The Agency UK, the self-employed estate agency partnership, has expanded its network with the addition of 12 more estate agents.
The company, which was founded by former Purplebricks trio Andy Vass, Mark Bruce and Steph Walker earlier this year, has been joined by Steve Webb in Ventnor, Alexandra Hearn in Brighton and Hove, Christian Tatton and Jon Lawson in Kent and Paul Hillyer in Farnborough.
In addition, the firm’s latest partner in the east is Tim Giles in Woodbridge and Aldeburgh, whilst the next set of south west partners are Kate Ellis in St Austell, James Taylor in Newton Abbot, Teignmouth and Chudleigh, Tom Bell in Weymouth, Tom Constable in Bristol and Dominic Randell in Swindon. Meanwhile, Zoe Jones launches The Agency UK Partnership in South Liverpool.
The coming weeks will see further partners launch across the North West and East Midlands, according to Agency UK.
Tim Giles in Suffolk commented: “I partnered with The Agency UK so I could have the ability to run my estate agency business my way, with the support of a larger company who were able to offer back office assistance and provide a culture where great ideas are shared.
“The company have exceeded all my expectations to date, with business going really well as a result with my property and applicant database now growing and growing. For example, I managed to instruct my first property shortly after partnering with The Agency UK where I found a buyer in just two weeks.
“I have also been able to design personal marketing materials such as local advertising and video technology, as well as promote my clients’ homes to the widest possible audience through national PR.”
Co-founder of The Agency UK, Steph Walker, said: “Estate agents, some of whom have come from big corporate companies, are recognising the benefits of working for themselves, as well as providing a superior service to clients by offering one senior professional from start to finish and the marketing tools required to promote their homes to the widest possible audience.
“We want our agents to be the go-to agents in their local area for these unique reasons in order to help them win new instructions and attract plenty of buyer interest.
“The feedback from the network has been really encouraging so far, and we are looking forward to welcoming others on board in the near future.”
Comments (25)
SO much negativity going on here. For goodness sake people, why the anger? Try engaging with the debate and explain the reasons WHY you think something isn’t right. I really think it is time for PIE to change the policy on anonymous postings.
1, Reason for negativity. There are far more that fail with the self employed role than succeed. But this is never reported. Only ‘The Dream’ is sold.
Of course some succeed but that is the minority.
Its almost like pyramid selling. The head company have little to lose. If the agent sells something they make something. The onus is on the agent to make a success of it (which it should be) but many do not have the mind set or skill set. They end up taking out loans, living on credit cards or overdrafts and end up in debt.
Look at the individuals involved (quick google search) they are agents that have bounced round from company to company. One of the above is on their 5th agent in a little over 7 years.
If you are a good agent, you know companies do not lose good staff. I am sure the individual and this new company blame the previous employers but when you have employed the amount of people i have, you can read the red flags.
2, Why anonymous? – Well i can be honest without fear of an attack on me or my firm. Before you say well thats wrong, Remember Steph and her partners released this as a story they wanted the publicity. You have to take the rough with the smooth. Dont like it? dont release the story.
That is a much better reply than your first. I still think the anonymity is a cop out. You shouldn’t have to fear putting your head above the parapet to make a point.
As to people who don’t make it, at least they have tried. If they have incurred debt along the way, that is unfortunate but they made a decision and took a risk and life isn’t always easy. I suspect many of them were victims of bad employers and uncomfortable working practices.
My personal beef is with the many (but not all) of the corporate agents who make their employees working lives a misery with idiot area managers/directors, absurd KPI’s, pointless meetings and endless infantile new initiatives. After many years of using my sense of humour to push through the absurdity of it all, the self employed model came to my rescue and I am able to do things my way… whether my way will be successful is up to me.
My personal beef is with the many (but not all) of the corporate agents who make their employees working lives a misery with idiot area managers/directors, absurd KPI’s, pointless meetings and endless infantile new initiatives.
Well said – is one of the reasons I got out
Sorry
This really annoys me…far more fail with the self employed model than succeed…
We have all been in corporate agencies and the CHURN that agencies go through people is absurd…that is the same…people being recruited, trained, they fail…they leave.
Yet when it comes to self employed, when they don’t succeed it is a failure of the self employed model…jokes!
EA has the highest level of staff turnover on the planet.
The agencies that do best are the ones that retain their staff for the longest…but you will always have churn and Indys and corporates are the worst for this.
Come on guys…you are better than this if debating objectively FFS…
Difference between working for a corporate which churn up employees, they gat a basic and a commission and usually a car. Mortgage is paid and food on the table.
I know scores of agents that have fallen for the land of milk and honey of a self employed role and they cannot make it work. Partly their own fault and partly the over promises umbrella companies make.
These people then live of credit, get into debt and suffer massively from poor mental health and in some cases relationships fail due to stress and lack of income.
I and others post to give a balance.
Morning Mr Legge! Nice to see you on here.
You are right. A certain amount of negativity gets posted on any story about hybrid agents or the franchise model. As posted above, it’s a model that is not for all but if it works for any individual and, importantly, they are able to provide a good to high level of service to their customer then fine.
As often, PB hits the nail on the head when he observes that often, new models that offer change and disruption often actually result in a race to the bottom, which is true for agency and some other businesses. Agency is obviously much different from 40 years ago (ahem) when I started in that too many agents now rely on sticking a property on the portals and then waiting for the phone to ring rather than actively promoting and selling a property.
