Branch #3 for Century 21 franchisee

Estate agency Century 21 UK has praised one of its long-serving franchisees, Saleem Samsons, who is opening of his third high-street agency in just three years.

Opening his first agency in Bedford in early 2018 and a second in Peterborough, Samsons is now preparing to launch a third branch, in Birmingham West.

Towards the close of 2020, Birmingham was forecast to see the strongest rental value growth over the next five years compared with the rest of the UK’s cities, making it a promising venture. Not only this, but according to HM Land Registry, Birmingham had the most property sales transactions in 2020, making it a top property buying and selling hotspot, and just one of the reasons why Samsons chose the city to open his third branch.

Chris Summers, head of franchising at Century 21 UK, said:

“Saleem has been a brilliant franchisee over the years, driving forward the growth of not one, but two offices since 2018. Opening his third branch was an easy decision – he follows the Century 21 path really well, and is very happy to embrace new ideas for winning business, adopting any new technology we introduce and he clearly has a fantastic relationship with his customers. It goes without saying, we wish Saleem and team all the best with this third venture in what is shaping up to be an exciting property market in Birmingham for the year ahead.”

Meyers appoints Weymouth franchisee

Meyers Estate Agents, has announced that Jon Williams, a self-employed agent who previously worked at Meyers hub office headquarters, has purchased the Meyers franchise for Weymouth.

Mark Meyer founder of Meyers Estate Agents explains: “Jon joined us at our head office hub a year ago and over that time he has taken on and embodied our brand values and strengthened his connections with the local community in Weymouth where he has lived and worked for most of his life.

“We are proud of how he has now invested in his faith in the Meyers’ brand by taking on a franchise of his own and we are looking forward to continuing to support him as he grows and develops his business in the future.”

Jon Williams confirms: “I have more than 30 years’ estate agency experience working for brands including Mann & Co, Palmer Snell, Connells and Humberts all in and around Dorset. I was aware of Meyers and admired the company’s marketing but wasn’t quite sure how they had become so successful!”

“Meyers Estate Agents is not on the high street, so we take advantage of the latest technology and digital marketing to sell properties as professionally and ‘painlessly’ as possible for our clients. Most of our work comes from recommendation and so I felt being able to give back to the local community which supports me was really important. In the past year I have completed a 500km walk raising £3150 for the Weymouth Food Bank and have pledged to donate a further £50 for each personal property completion in 2021.”

Awards for most active agent

East Midlands commercial property consultancy Innes England scooped a hat trick of industry awards this month.

The firm was named the Most Active Agent in the East Midlands for investment property in the EG Deals Competition 2020 as well as picking up two accolades at the CoStar Awards. Innes England was recognised as the East Midland’s most active industrial agent, and as the most active office agent in Derby.

Matthew Hannah, managing director at Innes England, said: “I’m very proud of the whole team for the hard work and dedication that led to these award wins. We’re delighted to be acknowledged as the Most Active Agent across so many key sectors by multiple awarding bodies.

“We have an unrivalled track record as the Most Active Agent in the EG East Midlands Deals competition and are delighted to have succeeded this time around in the investment category despite stiff competition.

Fleet Mortgages appoints Gateway Surveyors as panel manager

Fleet Mortgages has  appointed  Gateway Surveyors (Gateway) as its panel manager with effect from 1st April 2021.

Gateway, whose quality management service is fully ISO 9001:2015 accredited, also acts as panel manager for many other lender clients.

Pete Hughes, Chief Executive at Gateway, commented:

“We are delighted to have been selected by Fleet Mortgages to provide its valuation and panel management services.  We are a director-led business that is committed to providing an exceptional level of service.

“Our appointment reflects the progress we have made in becoming a major provider of panel management and valuation services to the UK lending industry.”

Steve Cox, Chief Commercial Officer of Fleet Mortgages, added:

“Following a robust review of our valuation requirements, Fleet is delighted to have selected Gateway as its new panel manager.  The careful management of our valuation process is a crucial and integral part of our business for brokers, customers and funding partners, and we have been  particularly impressed with Gateway’s attention to detail, personal touch and its commitment to risk management. We look forward to working with Gateway’s experienced senior management team to deliver a high quality service in the buy-to-let sector.”