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than two years old but the experience of the ARLA-trained and licensed staff stretches much further than that. The team take away not only my day to day tasks but any issues that arise are also generally taken away and dealt with. Advice is also always a phone call away and the team are always more than happy to help and support.”
ARE YOU GOOD AT EVERYTHING?
It isn’t only administration that can fray the nerves of a busy agent. Some hate taking photographs, others deplore the detail of the inventory, clients now expect a crisp floorplan to accompany their details and legal requirements such as EPCs simply add to the list of procedures to undertake before you can sell or let a property. Help is at hand for all of these trials, and for
many others. Companies like Evolve Partnership offer single or multiple services to use as and when you wish, saving time, stress and, in the end, money. They say, “We have identified the areas of
your work which take up an unnecessary amount of your valuable time and developed solutions around them.” Evolve came into being in 2007 to supply EPCs and HIPs, with a view to using the EPC as an opportunity to supply other services whilst the DEA was at the property. MD David Brierley says, “EPCs only now form a small part of our instructions as about 85 per cent of our instructions include at least two of our services; usually more, from our options: EPCs, floorplans, photography including the
“We trained our DEAs to be Property Inspectors in order to view the property through the eyes of a
prospective purchasers.” David Brierley Evolve
editing of agents own photos, property particulars, digital brochures, inventories and check-ins/outs. “It makes sense, the DEA is there anyway and, in many ways, escalates the agent’s professionalism when he or she refers to their professional inspector who will prepare an EPC, draw the floorplan and take photographs. We have spent a lot of time and energy in training our DEAs to be Property Inspectors in order to view the property through the eyes of a prospective purchaser”. Evolve have built up an impressive client
list which includes members of the Homesale Network and of the Guild of Professional Estate Agents, Grainger PLC, and ARIM. One agent, Andrew Coulson, of
Northumbria and Cumbria, says, “Evolve’s services have meant that we have been able to develop a comprehensive marketing pack so that we can concentrate on our core business of winning instructions and selling houses”, which is of course, the whole point. Other successful suppliers include
Dowling Jones Design, which offers photography, floorplans, lease plans and
HORRORS THAT COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED
One agency quickly became a Moneypenny client after missing a very important new business call. The agent had been shortlisted to take on the sales for a significant development, but they missed out when their prospective client rang to confirm details. She could not get through to the person she wanted to speak with despite trying on a number of occasions. The feedback was that she did not want to appoint an agent where calls were not promptly handled and where there was a dependence on voicemail – she felt it was a poor reflection on their standards if they could not handle client calls effectively.
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An EPM client owned an estate agent business that also offered lettings and managed the
portfolio in-house. After a number of years a routine enquiry was made by HMRC and it turned out that some oversees landlords’ taxes were not being deducted the base rate required when you are an overseas landlord without an HMRC approval number. The agent was made to pay the interest on the equivalent amount – a significant sum. Had the lettings team been fully aware of the implications of dealing with overseas landlords, and they had been reporting tax quarterly to the HMRC for those landlords, following the correct procedures, this would have been avoided.
An ARPM client had a landlord who wanted to serve notice and move into her home when she returned from overseas. The relevant notices were not correctly served; the tenant refused to move out. This only came to light
when the landlord called the agent to say she would pick up the keys the next week. The agent realised that they had a tenant refusing to move out (the law was on their side) and a landlord wanting their house back. The situation was sorted out at great expense to the agent – putting the landlord and their family up in a hotel while the correct processes were followed to get the tenant out of the property.
even full service brochure design and print. It’s peace of mind that’s on offer here. “We take a phone call or email and the agents have peace of mind that the photos, floorplans and EPCs are taken care of by a reliable and efficient company. Using us cuts down the time and hassle it could take if you were using three separate companies to do the same work. Ordering the three services together can bring the total cost down considerably. Often we produce brochures and window cards on the same instruction so turn around time is very quick. We create tailor made packages for each agent based on their own specific requirements and level of orders.” David Cleary, franchisee of Winkworth
Fulham & Parsons Green, was moved to write, “Gentlemen, It has been a pleasure dealing you with these last five months and I would not hesitate to recommend your services to others (preferably not my competitors in Fulham please) as you have done a wonderful job. You are very good at juggling appointments with our constant request for last minute bookings. We really appreciate you going the extra mile as you often have to do with some of the messy rental properties and we are more than happy with the quality of your photos and floorplans. Keep up the excellent work.” On a more specific note, iSurvey has
become very well respected for its inventory services. iSurvey has recently launched another innovative App that can save time and resources spent on periodic and vacant property inspections. Using a smart phone, the software’s
intuitive interface lets the user collect the data and rate the condition of each element of a property. Users can also take multiple photos and insert comments wherever required. After the report is completed, it can be emailed directly to the client as a PDF. MD Derek Mair says that letting agents and
property managers cannot afford to ignore developments that will make their business more streamlined and effective. l
ARPM:
www.arpm.co.uk DOWLING JONES DESIGN:
dowlingjonesdesign.com EPM:
www.epm365.co.uk EVOLVE PARTNERSHIP:
www.evolvepartnership.co.uk HALLMARK:
www.hallmarkcorporate.com ISURVEY:
www.isurvey-inventory.co.uk MONEYPENNY:
www.moneypenny.co.uk TECHNOLOGY BLUEPRINT:
www.propco.co.uk
TheNegotiator l July 2012 l 33
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