By Steve Roulstone
I am taking a break from my normal role to give ourselves at Castle Estates Staffordshire a good old slap on the back and wish ourselves Happy Birthday for reaching our twelfth birthday today. It was on Valentine’s Day in 2000 that I first started trading from a rented desk in the middle of Stafford and as we speak we have just opened our second office in Marston Road, so that we have a specialist office for Property Management as well as our main Rental office. Add to that the two satellite offices we run with specialist in house Wardens and we have come a long way in this period.
Humble beginnings.
You will I trust excuse me this moment of self congratulation, but we have taken the opportunity to advertise the fact in our local paper because they are running an article entitled ‘get to know your Agent’ and as it is all happening this week, it has focused my mind on that day twelve years ago and just how the Industry has changed over these years. It has already struck me that twelve years ago, I was concentrating more on where I would be in twelve weeks, and not even twelve months as I ventured into the market for the first time.
The Franchise way for me!
Castle Estates were my chosen partner at the time; I had reviewed the Franchise market and made a connection with the staff (Mike Edwards) who of course I eventually ended up working alongside as we looked to turn the tide of the Franchise. Back then, I was concentrating on how to get my name out and about, with of course the assistance of the then Head Office, planning my days to talk to as many people as possible. Of course the rental market was nearly half the size of what it is today, and there were certainly far less Agents on offer.
Tactics!
It would appear that the way to get your name about has changed as well. I am not a fan of placing your boards at the entrance to every Leasehold site or Estate, when you do not have a property to rent, but it seems that is the chosen way of the new organisations we have locally. On one occasion at the end of a private drive, three boards were present, all for new Companies, but what we knew, as the Block Managing Agent for the site concerned, was that none of the properties were for rent because the lease did not allow it!
Market increase.
Of course we are seeing a proliferation of new Letting Agents and Sales Agents trading in the Lettings market because of the vast increase in property available to rent. We are currently running with a list of 50 properties, when we would normally have no more than 25 -30 at this time of year! Traditional Sales Agencies are of course in a very good position to hold captive the properties they cannot sell, by offering the option to all of their clients, what we now concentrate on is letting our potential market know that there are different levels of knowledge and experience in this industry and by getting people to speak to us we normally would manage to confirm the difference.
Still hungry.
However, the single thing that pleases me the most in this ever changing market, is the continued desire to succeed, which is not only still in my blood, but that our staff, who have all been with us for several years, also show the same desire. To see somebody that you have worked alongside for many years, not only strive to develop the business but also do it in the correct (professional and knowledgeable) way is food for the soul. These are difficult times at present as everybody knows, but we have gone through it before and will no doubt do so again, so at the moment, while the hunger for growth exists, I say, bring on the next twelve years!
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