The director of a new estate agency in Norwich is hoping to “bring relationships back” to the sector.
Stuart Harris has just opened the first branch of Arlington Park on Earlham Road in Norwich – complete with its own client café.
“We’re trying to bring people back into the office,” he explains. “We want clients to come in, sit down with a coffee or soft drink and talk about how we can help – we want them to feel comfortable and to know that we listen and are doing the very best for them.”
Mr Harris has years of experience in the sector, including in London, where he worked as a national high-achieving senior negotiator for a large independent estate agent and then as an area manager.
He relocated to Norfolk a few years ago, where he set up his own property development and consultancy company – but when prices for land and materials rocketed last year, he decided to go back to his roots and start up his own estate agency in addition to his other business.
He says he spent months looking for his colleague, Luke Martin, who heads up the lettings side of the business. “Luke can do everything,” says Mr Harris. “It took me about three months to find him – someone who can multi-task and has the same ethos as me.”
That ethos centres around building relationships with clients and creating a “great experience” – that means recognising their individual needs and creating a service that works for them. “There has to be a relationship,” he says. “It’s not necessarily about how quickly you can let or sell a property but how easy you make the process.”
Mr Harris says he would prefer to take on clients rather than just their property. “To us you’re a person and not a number. Buyers are going to be our next sellers and tenants our next buyers,” he says. “And everyone needs to be treated as an individual. Our primary job is not just about selling properties – it’s about helping people move.”
You can find Arlington Park at 25a Earlham Road, online at arlingtonpark.co.uk or by phone on 01603 577255.
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