Four experienced property experts have set up a new estate agency service - but you won't find them on the high street.
The world of estate agency is changing, they say.
Buyers and sellers are increasingly relying on technology to get their sale over the line and the fixed nine to five has become a thing of the past – just like it has in many other industries.
According to a survey from Legal & General, moving house is still considered the most stressful life event, with almost half of respondents (47%) saying they experienced increased stress because of it.
After a tumultuous few years – including several frenetic months for the property market – it’s no surprise that people want to do things differently.
Many estate agents across the region have adapted their processes since the start of the pandemic, investing in new ways of working to keep up with ever-changing demand. While some have scaled back, others have expanded, and many of the more-established firms have had to ‘pivot’, investing more in technology to meet clients’ ever-changing needs and increasing their digital presence.
But Next Move Homes, a new estate agency set up by four property enthusiasts last year, has entered the industry with these changes already ingrained.
The team is comprised of directors Jonathan Kemp, Ben Barnard, Phin Robinson and Martin Jones, and supported by mortgage and protection adviser Kate Ley, photographer and videographer Nathan Howard and administrator and accounts manager Heidi Halsall.
The firm doesn’t have a high-street branch, per se, but instead has a hybrid model centred around its head office in Old Buckenham, near Attleborough.
It has a further five ‘remote’ offices in south Norfolk and north Suffolk, which director Martin Jones says enables them to be available, as a team, seven days a week.
Director Jonathan Kemp says: “From our previous estate agency experience, we find a majority of people feel it’s more suitable for them to reach out to us later in the day, early evening and on both Saturday and Sunday.”
Jonathan says that although the team love the property industry, they feel the business model is changing – and rapidly so. “We genuinely feel that the need for high street estate agency is minimal now, compared to what it was 10 or 15 years ago."
“Gone are the days when people decide they’re looking for a house, go on a walk down the high street, look in estate agents’ windows and pick up leaflets of every property they like for sale in the area,” agrees Martin Jones. “Most people now will look for properties online, via the website or through social media.”
As a result, the team at Next Move Homes is investing “heavily” in digital advertising, ensuring sellers gain the exposure they need to best sell their home.
The firm currently offers two different types of valuations for prospective sellers: a face-toface valuation, which it says is the most accurate, and a virtual one, which potential sellers can fill out and return. Within 48 hours, they will receive a free virtual valuation which the firm says can be up to 90% accurate.
Nathan is a professional photographer and videographer and uses what Martin describes as a “lifestyle format” to show the appeal of the property to potential buyers regardless of where in the world they are viewing from. “This is included with every property we list for sale.”
But when it comes to traditional ‘for sale’ signs, they’ve got that covered too. They’ve chosen a house-shaped design, which Martin says he hopes will stand out against other competitors.
Next Move Homes might be a standalone company, but it already has strong relationships with several local developers – not least Old Bucks Developments, also based in Old Buckenham, and which Jonathan, Ben and Phin are also directors of.
“This means we’ve already got a core number of properties that we can bring to the market over the next couple of years, as we start expanding,” explains Ben.
They’re currently working on new developments in the nearby villages of Garboldisham and Banham.
Phin says that, due to financial stresses, the market right now is “challenging”, although Martin says they’ve seen a positive start to the year so far.
They predict that although many people will want to move this year, “it’s probably going to be the people who have a need to move [that will do so] in the immediate future”.
But the company already has firm plans for growth.
Later this year, it’s to launch the property management side of the business, which it hopes will help landlords stay in the game.
“It’s quite incredible when you look at how much rents have gone up in the last couple of years,” says Jonathan. “From what we have seen in the industry, two things have happened.
“One is that landlords have said ‘this is probably the most I’m ever going to get out of the property’ so decided to sell and come out of the rental market.
“But also because of the complications on the legal side of things, landlords are finding that keeping up with the legislation is just too much for them. We can effectively educate landlords and help them to ensure they remain legal and compliant.”
The team hopes its experience in the industry will bring something new to the sector.
“We all have knowledge of different businesses with different market sectors, which has helped us to create an incredibly dynamic team.”
For more details, visit nextmovehomes.co.uk
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