Letting Agent Talk
The Advanced Guide to Brand Awareness for Letting and Estate Agents
Letting Agents and estate Agents are considered to be professionals, on a similar footing to accountants, solicitors, architects, financial advisors. Now lets just imagine one of them decided they wanted more business, so they decided to increase marketing. Thiis what they might do …. They might have a full page ad in the local rag…
Christopher Watkin
Important Information For Letting Agents: The Fixflo Report 2015
The 2015 Fixflo Report has shown a marked improvement in repair management by letting agencies across the UK but it highlights that they are still losing clients due to poor repair management processes. This year the Fixflo Report was supported by the Association of Residential Letting Agents (‘ARLA’) and combined results from a survey of…
Alex Evans
My thoughts on timewaster Landlords
Time wasters .. don’t you just love them. They call them tyre kickers in the car industry. When I was in agency, I used to call viewers who had no intention of buying .. carpet treaders .. wasting your time when you had better things to do with your life! One thing I have learnt…
Christopher Watkin
Buying with “sitting tenants”
Finding a buy-to-let property with a tenant already occupying is in many respects an ideal situation for a new landlord looking to buy that property, there will be income from day one of ownership and all the hassle of finding a tenant would have been avoided, however before any potential buyer goes rushing ahead with…
Should you cold call Landlords?
We all have lists of landlords .. self managed like those on gumtree or ones with other agents ..doesnt matter Some on your list will be in the ‘dissatisfied landlords’ category. You have no idea which of these landlords are dissatisfied, and even then, of those who are dissatisfied , you have no idea who…
Christopher Watkin
Buying a buy-to-let project.
An easy mistake to make when deciding to start a portfolio of buy-to-let properties is to under estimate the need for a professional approach and that infact you are running a business, to many it can appear a relatively simple way to make money with little risk, emphasis should be made on maximising potential return…
Tell me why landlords and vendors dont care?
Firms produce goods and services and then People (consumers) buy that stuff, that’s the way our economy works. I don’t just mean people who buy stuff at the Sainsburys… it happens everywhere in the economy, so when I say people, I mean people buying a house, a car, a holiday, a TV, even services like…
Christopher Watkin
My biggest mistake in lettings
Morning everyone, hope everyone is well today. Just had my Nespresso for the morning (aren’t those coffee pod machines ace! – gold star for the person who invented them) and fed the dog (Joey aka Lettings Dog) and so I thought I would put down my thoughts for today before I crack on with the…
Christopher Watkin
4 reasons why being a letting agent is harder today than 20 years ago
TRANSCRIPT OF THE PODCAST ….. I read somewhere that said whilst the number of rental properties has doubled over the last twenty years, the number of letting agents has tripled. It’s really hard work being a letting agent in 2015 compared to ten or even twenty years ago Here are four reasons why I think…
Christopher Watkin
Revealed … 75% of landlords left their agent due to poor service.
The Landlord & Tenant Survey, carried out by The Property Academy every year, has recently been published. With approximately 5000 participants, it’s one of the largest independent national surveys carried out each year. The results gave some key insights for letting agents when looking at how to grow your business. Landlords were asked what their…
2 Minute Repairs Survey: Your Chance To Win A £50 Amazon.co.uk Voucher!
Last year The Fixflo Report highlighted some startling trends for the lettings industry. Of particular note was the fact that over half of the property managers surveyed knew of a landlord who had switched agency due to a repair-related issue. This year’s survey is now open and there are TEN £50 Amazon.co.uk vouchers available for…
Alex Evans
Know your Money Laundering Red Flags
The term “Red Flag” originated during the days of gallant galleon combat where ships would signal their intent to engage each other in battle. Alas, those were simpler times. Criminals and scoundrels nowadays are unfortunately less forthright and you need to look for other signals that might be putting your business at risk. As I…
The lights are on but nobody’s home.
There are many different ways of looking after an empty property. Putting lights on timers, asking a neighbour to pop in and clear the post, nipping backwards and forwards to open the curtains at random times of the day. That’s all well and good if someone is going on holiday for a couple of weeks…
ARPM
More tips and advice when renovating a Buy-to-Let.
I have built up a good stock of reliable tradesman and I’m always glad to recommend their services. Ask for quotes and how long it will take to complete a job before anything is agreed. Getting a price upfront usually means that the electrician or plumber will not drag the job out and will want to move…
Alex Evans
Tips and advice when renovating a Buy-to-Let.
I purchased a one bedroom ground floor flat in Gorgie, Edinburgh last November with a plan to refurbish and rent it out. The property was in total disrepair. The previous owner had passed away and her son was selling the property. I viewed the flat on a wet and cold November evening and I could tell from the son…
Alex Evans