APRIL 2011 |
www.opp.org.uk
OPP AWARDS AWARDS for Excellence 2010 | 57
initial ‘vetting’ service. “This is a basic check via the online Spanish land registry system to see that each property is legal and without encumbrances before it is marketed. This is a free service and, although simple, is fairly unique.” The company says its approach
Ambitious | growth is underpinnned by PGI’s strong, and clear-headed strategies PGI
PGI was established in 2005 in Sheffi eld and has now branched out into Nottingham, Birmingham, London and Marbella ... and has a global agent network covering Europe, The Middle East, Russia, The Far East and America. Specialising as a master agent to developers, owners and banks, PGI packages investment deals to clients worldwide with the help and support of their agent network. It aims to structure the “best” turnkey opportunities by covering all investment angles from fully fi nanced deals inclusive of furniture packs and cashback to fully managed investments with guaranteed returns.
Best Estate Agent: Silver medal winner: PGI
“There don’t appear to be many other agents who are succeeding and delivering the way PGI has done,” said Chris Jordan, director of PGI, in his company’s OPP awards entry. “On a weekly basis we are growing our company, employing new staff signing up new agents and selling more and more properties.”
Jordan headed to Spain at the tail end of 2009 to grow an already successful company. He said: “I moved
to Marbella in December to set up home and offi ce and to expand PGI into Spain, to establish a local presence for sourcing and selling properties in the area. It is an area that I know well as I have been involved in selling property here for 5 years.” This is evidenced by the company’s
strong sales in Portugal, where 88 sales were made in just 4 months, at an average of €330,000. This is part of a contract with a development to sell 145 apartments worth a total of over €45m. Across the border, in Marbella, PGI sells below market value luxury properties to high net worth individuals. Jordan says, “a typical example is a villa valued at €5m which we sold to a cash investor for €2.7m. This side of the business has so much potential and it is an area which I am currently expanding.” PGI has pursued a robust strategy for growth, using a number of different marketing channels and techniques to grow awareness. According to Jordan, the main enhancement to PGI’s business in 2010 was the growth of its agent network. The company recruited over 70 agents, with 15 just for the Sesimbra Bay development in Portugal alone. “This has really increased our confi dence and performance regarding sales,” says the company. “It is an area of the business that we are building on a daily basis.” Jordan believes that having such a large network was “invaluable” when negotiating with the owners of developments. “It provides me with more negotiating power to be able to get the best discounts and terms for our clients based on our ability to sell volume, quickly.”
Mercers is a family-owned real estate agent selling freehold property in southern Spain. Founded in 1993 by Chris Mercer, the company now has eight members of staff operating from its group head offi ce in Murcia. With an annual turnover of around €350,000, Mercers averages eight sales per month. The company is pleased with this rate of activity given current market conditions and it accurately refl ects Mercers’ determination and vision to succeed whilst others sit and wait for the ‘good times’. The company specializes in low-end aff ordable housing priced between €50,000 and €200,000 - highly desirable in today’s price-driven environment.
Best Estate Agent: Bronze medal winner: Mercers “Mercers has captured the mood of the moment”, according to its awards entry, and has enjoyed considerable success, exceeding all sales targets. The company experienced a 157% year-on-year increase in sales in Q1 2010. All of the properties offered by Mercers are now re-sales, with no off-plan activity, and for all re-sales Mercers offers a free
hinges on making the experience of selling an overseas property “as pleasurable and as simple as possible”, and a belief that “the right property in the right location at the right price will sell itself.” Its team of dedicated sales, administration and after- sales staff helps with all aspects of the purchase, and all live in the places in which they work, with “unsurpassable” enthusiasm and local knowledge. Mercers continues to raise its
profile through online marketing, with the company’s website appearing on the first page of Google results for ‘spanish
“Mercers checks to see that each property is legal and without
encumbrances before it is marketed”
property’. It uses Google AdWords to target potential clients, and multiple listing sites and banner adverts on targeted websites. It also receives business through targeted mailouts to its own database, as well as walk-in clients thanks to a centrally located head office.
Sunny | skies for Mercers due to its aff ordable niche and online marketing policies
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68