We are still buzzing from being awarded Best Fundraising Campaign by Agents Giving at the weekend, so imagine our surprise and excitement to have been shortlisted for a Community Champion of the Year by The Negotiator magazine. Being recognised for our local community and charity work is something we are very proud of.

The Community Champion of the Year Award is one of thirty three categories for awards this year.  To see a full list of categories and the agencies that have been shortlisted, please visit The Negotiator’s website

Winners will be announced at the “big reveal” on 26th November, at Grosvenor House, Park Lane London.  The Harrisons team will be attending to celebrate having made it to the shortlist.  Wish us luck!

To find out more about the work that we do within our community for charity, and why we do it.  Please give us a call on 01795 474848

Since this article was published, Harrisons Homes have been awarded two more awards at The ESTAS Awards. Awarded Best In County and Gold in The Estate Agent Awards 2021.  For more details please read our blog.

Sittingbourne  vs  Faversham  Property Market : Which is the best?

A landlord with a small property portfolio came into our office last week. He lives between Faversham and Sittingbourne and has buy-to-let properties in both towns.

He wanted to ask our opinion on where he should his next Buy to Let property.

We thought we would share the current facts and figures with you, they make for an interesting read:

In Faversham , the average property price is £324,436 and the average rent is £949 per month.

In Sittingbourne , the average property price is £263,927 and the average rent is £1214 per month.

The annual yield in Faversham  is 3.5% per year, compared to  Sittingbourne , where he could achieve an annual yield of nearer 5.5%.

Yet yield is not the only way to earn from your buy-to-let investment.

You can also earn money from the growth in value of your buy-to let property.

Property Values in Faversham have risen by 29.5% in the last 5 years, whilst in Sittingbourne , they have risen by 23.4% over the same period.

It really comes down to what is more important, capital growth or yield?

It must not be forgotten these are only averages, so the yields for some small to medium sized properties in popular areas of Sittingbourne  can achieve yields can be even higher, in the order of 5.5% to 7.5% per year.

Sittingbourne vs Faversham Property Market : Which is the best? And how to find a good investment?

If you want to know our thoughts on the best places to invest your money in the Sittingbourne or Faversham property market, drop us a message on social media, ping me an email or ring me on 01795 474848

Harrisons pride themselves on getting the best price in the shortest time possible. We have helped thousands of families move home in the Sittingbourne area over the past 35 years. If you are concerned your listing price may be putting off putting an offer on your home or you would like to know more about how we can help to get you moving contact us today 01795 474848.

Other Charity work

Introducing Harrisons Hampers – Saying Thank You Locally

Harrisons believe in giving back to the community in whatever way we can.  Whether it’s raising money for charity, sponsoring local events), calling for the right type of properties to be built locally, or supporting local business and shopping locally.

We have come up with a few ideas as to how we can do this.  The first of which was to create a “Thank You” hamper for our clients containing items that are sourced and made locally.

Local Business Collaboration

Drawn By Freya

From the moment we came across talented local artist and former Sittingbourne school pupil Freya we knew we had to use her work in some way.  Freya take commissions to create artwork of people’s homes, so we asked her to turn our shop front into a work of art which we have used for our thank you cards.

Mad Cat Brewery

Mad Cat are a fantastic local brewer, based at Brogdale Farm, Faversham.  As well as creating some really tasty craft beers they also agreed to collaborate with us to provide a beer to go into the hamper.  After a rather enjoyable tasting session, we chose one of their popular brews, 9^th Life, to base the Harrisons beer on.

Sand Creative

We decided we wanted to use Freya’s design on the label, so the design went off to Mad Cat’s graphic designers, Sand Creative who are based in Herne Bay to design the label and ensure it complied with all the legal requirements needed to go onto a bottle of alcohol.

