When the home you want to sell, or buy, is something a little bit special, an estate agency that is, in itself, a little bit special would naturally seem to be the perfect fit.
In a sector dominated by long-established, traditional agencies, Cobbles, Northamptonshire’s newest estate agency, was founded by four experienced professionals to bring a new approach to property transactions.
David Lewis, Nick Rees, Tom Gernon and Russell Bradley have many years’ experience between them, some in the fast-paced market of the Nineties when the approach was fast, fun and ostentatious, through to how estate agency adapted to the likes of Right Move and the changing expectations of both vendors and buyers.
Cobbles operates in the mid to upper price market, focusing on style-led properties and marketing them creatively online and across social media platforms. It has an office base in Northampton but has no immediate plans to open multiple branches across the town as has long been traditional.
Director David Lewis said: “At Cobbles, our mission is to elevate the property experience by offering a fresh alternative to traditional estate agency. We specialise in high-quality marketing and provide a personalised, boutique service for style-conscious clients in the mid to upper property market.
“I was in estate agency for many years and built my reputation, as all four of us did, the usual way, putting myself out there, getting to know people and them getting to know me and posting successful sales figures.
“The market has changed now and for the types of properties we want to focus on, the traditional estate agency approach is not what we’re interested in.
“We started off by getting the branding right – the colours, logo and fonts that we felt summed up what kind of business we are. Tia Dang from Tia Dang Studios came on board to help us with our branding and she immediately understood what we were going for and we have been very impressed with how she has captured what we wanted.
“From there, we decided to go for high-quality professional photography and videography, aerial work where we think it’s necessary, clear floor plans and to use social media as much as possible for our marketing.
“Of course we’re using Right Move, it’s an expectation these days, it makes sense to, but we wanted to integrate the way potential buyers look for property in the modern world. We will be marketing homes to the people most likely to buy them, in the places they most often hang out online, so Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn. What we are doing is a bit different and we want people to be impressed by us and the way we do business, and it’s going well so far.”
Cobbles launched earlier this year after a careful planning stage that saw the directors come together to work on the first seed of an idea. David, Tom and Russell will focus on the estate agency side of the business, while Nick, who has experience in the industry but is a marketing expert, will take the lead in that area.
Since taking on its first property earlier this summer, Cobbles has already built up a portfolio of properties across Northamptonshire, with several more in the pipeline and about to come to market. The response on social media has been encouraging, cementing the decision to take a different approach.
Building relationships with clients is paramount and the team is committed to always acting within the client’s best interests – to set a realistic asking price, carry out accompanied viewings and then negotiate on behalf of the vendor until the sale goes through.
“We’re not going to be elitist but we’re also not going to go for everything and anything,” said David. “We won’t be the cheapest but we also won’t be the most expensive, what we will be is transparent and honest, not telling our clients what they want to hear, sometimes telling them things they don’t want to hear, but we see no point in setting prices too high only to advise a reduction to get a sale after only a few weeks.
“Being true to ourselves and open and honest with clients is where we want to be. No one will be trying to hit a weekly or monthly target, that isn’t serving the interests of the client. We’ll turn up, look smart, do the job and do everything we can to get them the best possible price for their home.
“I’m excited to be working with exceptional people and provide a culture that allows them to do the best work of their lives. I have been out of estate agency for a little while and even though I loved it back in the day, I never thought I would go back. But there’s a legacy there, and we all have so much more to offer and I think we can do what we’re good at but do a better version of that, with better people and a better approach.”
Find out more about Cobbles Estate Agency on 01604 800888 or email david@cobblesea.co.uk
