drives me to make sure that when a property comes to the market that it is promoted in a way that truly stands apart.

But perhaps, the most uplifting part of my role is just how a bond develops between my clients and me and more often than not, we become friends. This I believe is because I don’t do waffle. I am a straight talker and I have genuine experience and empathy with what its really like moving home. Not to forget that moving home is in the top three most stressful things anyone will do in their lifetime.

Because of this relationship I have with my clients, I stay in touch. I ask for advice from them, they ask for advice from me and we stay in touch, catch up for a coffee months and even years after they the move is done.