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and has good general travel connections and a lovely community atmosphere.” Savills believes that clients understand the
Above: Savills property currently on the market. Right: Typical Victorian properties in Barnet.
possible way. “You can’t mess around with the brand at all but it is a strong brand so there is no need to, you are buying into the brand so why would you want to change it anyway?” he says. “There are also some areas where we have
to pay a regular fee such as the Training Academy but I believe it is a great resource so I’m happy to do it. I can send any of my staff for training sessions so they and I know that they are completely up to speed on all new rules and regulations which is especially important now to keep up with all new legislation. “However, in terms of what we do on a
daily basis, we pretty much have free rein. For example, if I’m going to value a property and the owners want to negotiate on fees, then I can make the decision there and then if I want to do that. While working for large nationals, we would have to check with the management which can be quite diffi cult when you are on the doorstep about to close the deal.”
When choosing an agent, buyers today
have thoroughly done their research and Brinkworth believes that about 60 per cent of prospective vendors know that they are a franchise business. The ones that don’t know are very interested in hearing about it and it is one of the fi rst things they are told when going to meet them for the fi rst time, “Again it is the confi dence of knowing that they can come and talk to me as the owner in the offi ce but also having the safety blanket of a large chain that reassures them and ultimately helps us secure their instruction”.
value of having an agent that is connected to a vast number of buyers across central London and they have realised that internationally buyers are interested in Barnet properties too. “We mainly deal with the top end of the market, prices from £3 million to £15 million. People come to us after having used a smaller local agency and have found that they do not give their property enough exposure to a suffi ciently large pool of wealthy buyers. Above the £2 million price, vendors have fi gured out that they need an agent who can also give them an international presence. Ultimately, although our fees may be slightly higher, we can achieve a better sales price for their property because of this connection,” adds Adams. Although Savills is known for dealing with prime properties, the Barnet branch looks after a many buyers with properties around the £500,000k mark, who have decided to come to Savills because they understand the power of the Savills brand and how it can work to get them the best sales price. “We believe we can achieve a maximum
THE NATIONAL BRAND: SAVILLS
Savills plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange. It has an international network of 200 offi ces and associates throughout the Americas, the UK, continental Europe, Asia Pacifi c, Africa and the Middle East. The Barnet offi ce covers an extensive area
from Mill Hill in North London to Hertford in central Hertfordshire. According to Robert Adams, Director of
Savills in Barnet, their USP is the fact that they are the only national and international estate agent in Barnet; hugely important to vendors because of the extensive reach that their property can receive. “As well as an international presence in countries such as Russia, Asia and India we have 18 London offi ces, which means we can promote Barnet property throughout the Capital,” says Adams. “This works very well, for example, we can show a client a two-bedroom fl at in St John’s Wood and then show them what they can get in Barnet for the same money. The way property in central London has spiralled makes property in Barnet look very good value for an area that is still on the tube line
“We don’t just sell a property, we will sell it for the best possible price that it can
achieve.” Robert Adams Savills
20 ● May 2012 ● TheNegotiator
sales price for any property which is why we don’t always take on every property we view,” explains Adams. “At any one time, I only like to have between 30-50 properties on our books so I can market them properly while guiding the vendor through every step of the way. We only take on properties that look right for Savills’ books and have owners who are motivated to sell so we can create a tailor made service for that client. This is quite an unusual approach in an area like this but we believe that in a diffi cult market, the ‘fl ight to quality’ is the best approach. People are often surprised after a meeting when I say that I don’t think Savills will be right for them, but I believe that we need to be honest so we can do the best job for our clients.” As with all three agents, recommendations
are something that they rely heavily on but in Savills case, it is not just from Barnet or even North London that the recommendations can come. “We have cases were someone calls us in Barnet because the Savills offi ce in France sold their overseas home and now they want to sell here too,” says Adams. “This network means that we all have to adhere to very high standards because something that we do here in Barnet can literally aff ect business across the other side of the world.” Maintaining standards as part of a large
national brand means that there are certain rules and codes of conduct that each branch must adhere to. However, individually each branch is left to run their offi ce as they see fi t, all the time making sure they link up with other branches to utilize the strong network and share contacts. “Overall the point is that we don’t just sell
a property, we will sell it for the best possible price that it can achieve through our extensive knowledge and contact database,” he says. ●
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