Marlow estate agents Andrew Fraser and Julie and Simon Gibson don't just aim to notch up sales that's only the half of it.
The 21st century service they give to clients through Fraser Gibson The Property Studio also extends to advice on how to maximise the value of an individual property with minimum outlay from the owner.
The three experienced professionals, who joined forces to launch their estate agency at the end of June this year, set out to break the traditional mould.
From the stylish decor of their period offices in West Street to the design of their marketing material, they wanted everything about their company to reflect the radical approach to the way they do business.
"We consulted a design studio because we wanted our sales details to have a contemporary edge," says Julie Gibson, who first met Andrew when she worked for him when he was manager of a leading Thames Valley agency in Cookham.
"The design studio came up with a template for the layout of our sales brochures. We want to focus on the most eye-catching features of a property. We don't just photograph the exterior."
Julie is now the only woman estate agent practising in Marlow who is a part-owner of her own company. Interior decor and how to make the most of a property for sale is very much one of her strengths.
With 20 years' experience of knowing what features impress buyers, she can tell potential vendors how a few small judicial improvements could make a vast difference to the price they are likely to achieve.
After the marketing of a property is successfully launched then regular feedback to the homeowner is essential.
Andrew Fraser, who like Julie has 20 years' experience as an agent says good communications between client and the experts throughout the transaction is paramount.
It is a cornerstone of Fraser Gibson's marketing strategy to call buyers after a viewing and to pass on their reaction to the sellers.
"We pass on all the comments, good and bad," says the agent. "We also advertise all our properties on the Rightmove website and the weekly response from that is invaluable.
"The on-line agency sends us a weekly report showing the number of hits on each property and the number of follow up inquiries and how they compare with the response to similar properties.
"We forward each report to the client and from that, and our regular conferences with the sellers, we ensure the pricing is spot on. Agents who inflate the value to win instructions merely waste their clients' time."
The website not only gives excellent feedback on properties being sold by the Marlow company. "We're also awash with applicants looking for properties to buy. The most frequent request currently is for a project,' says Andrew. "The makeover programmes on TV have generated a lot of enthusiam for doing up properties."
The third member of the Fraser Gibson management team is a newcomer to estate agency.
Simon Gibson was previously a director of a major plc. "The three of us each have our own area of expertise," says the new boy. "Andrew is a well known and respected estate agent in the area most people who have lived in Marlow any length of time know Andrew Julie has skills in the interior design field which benefit our clients.
"She also comes up with ideas like the children's play corner in the office so parents can talk to us without being distracted by their under-fives.
"And with my corporate background I bring a fresh approach to estate agency. I ask questions and introduce new business initiatives which might otherwise have been missed.
"The main thing," says Simon Gibson "is that we all share a passion for what we do. It may be a clich but in our case it's true."
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