A new estate agency has been launched in Folkestone, Kent, by two business partners pledging to operate a ‘community-driven, charitable and ethical’ business.
Lee Churchyard, aged 22, Matthew Pattenden, 37, have joined forces to set-up Match Estates, which they describe as a ‘people-first business’.
Churchyard sits on the Local Property Professionals Association Committee, while Pattenden is a ARLA regional executive for Kent.
The pair have pledged to donate £100 from every sales completion to local charities, causes and businesses.
Churchyard informs EYE that he and his business partner founded the firm after a lengthy conversation regarding what their goals were for that year and how there is a gap in the market in Folkestone, Kent for a strong independent agent with community-driven values.
He explained: “At 22 years of age I often questioned if I was old enough or experienced enough to set up an agency. Matthew is 37 and was also ready to make the jump to open up. We found the balance between me and Matthew works extremely well. We have a combined 27 years of experience in the office – mine of 7 years and Matthew’s of 20. We both represent different property related organisations outside of work including myself sitting on our Local Property Professionals Association Committee and Matthew being the ARLA Regional Executive for Kent.
“After some planning and preparation, we set our launch day for 1st May 2024. We were inundated with support from other local independent agencies, and although we were both scared and slightly pessimistic initially about how well we’d succeed, we felt with a strong network backing our decision we could make this work.
“Choosing who we would use to represent our brand was difficult. Every business development manager provides you with a fantastic speech on how their products are industry leading and truthfully, if we had an infinite money pot we’d probably have them all! But as any business can confirm, start up funds can be tight and ensuring the products you choose are as sufficient and beneficial for your business is a meticulous process to say the least.”
Churchyard continued: “Changing the stigma of estate agents can be a challenge and our focus is to be as community-driven, charitable and ethical as possible.
“We’ve teamed up with a variety of local charities, organisations, foodbanks, school trusts and community radio stations to ensure we are building a people-first business. When we finalised our business plan, we decided to ensure that £100 of every sales completion we have goes to a local charity of our vendors choice. Folkestone is a small, seaside town with so many small organisations trying to better the community. We felt it was only fair to give back to the community in return for support of our small, local business.
“Our ambition is to be a smaller, tailor-made agent that prioritises vendor and consumer care over mass-listing numbers. We’ve set realistic targets in our business plan to ensure all customers get a excellent service without paying corporate prices. Every listing features professional photography, a floorplan and personalised video tour showing the assets of the house for further engagement.
“We also saw a gap in the market for drone photography so we incorporate that in all of our listings as standard.
“We’ve just signed up a vendor who was denied drone photography from their current corporate agent, even though they offer it, because her property wasn’t ‘expensive enough!’. It’s disappointing to us that a paying customer feels less-important due to the price point of their home. We produce all of the above, without a marketing fee, for every listing – a £600 studio to rent or a multi-million pound house for sale receives the same marketing!
“We’ve now agreed our first sales and have properties in our lettings portfolio – things are good and we’ve sold listings, that other agents couldn’t shift, within 24 hours! It’s amazing what you can do when you put your mind to it.”
Excellent.
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Thank you Chris!
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£100 is derisory. If you set up a business with genuine community values, why not donate all profits to the community, or run a not-for-profit?
£100 per deal is less than 5% of each deal fee, which is means more than 95% of the revenue is for the benefit of the owners.
The headline should be an “owner driven” business which donates a small amount to charity.
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I bet you’re fun at parties.
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How much do you give to charity
Why would anyone set up a buinsess not to make money
LOL
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Hi ‘Isa B Agent’, thank you for your comment. Ultimately we’re an agency that have set up to run a profitable business. We do however believe in giving back to our local community and £100 per donation is more of a contribution then the majority of independent agencies in our operating area. We’re proud of not only the donations we have agreed to give, but the hours of volunteering and fundraising we’ve done since launching. Thanks!
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Wouldn’t a homemover rather their £100 be donated to a charity, cause or business (?!) in the area they are moving to, rather than the place they are moving away from, and not leave it up to an estate agent to decide when and which charity the money is paid to?
Whatever the case, good luck.
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Thanks for wishing us luck! We however do not decide for the vendor who the donation goes too. The vendor gets free-rein of which charity or organisation they wish for their donation to go too! As a local estate agent, we do however ask for consideration to go charities impacting our local communities. A lot of our vendors stay local!
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