Great estate agents blend the old and the new

You may have noticed that we call ourselves 21st century estate agents with traditional values.

22 years of service and counting

We believe that by putting things that have worked in our business for many years together with new approaches and technology, we will succeed for ourselves and for our clients.  A lot of our succcess is based on everyday, friendly contact with people in our branches, in their streets, and in the homes we're helping to sell, buy, let or manage. We do like a coffee and a chat. That will never change. 

At the same time, we innovate. We have this blog, our Twitter account @edwardashdale, and we've been using Quick Recognition (QR) codes before many other estate agents. 

We have other things going on or planned that will build on our success. What success? Look no further than our tweet just two days ago:

Safe - in black and white. And blue

"Another happy #Landlord. Referred by father this morning, keys given, viewing, offer, 12 months in advance, accepted! 3hrs approx #lettings" 

And another tweet that shows our commitment to our clients:

 "New paper work confirming we are @Safeagent for another year just arrived in post. 3:42!!! #RoyalMail pic.twitter.com/uWQhewZ"

For the record -  SAFE Agent is a Government endorsed mark denoting firms that protect landlords and tenants money through client money protection schemes - http://www.safeagents.co.uk 

So, if you use Edward Ashdale you can be assured of a quality service and of our strong commitment to our  clients (and to coffee). 

Professional photography: an essential part of our service

Without a professional

At Edward Ashdale, we use professional photographers to take the interior and exterior photographs of the properties we are engaged to sell or let.  A number of estate agents take their own photographs, and it shows in their windows and brochures.  

We could join those estate agents and take photos with our own cameras or mobile phones.  We won't be doing that, because the benefit of professional photography is that it helps us let or sell homes, which is why people choose us. 

Professional results

Put simply, professional photography produces professional results. And being professional is one of our values.

Professionally taken photos show homes in their best light. Literally, in fact because one of the things that a professional photographer does is to ensure that his or her photos are well lit.  This is often one of the things that shows whether or not a professional has taken photos. 

Amateur efforts are frequently gloomy, dull, and ill-lit, whereas professional photos are sharp, bright and attractive. 

We like to say that with Edward Ashdale, our clients enjoy "a brighter approach to moving".  

When it comes to our use of professional photography, this is especially true.

Our team: Sam Samuel

Sam Samuel, MNAEA CRLM, is one of our three Directors, and is the third of our team to feature in our blog, following John Campolini and Derrick  Boyce.

Sam is a man of many talents, and definitely enjoys the innovative aspects of our approach to being a 21st century estate agents with traditional values, frequently tweeting as @edwardashdale.  Though he does seem to use this to celebrate or bemoan his status as a supporter of Milwall FC quite a lot, you can also find useful links and observations about property matters through his tweets.

Sam left St Josephs Academy School in Blackheath to join the Royal Navy in 1989. Following six years of service, he made the switch from serviceman to civilian and began employment with Southwark Housing as a Housing Assistant. After achieving the Higher National Certificate in Social Housing & Management, Sam was promoted to Housing Officer. In 1997 he was approached by an outside associate for a role as Letting Agent in a start up lettings business in Bromley. 

Sam gained invaluable experience off the back of the ‘Buy-to-Let Boom’ era. After 10 years, in 2007 he formed the business Ashdale Estate Agents. In 2011 Ashdale Estate Agents were approached by W Edwards Property Consultants with a view to merging the companies. Thus Edward Ashdale Estate Agents were born.
 
Sam is 39, lives with his wife Michaela in Kent, has a four year old daughter, and an eight year old Bull Mastiff. Sam is an avid sportsman; he has played football, boxing, rugby and basketball, all at a high level. More recently, Sam has become a golfer with a handicap of 18. Sam still plays seven a-side football with old team mates, is a member of Shortlands Golf Club and attends charity golf events when the time allows, but he is committed to his role in business.

Take comfort in accompanied viewings

Not all estate agents offer accompanied viewings, where someone from their team is always present when a property is viewed, as a standard feature of their service.  

At time of writing, we could accompany you here

We do. Why? 

In general, it is because we take pride in our professionalism.

Encouraging people to pop off on their own to view properties for sale or to let doesn't feel professional. Here's why. 

Our accompanying people when a property is viewed is reassuring for all involved.  It shows that we believe there is a point to the viewing, that it is worth the time for the viewer and any vendor or landlord waiting in for the viewer, as well as our own time.

It also means that anyone viewing a property has the benefit of our instant expert advice on the property, the local property market, and the local area when any questions occur to them during a viewing. 

It also means that we can listen to and better understand the needs of our clients by listening to them and their questions as they view a property. So even if they don't wish to pursue the property we have suggested, we will know more to help us recommend something closer to their needs the next time.

You can read more about what sets our service apart here.







 

 

Our team: Derrick Boyce

As we said when we posted our first staff profile, we're proud of everyone who works for us.  

The second of us to be featured is sales negotiator Derrick Boyce, who is based in our Tulse Hill office. 

Derrick began his career in estate agency as a Saturday driver before becoming a full-time sales negotiator. 

Derrick joined Edward Ashdale in January 2008, after gaining several years of experience working for some of the major Estate Agencies in South London. He has experience of both residential sales and lettings and also gained some knowledge of the commercial market. 

His blend of enthusiasm, professionalism, experience and a friendly, but no nonsense attitude has made him a firm favourite with tenants and landlords alike. 

On the downside, he supports Arsenal FC.

You can also find brief staff profiles on our website, as well as other posts in this blog. Just use the search box and look under "team" or a name.