Holiday Issue 2019

34 Apr19039 A Hybrid Agency That is Changing the Face of Real Estate Established in September 2017, Red Rooves is a locally-focused ‘hybrid’ estate agency that specialises in the sales of residential property in North West England. Deservedly spotlighted with the Award for Excellence in Outstanding Customer Service in the 2019 Estate Agent Awards, we spoke with one of the company’s Real Estate Agents, Robert Smith, to find out more. The real estate industry is being split in two. On one side, you’ve got the traditionalists – the firms who embrace a more ‘old-fashioned’ approach to real estate. Here, communication and customer service take a front seat, whilst the advantages of technology-driven services are left by the wayside. On the flip side, is the new wave of estate agents who utilise the online marketplace fully and are cheaper than their traditionalist counterparts, yet, often fail to provide that all-essential personalised touch. Red Rooves was founded to combine the two approaches, creating a thoroughly future-proof firm with outstanding client care, as Robert explains. “We were formed after a frustration with local and national agents, not providing the service we expected for the price they were charging, and the at the time new online agents, were providing a poor service with hidden costs which didn't fit ethically. Our company was specifically designed around the issues we had seen and experienced within the market at the time, to provide a fantastic service to clients, at a low cost, which was straight forward and achieved the result the clients wanted. “Since opening we have worked with a broad range of clients, from residential property owners, and landlords to investors and developers, providing them with exactly what they needed for their specific requirements.” Crucially, Red Rooves has thrived through its customer service, with much of their continued business being based on referrals from impressed customers to their family, friends and colleagues. “We make it our goal to provide the best service, properties come and sell but it is the customer who will always remain, and to why we focus on building a relationship with our clients, working with their expectations and ensure the team work together to get the job done. We ensure that every property that is taken on is always presented in the best possible manner, with the pictures always being taken with a high quality SLR camera, not with an iPhone which I have seen many times. “The buyers are also a client to us, and we want to make their experience as great as possible, so we take the time to explain the process, what the can expect throughout the purchase and help as much as possible in every aspect.” “Communication is the vital part of our operation, keeping in contact with our clients, working with them to achieve what they required, whether that be for a sale, purchase or just general advice.” All of this is in light of a rapidly changing real estate landscape which is being defined by digitisation, as brick and mortar agents find it increasingly difficult to compete with their online counterparts. This is not a challenge that Red Rooves is having difficulty overcoming. “The industry now is going through a massive change, where you are seeing a lot of high street estate agents either change their model or shut down all together. As our business was built as a hybrid agency, we were created from day one to suit this modern-day requirement. There are many online agents, that whilst they provide the fixed fee service, fail at communication, and without that vital communication between clients and solicitors, people get frustrated and leave. Clients love the fact that we keep them up to date and talk them through the process and discuss what to expect next so that there are no surprises.” All that remains for Red Rooves is to capitalise on their unique offering, to solidify their position in an industry that seems ripe for the taking. In his closing comments, Robert discusses the future of the company and how they plan to improve their services further. “As we grow, we want to keep the company growing on the foundations we have built to date. We want to only employ people who have the same drive, passion and ethical basis in which we operate as we continually want to ensure our clients always receive the best service possible. “Finally, we have recently added an Auction service to the company to which we can now provide a full holistic service for the sale of any property, given are already developed packages for Developers, Investors and standard Residential Property owners.” Name: Robert Smith Address: 11-13 Hanover Street, Liverpool, L12 0RW, Merseyside, United Kingdom Website: www.redrooves.co.uk Telephone: +44 (0)15137 42701