On our London real estate blog today, an interview with our Managing Director and Founder Kieran Ryan, who gives us an insight into the founding and inner workings of Rickman Properties Limited.
What were you doing before Rickman Properties – have you always been in the estate agency field?
“I have been a property consultant for some 38 years, proudly founding Rickman Properties in November 2001. Prior to this, I was co-director of the estate agency, John Spencer, with offices in Chiswick, Ealing and Kensington manned by some forty-seven staff. Our original Kensington office was acquired from one of the oldest independent agents, Lawson & Herman, in 1997. In fact, we still use the Lawson & Herman telephone number today, which must be over 50 years old!”
What inspired you to set up Rickman Properties?
“Rickman Properties was founded after successfully selling John Spencer with my co-director. I then decided to solely acquire the Kensington business. Why? I felt I had some ‘unfinished business’ in the wonderful Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and Rickman Properties was born!”
What were the early days of Rickman like, and how has the company changed?
“In the early days of Rickman Properties, we focused on getting our name across in one of the most competitive locations in London, and it worked! We started from a serviced office, with just two staff, several previous clients, and our reputation was built from there. We then moved to a larger Mews office where we employed more staff. During this time, the internet was changing our industry rapidly and was probably the biggest change during our growth period. During this time, we took the big step of heading to the high street, where we now operate from a large shop front by Kensington High Street.”
What sets you apart as an independent estate agency apart from other high-street agencies?
“‘Internationally Respected, Locally Renowned’ is a cliché that is often used at Rickman Properties. We have grown to be known as much for our professionalism, as well as our reputation for being pro-active in the art of residential selling and renting in a prestigious part of London. Even with one large high street premises, we cover a wide region including Kensington, Chelsea, South Kensington, Notting Hill, Knightsbridge, Fulham and Earls Court. We understand that the corporate agents have a huge marketing budget, which we admit, we cannot compete with. But we rely on our own success in competing with the ‘big boys’ with our trained and very effective staff. We are also proud to be Kensington’s representative for the Guild of professional agents, as well as being members of ARLA & NAEA too.”
What experience can clients expect from Rickman Properties?
“One of the main questions we are asked by both vendors & landlords alike, is “why should we instruct Rickman Properties instead of a much larger, corporate firm with more offices?”. How do I answer? I assure them they will get a better service from our experienced, fully trained staff on a consistent basis. That we know, as an independent, we have to work harder and go that extra mile to achieve a sale or letting. Most of all, we are personable, yet always professional. Clients can, and have, experienced top service, depending on our record of 19 years of quality service.”
