Injured forces hero sets up letting agency

Property Industry Eye wishes good luck to Allen Martin, who was invalided out of the forces after 22 years and who has now set up his own letting agency.

The former Royal Navy aircraft engineer, who served in Afghanistan, was discharged last year after an accident while refuelling an aircraft.

Now, with the help of a StartUp loan, he has launched Eclipse Property Cornwall.

The loans scheme is a government-funded initiative that provides support for new businesses in the form of a repayable loan together with a business mentor.

Allen, whose wife is an estate agent, has used the loan to fit out his office and fund advertising. His business is the 10,000th to receive a StartUp loan.

He said: “My wife loves her job and it gave me the idea to think about property.”

Allen Martin 2 Allen Martin 1

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14 Comments

  1. PeeBee

    Interesting story – and one that I thought might have attracted more comments than mine…

    If you are reading this, Mr Martin – good luck in your new venture.

    (I’m going to get all slushy here – so apologies in advance to those of you who feel barfy half-way through reading.)

    We the British public owe you a debt of gratitude for what you and your Forces’ colleagues risk day in; day out. When footballers ‘earn’ more in an hour than you folks get in a year, there is something wrong with this society we live in – but of course there are many others who are, in the course of their working lives, underpaid and underappreciated ‘heroes’.

    I’m not saying by the way that Estate Agents fall into the above category – but we all try to do our bit.

    I trust that you and your wife will provide good service to your customers, and to enhance the reputation of the industry.

    Regards

    PeeBee

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    1. pinch007

      PeeBee,
      Thank you for your kind words, it means a great deal and i look forward to my new chosen career in the industry.

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  2. pinch007

    Thank you very much for this blog and also to the comment. It has been a hard few months what with the transition from the armed forces,setting up a business from scratch and studying for my Level 3 technical award in Residential Letting & Property Management which i passed recently. I am very excited and hope that Eclipse Property Cornwall can bring an independent letting agent with military standards to the forefront of our local area,providing a service that is proactive and reactive allowing landlords and tenants alike to have piece of mind.

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  3. Paul H

    Hey Allen/Pinch,

    Best of luck with the venture, your website looks half decent and well done for taking the time to obtain the technical 3 award.
    It’s a slow slog at the start but look after your clients interests and take the long term view and it will pay off in the end!

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    1. pinch007

      Thanks Paul.

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  4. johnb

    I echo those sentiments. Well done Allen/Pinch and all the very best in your new venture !
    It it heart-warming to read about one of our heroes giving it a go and comforting to see that you are studying for proper qualifications – especially in the light of earlier stories such as “Estate agents banned after serving jail sentences..” You are going about it the right way.
    Good luck !

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    1. pinch007

      Thank you John.

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  5. pinch007

    Thank you for the comments.I agree it is tough time at the beginning mainly getting your name out there but onwards and upwards! This week my application to ARLA goes off so hopefully with the right credentials to back me up work should start to come in!

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