Estate agent branches out on her own in Thurrock

Ashlee Mellett is setting up her own estate agency in Thurrock with a particular focus on offering a personalised service.

Mellett, who has worked in the estate agency industry for more than 12 years, feels that now is the right time to branch out on her own.

She told the press: “I believe people want and need a modern, innovative and more personal approach where they can reach their estate agent directly, any time of the day, any day of the week.

“I have decided it is time to branch out on my own to take full responsibility for every decision made within my business, enabling me to deliver a truly high standard, bespoke service to each and every one of my clients.

“My clients will have the best of both worlds – my local knowledge and a one to one personal service, combined with maximum exposure and a global reach. Achieving the best price while also receiving a first class experience.

“I wanted to work from Thurrock, which is not only my place of business but my and my family’s playground too, so I have a passionate belief in the area and what it offers. That local knowledge will be there for the benefit of my clients.”

Hortons adds to management team

Brendan May has been named growth and training director at Hortons.

The company, established in 2016 in Leicester, now covers 23 different territories spanning from Oxfordshire and Warwickshire, to Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Rutland.

Adam Horton, Hortons’ CEO, said: “We’re delighted to announce Brendan’s new position. Brendan’s experience within training and recruitment, and having a very successful career as an agent makes him perfectly placed to help expand our presence across the country.

“We’re building upon a strong foundation within our management team, which will enable substantial and sustained growth over the coming years.”

He continued: “It’s a very exciting time for us all at Hortons and I am honoured to be a part of something so special. Having run successful estate agents during my time in the industry, as well as having direct experience in both training and recruitment, this role offers a great opportunity to utilise not only my experience, but my passion for people.”

“We recently stated our plan to have national coverage within the next five years and we strongly believe that we have excellent foundations to make this happen. This being said, we are still being strategic with both the area and agent that we look to partner with. We are very proud of our company culture and the calibre of our agents and we will continue to keep this at the forefront of our minds.”

Hortons have recently changed back to in-person onboarding and training for new agents after switching to a remote/online process during the Coronavirus pandemic.

May added: “Brendan has consolidated and expanded our training and onboarding into a new format, delivered at our head office in Leicester, which has already had dramatic results. We’re now experiencing the fastest turnaround so far for an agent joining us and then generating revenue – which means agents can see the benefits of self employment more quickly. It gives a new agent the best possible toolkit of systems, processes and techniques to get up and running – we believe it’s the best training of its kind in the industry.”

CALA Homes appoints new senior planning manager

CALA Homes in the Midlands has announced the appointment of Caroline Owen as senior planning manager to support the region’s growth plans across Warwickshire, Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and Solihull.

Owen’s 17 years’ experience in the planning sector has seen her responsible for securing consents for a number of large sites throughout London, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire as well as working in state planning departments in Sydney, Australia. Prior to this she spent several years in the planning policy team at Wycombe District Council in Buckinghamshire.

At CALA Homes (Midlands), Owen will be responsible for navigating planning for significant sites within the CALA and its sister brand Legal & General Homes portfolios.  

In addition, she will be working on sites that are currently progressing to planning application stage and providing strategic counsel and assisting on the bidding process for potential new sites, of interest to the company, to ensure a strong pipeline of new homes in the region.

Owen said: “My immediate focus within the land and planning team is to ensure that we are delivering our commitments and obligations in relation to our current live sites and to ensure we plan proactively for the next stages of development on these sites.

“In addition, I will be reviewing opportunities within the region to target for new sites moving forward.

“To help achieve our growth ambitions, we’re interested in working on sites with the capacity for a minimum of 50 homes in towns and larger villages, with and without planning.”