24
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PEOPLE AGENT Q&A
www.opp.org.uk
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JULY 2009
WORDS
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Alex Evans
Y
INDUSTR
Home inspector
Former policeman turned estate agent Robin Barrasford tells OPP why he is now moving
into development, why the future is small, specialist agencies and not IFAs
PEOPLE
A former police inspector estate agency, Robin took time out value and I generally grew to love the no matter how many times we have
working in drugs enforcement, to talk to OPP about where he’s come country. We then moved to Romania tried it. RETV was great at first and it is
Robin Barrasford decided to from and where the company, and and did well before moving into Turkey. a real shame the channel has finished
open doors for his property clients industry, is going. I was very arrogant and believed we broadcasting.
instead of kicking them in after an would be successful there because A good advertorial or piece of PR
ultimatum from his wife to spend more How has your sales offering changed we were doing so well in two other is worth 2 or 3 similar sized adverts.
TION
time with his family. in the last five years? countries. I was wrong. I didn’t put Our most successful ever piece of
Having built a successful portfolio of Vastly. I hate where the market has enough effort into the marketing marketing was a PR advertorial in the
properties, Robin began researching reached and I am as at fault as anyone and screwed it up. It was also my first Daily Mail on one of our Bulgarian
international property markets to for helping it get there. Overseas home experience of working with a new developments. We made 30 sales off
DESTINA determine where the next big growth ownership began with people visiting developer and it turned out he wasn’t that one piece. To many agents that
area would be. After a disastrous foray a location, falling in love with it and as ethical as our Bulgarian partners. may sound small fry but to us it was
into Bulgaria (buying 12 properties and wanting a second home there. If you He double sold the properties to amazing.
losing deposits on eight from a Western visit a property exhibition now the first Turkish nationals and so we ended
developer), he befriended a Bulgarian thing a sales person does is get out a up paying customers their deposits How are you working with sub-agents
developer that he began to sell for in calculator – it should be a photo. back out of my own funds. It hurt and or introducers in your core markets?
the UK – initially selling 13 properties I limped away with my tail well and I’m becoming more excited by
at one of the Homes Overseas shows. If you visit a property truly between my legs. Then we moved developing than sales. Construction
It was then that he decided to partner exhibition now the first into the Caribbean, which went very excites me because of the opportunity
with his wife’s uncle, Alan Bird, to thing a sales person does well, and Malaysia, which was also to build something to be proud of. To
BUSINESS
form international agency Barrasford is get out a calculator – it successful, before moving onto Greece, that end, sub agents are becoming
& Bird Worldwide – which has since should be a photo. where we are now. an increasingly important part of our
sold property in several destinations sales business as we move back from
including Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, What key lessons have you learned What are you doing to protect buyers sales and rely on our sub agents to sell
the Caribbean, Malaysia and Greece. since joining the industry? in your core markets? developments for us.
As B&BW moves further into We started off in Bulgaria because We are just about to release a new
developing, and further away from I anticipated it would increase in concept for our off plan buyers. How do you support your partners?
Basically, we are making initial off- Our Online Resource Centre is
OPER
plan investors shareholders in the second to none with all documents
VEL
development company but without from planning to land ownership
voting rights. It’s time consuming, and downloadable at any time. That said,
DE
not cheap, but means they have an our strongest attribute is that we
equity share in the primary asset that is pay agents quickly. We nearly always
almost always the land. manage to pay our sub agents within
two days of a client’s funds reaching
How do you market projects to your a developer. We don’t wait for an
target buyers and what works best? invoice to be raised, we pay straight
We conducted some very basic away. In the past we have been hurt
TING
research into lead response and found by agents not paying us, so we know
that marketing campaigns across how important it is to have trust in your
ARKE
multiple platforms worked far more partner.
M
efficiently for us. The size of the advert
wasn’t as important as being seen Do you work with financial advisers,
United front
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Robin Barrasford (right) pictured with AIPP CEO Paul Owen (left) in numerous places. That said, radio and how do they add value?
believes the trade body is helping its members to survive the recession advertising has never worked for us We used to. To be honest we are
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