Estate Agent Talk
Japanese Knotweed – Buyer Beware.
Japanese Knotweed is an invasive plant and was first discovered by Swedish naturalist Carl Peter Thunberg during the 18th century. By the twentieth century it became apparent that Japanese Knotweed is an invasive plant and needs to be dealt with. There are different types of solutions for treating or eradicating Japanese Knotweed from herbicide treatment…
All Blacks – What can we learn from them?
Now that several weeks have passed since their emphatic win in this year’s rugby World Cup final, I have no doubt that the analysis, the questions and the head scratching will continue for months, if not years. Although some people will overthink the strategy and reflect on their performance the simple answer is that New…
FREE 1hr Training Video on getting more landlords for a lettings agency
On the 3rd of July 2015, 35 letting and estate agents came together in the East Midlands to learn how to attract landlords to their letting agency. Please find nearly one hour’s worth of training videos on that very subject of attracting landlords to a lettings agency. .. no sales .. no hard sell …..
Christopher Watkin
Opening a second or third office? – read this first!
Why add a new office, hire new people, increase the footprint of your company? Is it to please the shareholders? Or your clients? Vanity? Peacock like? Your name across another door? .. In Lights? Investment costs money and it wants a return. But your clients don’t care about that. Use capital wisely, because sooner or later,…
Christopher Watkin
Why do agents leave their dry wipe target boards on display in the office?
Over the last few weeks, I have been in London visiting agents … and there is one thing I have noticed that I find very very strange. On public display in a lot of these offices, for all the world to see …. a dry wipe board. No ordinary dry wipe board .. ooo no…
Christopher Watkin
Fast broadband speeds to become a right, not a privilege.
Why the government is preparing legislation that will give everyone the legal right to broadband with a minimum speed of 10 mbps When US singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell wrote the lyrics to Big Yellow Taxi on her first trip to Hawaii in the late 1960s, the line “You don’t know what you’ve got. Till it’s gone’…
Lessons can be Learnt from Cyber Monday.
Did you survive Black Friday? The one-day event didn’t exist in the UK 5 years ago, now it’s a week-long sale phenomenon that has changed the way we shop for Christmas and how we are sold to. We can forget about that again for 51 weeks, today is Monday, or ‘Cyber Monday’ as it is…
Estate Apps at Agency Essentials.
The first ever Agency Essentials event took place in Manchester this week, the first of what we hope to be many more collaborative efforts between property industry suppliers. As well as ourselves at Estate Apps, we were lucky enough to be joined by Veco, Fixflo, TouchRight and Docusign. In addition to giving us each the…
When opportunity knocks does your agency answer?
A couple of incidents happened to me recently which brought into sharp focus how some people miss opportunities while others seize them. The first episode was very close to home. In fact it was in my home and it involved my three and a half year-old daughter, Charlotte. A couple of weeks ago or so…
Choosing an Estate Agent with Circus Experience!
In this fast paced, instant access, target driven world we live in, so much emphasis is often placed on salesmanship. It doesn’t matter whether you are involved in potatoes, poodles or property, the principles behind selling and selling techniques are mostly the same across many business sectors. Arguably, estate agents have a more unusual process…
Do I need a for sale sign outside my property?
With the internet now the leading method of property marketing you may well be asking yourself, “do I need a for sale sign outside my property”? As estate agents in Bishop’s Stortford, this is of course a question we are regularly asked and so we thought it would be a good topic for our latest…
HD and 4K photography and videography for Estate Agency.
Our blog this month is aimed at those with a general interest in HD and 4K photography and videography, but those that are not necessarily in the profession and simply looking for a bit of clarity on the subject. Clarity of course being the operative word, though no pun was intended! So firstly a little…
Autumn Statement is “a double edged sword”.
Following the chancellor’s big announcement on housing which saw him confirm that he’s doubling the housing budget to £2bn a year to deliver 400,000 affordable new homes by 2020, Andrew Ellinas, Director of Sandfords, a Central and North West London agent, says; “the planned increase in starter homes for first time buyers will energise the…
Christopher Walkey
ODE To An Agents Website…
Should I sell or let my house? The question springs to mind, Online I’ll go to surf the net, An agent I will find. Amongst the many listings there, Which one do I pick? Some websites so damn ugly, Not even worth the click. Many sites lack detail, That I’d expect to see, Lots don’t…
Some Estate Agents are no better than Pizza Delivery firms
… and you Letting Agents can take that smug smile off your face .. you are even worse! Let me explain … ESTATE AGENTS … Here are the facts, in 2004, 1,780,000 residential properties were sold by 7,570 estate agents … and last year, 1,219,000 residential properties were sold by 19,304 agents. Looking at stock…
Christopher Watkin