Superfast Labels

Once designed, the label needed printing. We chose Sittingbourne based printers, Superfast Labels who print many labels for local artisan suppliers.  Once printed, it was back to Mad Cat to label the bottles and create our own “Harrisons Beer”

AR Botanical Herbal

Based in Ospringe, Faversham, AR Botanical Herbal as well as being experienced, qualified herbalists & aromatherapists, make a range of fantastic skincare products.  All are natural and palm free made from butter, herbs and oils distilled onsite from the gardens at the beautiful Belmont House.  We asked AR Botanical Herbal to create some soaps for the hamper. They made two spa soaps for us, Lavender and Rose Geranium.

All of their products are packaged in biodegradable & easily compostable materials from UK based businesses including local family business Robins Packaging, based in Canterbury.  The labels were designed by Shore Way Marketing and printed by Superfast Labels.

Chaucer News

For the sweets, we returned to Sittingbourne based, family business Chaucer News. As we have used them in the past and always received a prompt, reliable and friendly service.  We asked for individually wrapped bags of jelly beans.  Next, we branded them up with Harrisons stickers. Also designed by Shore Way Marketing

Our hamper is not only a lovely gift the say thank you to our clients. It also has used the services of eight local businesses all within thirty miles of us.  When you think about it, shopping locally really does make a difference.

Hampers

As yet we have been unable to find a local supplier to print the hamper boxes.  So, we did. The next best thing and found a supplier that could produce branded packaging that was kind to the environment.  We chose Bundle Packaging because they are so focused on reducing their carbon footprint.  All the products are made from recycled materials, as well as being ethically sourced, and most importantly, biodegradable.  Meaning, if we can’t love local with the packaging, we can at least love the planet.

https://bundlepackaging.com/blog/the-benefits-of-sustainable-ecommerce-packaging

Harrisons Community

Our hampers are just one way that we intend to support local. There are plans to rotate the gifts inside. So we are looking to collaborate with other local, independent businesses on this.  If you own a local business that produces product that can be included (or can print sustainable packaging) please get in touch by emailing hello@harrisonshomes.co.uk.

We are planning some other ways to support local businesses and promote the Shop Local message; we will be announcing this later in the year.  As estate agents we are the first contact many people have with local businesses when they move into the area and as such, we can introduce them to local shops and services.  Therefore, we are building a local business community, please get in touch if you would like to join us, or join our Swale Local Business Community on Facebook

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

What do we mean when we say People over portals?

The business of estate agency has changed dramatically over the past couple of decades. As has the way that buyers find their next home.  Since the introduction of property portals such as Rightmove and Zoopla. Many buyers are able to view houses from the comfort of their own home. Looking through the photographs, virtual tours, floor plans and property details before they physically view properties.

For some estate agents, this has cut their workload considerably. They react to leads coming in for from the properties they have listed. Meaning they do not need to rely so heavily on building relationships. Being property experts in their local area, or knowing which buyers are looking for what type of home. This, in turn, means that they can handle more properties. Cover larger areas and sell houses to buyers that come to them rather than having to actively market the properties to their database of buyers and the public in general (if you are paying the portals to do this, why do you need to do it as well?).

It sounds like a win, win, for everyone at first. Until you realise that one of the key requirements for your estate agent has been lost along the way, and that is trust.  Trust is not just a given, it’s earned, and it comes from building a relationship and understanding each other’s position and requirements.  Here at Harrisons Homes, we have been on a mission to change people’s perception of estate agency by delivering and outstanding service and excellent results for both our vendors and our buyers.  The problem has always been with the industry (and the public’s perception of estate agents) being so heavily reliant on the portals it’s hard to demonstrate how different we are unless you have used our services already.

Change is coming – The focus is people over portals

We have always believed that estate agency will change, we have always believed there will be less reliance on portals and the personal service will become more important. With the current boom in the housing market, we believe that change is coming soon.

Such is the demand for property buyers are finding that when they contact estate agents to view properties they have seen online they have either sold already or there are lots of other people already booked in for viewings.  This puts potential buyers under pressure to put in an offer and, as we are finding at the moment, in many cases offers end up becoming a bidding frenzy and houses are selling well in excess of the asking price.  This may sound like a great result for both the agent and the vendor (after all an agent’s main role is to get the best price for their client – and the higher the sale price the higher their fee for commission based agents), this isn’t always what the vendor wants.

