LSL pay £9.1 Million for a percentage of Colchester based Mortgage Company.

I spent a leisurely afternoon last Friday, after the news was made public, with one of the smaller share holders of the very recent LSL deal to purchase 65% of the Colchester based Mortgage First business, and I rejoice with them in the rewards that sticking at a business and within a industry sector for a number of years really does pay off.

LSL property services, has been reported to have taken a 65% interest in the company Group First Limited which is a local business to us in Colchester offering mortgages and protection advice for mostly news homes. A total of £9.1 million in cash will be paid initially with a further amount to complete the purchase in 2017.

Paul Maston, CEO of Group First Limited, will remain as CEO (he founded the business in 1988). There were other share holders involved during the company’s journey to it’s current position.

Ian Crabb who is the LSL Group CEO, is quoted as saying: “This investment supports LSL’s strategy to grow long term profitability in the provision of residential property services in the UK, by identifying value enhancing opportunities. Further, the investment strengthens LSL’s relationships with its key house builder clients.”

Report on London Stock Exchange website can be viewed here.

Christopher Walkey

Founder of Estate Agent Networking. Internationally invited speaker on how to build online target audiences using Social Media. Writes about UK property prices, housing, politics and affordable homes.

You May Also Enjoy

how to present your property for sale
Breaking News

Property values hit £300k for first time

The latest Halifax House Price Index for January 2025. On a monthly basis, house prices increased by 0.7% between December and January, reversing the decline of -0.5% seen between November and December of last year.   Annually, house prices were up 1% versus this time last year, with this annual rate of growth accelerating when…
Read More
Breaking News

Average UK house price rises at the start of 2026

• House prices increased by +0.7% in January, following a -0.5% fall in December • Average property price is now £300,077, rising above £300k for the first time • Annual growth at +1.0%, up from +0.4% in December • Regional differences in house price performance have become more pronounced   Amanda Bryden, Head of Mortgages,…
Read More
Estate Agent Talk

London basements boost value by up to 20%

The latest market analysis by prime London property brokerage, Jefferies London, reveals that London homebuyers who want to secure a property with a basement face a tough task. Not only do these much sought-after spaces increase a property’s value by up to 20%, but they’re also incredibly rare, found in only 2% of the capital’s…
Read More
Breaking News

Bailey applies the brakes but ‘two more 2026 cuts priced in’

Vote to hold rates ‘closer than expected’ as Bank of England eyes April for 2% inflation target Focus turns to US and Japan in impact they play on shape of global investment flows says Rathbones’ Head of Market Analysis Kirsten Pettigrew, Senior Financial Planner, warns of making financial decisions based on speculation around rate trajectories…
Read More
bank of england interest rate
Breaking News

Bank of England to hold interest rates at 3.75%

Following the Bank of England’s decision to hold interest rates at 3.75%, here are some thoughts from the Industry. Matt Smith, Rightmove’s mortgages expert says: “Today’s Bank Rate hold was widely expected given underlying inflation and wage growth data, and it’s currently likely we’ll see the next Bank Rate cut in June. Average mortgage rates…
Read More
Breaking News

Building Safety Approval Process Urgently Needs Fixing

Bradley Lay, a Leading Construction M&A Expert Calls on Government to Urgently Fix Building Safety Approval Process as Insolvencies Surge A leading UK construction expert has called on the Government to urgently reassess the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) approval process, warning that delays in the current system are “slowly killing the economy”, triggering thousands of…
Read More