From selling or letting your property, to entrusting an external provider with property management services, picking the right Estate Agents is a big choice. Choosing the right people to market or manage your property is a big factor in getting the right price for your home, the quickness of the sale, and the prospect of a good relationship with your tenants. In Part 2 of this blog series, we’re sketching out two more reasons why local, independent Estate Agents are King.
Related Article: Local Independent Estate Agents Vs. Corporate Estate Agents (Part 1)
A Trusted Team with Integrity
An independent Estate Agent depends on their reputation – an image built from demonstrable success and trustworthy work ethic. This requires careful selection within the hiring process so as not to let one ‘Bad Egg’ discredit the brand. In turn, a reduction in turnover of staff can be expected and the likelihood of employing an individual just seeking to climb the corporate ladder reduced.
Indeed, a local branch of a national Estate Agency can lean on the well-known brand they’re affiliated with, which is not necessarily a testament to their own office’s abilities and track-record. Of course, we’re not seeking to discredit all corporate Estate Agents, this is a matter of opinion over the mechanisms of a larger firm rather than a judge of character on individuals within these companies.
Rickman has a core team of five with years of experience behind them. The team are closely accountable to each other but also a Member of the National Association of Estate Agents, independently vouching for us as experienced and trained professionals. Our Managing Director and Founder, Kieran Ryan, has built our brand from the ground-up after years of experience in the local market. He still works passionately with clientele and closely with the Rickman team, such as our Property Management and Accounts Manager, Karen Palmer, who joined Rickman in the early years after working with Kieran in the past.
When working with Rickman, you know you’re working with this core team – no smoke and mirrors, or hidden, higher-up offices telling us what to do. Our team is particularly strong within the marketing department – a proactive, not reactive disposition who wants to succeed for our clients. This is indeed linked to our independent nature, as we rely on our clientele’s experience of our work, not a bonus from another office.
Ultimately, as a local business, we care about the local area we love. Check out our blog series on all the wonderful things our beautiful Borough has to offer.
A Bespoke Service
Corporate Estate Agents employ hundreds to thousands of staff in a web of regional branches. To ensure the business model stands, fixed processes and procedures are necessary. This enforces rigidity in clientele’s experiences and constraints on what calls a local office can make.
Comparatively, Independent Estate Agents can run as a boutique service, with the flexibility to adapt to the client’s particular needs without checking first. Of course, an independent Estate Agent also needs tried and tested methods. For example, at Rickman, if you’re looking to sell, a current market appraisal is carried out by our Sales manager. We then utilise both our local knowledge and extensive database of market trends and actual ‘SOLD’ prices to secure the sale. In terms of our Landlord clients, you’ll always be offered a free pre-letting service to advise you on the condition of the property in order to achieve the maximum rental.
But we also mould our approach to each client’s specific needs beyond these processes. Maybe you’re a first-time seller and don’t know property jargon or the services you need? Perhaps you struggle with Email and prefer to speak exclusively to one person on the phone? If you require property management, perhaps you only need a set of specific services and not others? An independent Estate Agent has the agency to adapt to these needs.
Another bonus of the independent, local Estate Agents is the business structure itself. With a larger corporate structure, a web of Q and A between Head Office and local hubs can mean niche questions or needs can take longer to work through. With Rickman, if your novel question requires the expertise of a member of staff you’re not directly in contact with it’s no bother – our close-knit team of staff won’t be put on hold by each other.
Conclusion
We hope you’ve received a detailed explanation of what makes Rickman Properties stand out in the local property market. We are both internationally respected, and locally renowned – independent estate agency at its best.
