With 30 years’ experience in the estate agent business and 6 years heading up Urban Village, our Founder Suzanne Vincent knows a thing or two about property. We chat to her to find out what Urban Village does differently to other estate agents and what landlords and sellers can expect…
Why should property sellers work with Urban Village?
We are an independent team, so we can make quick decisions and give our sellers lots of attention. We get to know our sellers and their needs so we can provide a much more personalised, hands-on approach to selling their property.
We are really committed to being successful for our clients. We've got a big following locally and that gives us a real sense of pride in the community and urges us to do a very good job, and that comes through in the customer testimonials we get.
I think we're more approachable and more relatable to our client base when you compare us to other estate agents. That gives us a deeper understanding of how our customers want to be communicated with and managed throughout the process of selling or renting.
For landlords who already have an estate agent: why should they jump ship to Urban Village?
We're not just about getting the first tenant in the property. We would rather take our time to find the right tenant who is going to stay there a long time and is going to pay their rent on time.
That’s important to us because we want longevity with our landlords. I'd say more than 70% of our tenancies are managed. Most lettings agents are mainly let-only, so I think that's encouraging that landlords want to use our full service and trust us to manage the entire property.
Another key difference with us is that there are no hidden charges. Lots of fully managed, estate agents charge for things like tenancy agreements or take commissions on contractor fees — we don’t do any of that. You pay exactly what the contractor charges us; everything is clear and transparent.
How does Urban Village find the very best buyers at the at the highest level?
I think it starts from the very first contact with that buyer. Whenever an enquiry comes in, the team think it’s important to have a conversation on the phone with the buyer and get a real feel for them — what their motivations are, have they got their mortgage, etc. This just builds a picture really in terms of how motivated they are, and whether they are ready to commit to the next step.
The sales staff are very good at knowing what is coming up on the market so we can start that matching process quite early on. We tend to have buyers in the back of our minds as soon as a suitable property comes online.
What do you think is the biggest challenge sellers are facing in today's property landscape?
Overpricing is the biggest challenge that we face. Your initial marketing period is exciting and then after six weeks you've exhausted all those buyers who have looked at it and thought “well it's not good value”, and you just become one of a bunch of listings.
Some agents can be in such a rush to get properties up that they don’t give the seller the best advice. I think sometimes it's important to slow it down and say, “Actually, yeah I would get a new carpet” or, “yeah actually I would paint this wall”.
Sellers really want to hear that honest criticism because they want to look at it with a buyer’s eyes. If you're not able to do that as an agent, then you're going to hear that feedback when you have viewings down the line.
Urban Village works a lot within the local SE5 community, including raising money for the Ruskin Park Paddling Pool and donating thousands of pounds to local schools and charities. Why is this work in the community important to you?
People think estate agents are all about making money. I think the fact that we’re trying to give back to the community, show our face a bit more and put more effort into it reinforces that we're trying to do something different.
I love the area and want to contribute. I'd rather have people talking about that, and that we just don't make money, and that we are knowledgeable about our local area — that's quite important as well.
Tell us a bit more about the awards that you've won and how they set you apart from other estate agencies?
We’ve been a Gold Winner Estate Agent in SE5 for the British Property Awards the last few years running. They record a series of mystery calls over a few months where they measure how you manage someone's request, what your follow-ups were like — so it really goes into quite a deep profile of your customer service.
I listened to our [mystery] conversation and it’s brilliant, and we have no idea the call’s coming! I think it just demonstrates that we are consistently hitting a good standard.
You're a member of The Guild of Property Professionals, which is impressive. Why is this important?
The Guild of Property Professionals has 800 other single-branch operations or small independents. It means we can share data with other members of our network and we can refer clients from one branch to another, up and down the country. So it puts us on a more even playing field with the likes of our larger competitors. The training and marketing through the guild is exceptional.
Why is it important for estate agents to have fair and open fees?
Sometimes agents can tie you in for four or five months and you're then stuck with them – that’s an uncomfortable situation. Lots of landlords go with agents not understanding how they are going to manage — you can end up paying for dozens of repairs that you probably didn't even really need and the agents commission on top of that.
Everything needs to be open and transparent and honest and documented so you feel like whatever fee you are paying represents good value.
What marketing channels, property portals and technology do you use at Urban Village, and what impact does that have on the services you offer?
We’re on all the web portals, including Rightmove, OnTheMarket, Zoopla, and more recently Boomin. We’re also on the Guild of Property Professionals website.
We also use the Sprift marketing report, which can really zone in on property data in a much more detailed way then Rightmove can on things like schools, tree preservation orders, lease plans etc.
My secret weapon really is the team — they're all exceptional. They're not like your typical estate agents, and they're not here just to get a quick deal. I haven't picked estate agents; I've just picked good people that happened to be good at doing the job!
Are you looking to sell your property in property in SE5 or its surrounding postcodes? Suzanne and the team at Urban Village are here to help. We have the industry and local expertise to help position your property and find the right buyer. Book a free valuation, get in touch today by calling 020 3519 9121, or email us at info@urbanvillagehomes.com.