On your other point, I am personally easy about anonymous postings – PIE, fine as it is, is hardly a massive forum, certainly in terms of numbers posting. It’s not generally abusive and the eds seem to move in pretty quickly if posters step out of line. As has been argued before, there are some benefits to anonymity but if real IDs were required, I would be perfectly happy to post under my own name.
Ahaaaa ….so temped to ‘out’ you. I know who you are (but I don’t know where you live so you’re ok there). Anyway, you won’t find me racing to the bottom and neither many of my self employders.
Interesting when you look at the (once) independent company you and I started in all those years ago what an amazing place it was to work – ‘Streets Ahead’ indeed – but now little more than a laughing stock locally after years of bad corporate management.
I see the industry flourishing in the future more with good local High Street agents and self-employed hybrid models.
There, said my bit…
🙂 🙂
Sorry, I wasn’t suggesting that you would indulge in a race to the bottom, I know you are rather better than that. Glad to hear you are doing well.
You are so right about the laughing stock. The final paragraph of your 11:23 post is spot on and perfectly describes the environment in that old company that led to it’s fall from respected local market leader to diminished also ran
All should post under their name – keyboard warriors…
I have some old rope for sale and a bottle of snake oil. Thanks to this article i know who to approach to sell them to.
Completely agree not for everyone but it works for some
lots of old school shop based agents on here who are scared of change and think it’s ok to post vile and petty comments on here
leave these people to run their business their way. If this model is as bad as you say then they won’t be around for long. But I think we all know that done properly a hybrid model works really well and the days of Mr and Mrs Smith strolling down the high st looking in EA windows is long gone
Norfolkretired
“lots of old school shop based agents on here who are scared of change”
Please – indulge me. IF the “change” you refer to is for the better – then why would any Agent – old school, shop based or otherwise – be “scared” of it? Surely the change you refer to would be embraced by the masses – welcomed with open arms, in fact?
The “change” you refer to has been with us for almost a decade and a half – and it still represents less than ten percent of the market. Whilst I acknowledge your comment that “done properly a hybrid model works really well”, I would suggest that in the main, that “change” has been to offer cutthroat fees with little or nothing to offer other than access to the portals. At best, it has satisfied the small corner of the market that has always been there for budget or DIY-type homesellers. At worst – it has added to the moving costs for countless thousands who will no doubt blame the industry as a whole for their misfortune and perpetuate the stigma that blights our profession.
Please educate me as to what I’m missing here.
Look forward to your response.
There are plenty of agents located in the High street who offer low fees
Why not post your name and your agency you keep talking about if you have something to contribute…or perhaps I am missing something…
Exactly, think what you want about this model, some of the aggressive, vile comments on here are just plain unnecessary
Not sure why everyone gets so pent up about this model of agency.
I mean it’s not for me, but whatever, let sleeping dogs lie
“The company, which was founded by former Purplebricks trio Andy Vass, Mark Bruce and Steph Walker earlier this year…”
Fact check – it was incorporated in September 2019.
A business model with no discernible difference to several others, but founded by people with a very different agenda. Ex PurpleBricks mentality and culture. If that’s you, find out more. If not, run very fast in the opposite direction.
Why would you speak to my agenda, mentality, or cultural ideals when you do not know me, Chris? You do not know my business partners or anything about our business other than what you have read online?! Ridiculous. You were blocked on LinkedIn for being rude, not for a lack of desire to engage on my part. Nice to know you had time to write about me.
[LINK REMOVED – PROPERTY INDUSTRY EYE TERMS & CONDITIONS #6. Users posting comments on the site may not post direct hyperlinks to other websites and especially may not do so by use of their username. Users may not use comments to promote a service or business.]
Because you have an insular outlook and, aren’t prepared to engage in transparent debate about things that matter. One conversation in on LinkedIn and I’m blocked. I draw my own conclusion. Are you saying that what I have read online isn’t factually correct, or a true representation?
Well done Steph for posting under your name and actually helping people to progress…the keyboard warriors on here who hide behind a ‘Peebee’ or whatever silly name are not worth listening too…in the crowd or in the conversation…you are helping people develop and that is to be applauded…the rest…jokes.
“the keyboard warriors on here who hide behind a ‘Peebee’ or whatever silly name”
Not sure if you’re looking for thanks for the mention, Mr Murray – but you’re not getting one. That said – in response to you post, I am perfectly happy for any keyboard warriors that feel the need to hide behind me if they so wish – I’m big enough to provide excellent cover for several. And for the record those “keyboard warriors” you refer to are the reason this and other sites exist, and are successful. Every poster has the right to a voice – whatever identity they choose to use to post under.
Whilst I am pretty certain that the words will be somewhat wasted on you, I will repeat what I have said multitudinous times with folk with frankly worrying obsessions with knowing the identity of posters.
It is not who says what, Mr Murray – it is only what is said that matters. If you can’t recognise that as fact, then you’ve lived an awfully long time without learning one of life’s most important lessons.
Now – you get back to your keyboard warrioring and I’ll get back to mine.
Ignorance know no boundaries! A group of Lemmings is a ‘slice’, not a herd!
There they go. Another herd of lemmings racing for the cliff edge of business disaster, chanting “hybrid, hybrid, hybrid!”. How bizarre.