When Eye launched we wanted to encourage readers to subscribe to receive our daily email newsletter so, as an incentive, we said we would put all the new subscribers’ names into a prize draw at the end of March – the prize being a coveted and very cool ipad mini.

Last Thursday, Eye’s managing director, Nick Salmon, had the pleasurable task of travelling to Southend-on-Sea to present the ipad to the winner, Sue Bradley, who is personal assistant to Richard Hair, the head of Hair & Son’s five-branch Essex estate agency operation.

Sue has worked for Hair & Son for six years, coming into estate agency on the recommendation of a friend after working for nine years in the family engineering business in nearby Hockley.

She was delighted to receive the prize and enthusiastic about Property Industry Eye.

“I signed up for the newsletter after Richard circulated details of the site to all the staff,” said Sue. “The coverage is comprehensive and I found it enjoyable to read and very relevant to me in my work.

“The headlines for each story are clear and I liked the fact that the layout is open and not cluttered with flashing or moving adverts. And I’m really delighted to have won this prize!”

Nick was particularly pleased that Sue had won since she is not a frontline member of staff. He said: “We want Eye to be for everyone, from the part-time viewing assistant to the managing director.

“Staff members are more effective when they are well informed, and everyone connected with the property industry should be reading the Eye news stories.”

Nick also took time to chat with Richard Hair about Eye and was able to deal with a major misconception about the site.

Richard, who is a past-president of the National Association of Estate Agents, had believed that Agents’ Mutual, the new portal, was behind the launch of Property Industry Eye. In fact AM has no connection whatsoever with Eye beyond being an early and much-valued advertiser.

Eye is independently owned by its three shareholders, Nick Salmon, Ros Renshaw and John Brassington. No other party has any financial interest in the business.

Richard was very pleased to have this fact confirmed and expressed great enthusiasm for the publication – especially that Ros Renshaw is back writing solid news stories about estate agency and the wider property industry.

We congratulate Sue on winning her prize and hope that she had a very enjoyable Easter break figuring out how to use it!