Reducing Stress

Having tens of dozens of viewings can be quite stressful. Especially for busy families that are still trying to work from home. Having lots of offers can be quite stressful too, do you hold out for the highest offer? or do you go with someone chain free? Do you trust your agent to give you the best impartial advice? Or are you thinking they are just interested in their fee?

And after the offer is accepted, the conveyancing process can be very stressful too and this is where many sales collapse. How do you prevent this happening? Will your agent work to push the sale over the line or will you be passed onto someone else to progress your sale?

Understanding People’s Needs

Moving can be a stressful time, but it doesn’t have to be.  We spend time listening and getting to know our vendors and potential buyers, we build relationships and understand the individual requirements of each buyer and seller.  Some sellers want the most people through the door, viewing their property. Some want the best achievable price.  We know that some people want the right buyer with the least hassle possible.  Many people do not know the ins and outs of property transactions. They will want to be informed of what we are doing. That we are here to answer questions and give advice when needed.

Our clients trust that we are doing our best to drive their sale forward with as little stress as possible. This isn’t because we are experts in estate agency. This is because we have taken the time to get to know them.  Build a relationship and proven they can put their trust in us.

People over portals

This is why we are giving our clients a choice. They can have their property listed on the portals and hope for multiple viewings and offers.  Or they can trust in us to understand which buyers would be interested in their home. That we will only show it to motivated buyers that are in a position to (and likely) to proceed. Saving them time and hassle in respect of viewings and getting realistic offers.  In this way 23% of all our sales this year have been agreed, and that’s without listing them online.

Here at Harrisons, we really believe that we have achieved such fantastic results because of the relationships we build with our clients.  They trust in us that we will find the right buyer for their property. We believe in people over portals every time.

We recently had an excellent result. One that highlights the requirements of the vendors and how we were able to deliver just the result they were looking for.  Click here for more.

Is market share important? and what does that mean?

If you were to invite five estate agents out to value your home we can almost guarantee that you will hear the following statements from at least one (probably several) of them.

• Have market share in this postcode (plus graph)
• We sell more houses than any other agent in your price bracket/area (probably accompanied by a graph)
• Sold more houses than other agents (graph)
• Sell fastest (another graph)
• We sold a similar house on this road (nothing like your home)
• Best value for money
• We will negotiate on fees
• Members of a group of buyers looking for exactly this type of property
• Have a massive database of potential buyers that goes all over the UK
• And our particular favourite, all agents market properties in the same way, it’s just we get better results.

It’s not surprising that it’s really difficult for vendors to make an informed choice on who is going to get you the best result on their house sale.

Not all estate agents are the same

The simple fact is, not all estate agents are the same, they vary wildly.  As do the individual needs of vendors and their reasons for selling.

Here at Harrisons, we really different.  We are not focused on numbers, market share or statistics.  Our business is about people, those that work in it, our suppliers and most of all our customers.  We build relationships and trust, and as such we invest time in these relationships and getting to understand the needs and requirements of each person.  This takes time and as such we aren’t interested in listing the most properties or having market share, we believe in listing and selling properties quickly not playing the numbers game, we work with people, not numbers.

The Harrisons Way

The Harrisons team trust and believe that we can get you the best possible result and as such, we believe we offer our clients the best value for money despite not being the cheapest agent out there.

We wont turn up at your home loaded with statistics and a snazzy presentation all about Harrisons and what we have done for other clients.  We will have a chat and listen to your needs, suggest ways forward and work out what we can do for you.

Our standard process for marketing your home is to market it discreatley for the first couple of weeks. We market to buyers that are able to proceed with a purchase.  To our social media followers and our online communities before it goes onto the online property portals.

We believe properties should currently sell within four weeks. Due to this, we will not tie our vendors into lengthy contracts.  We will negotiate offers on your behalf.  Will not be afraid to tell you if a lower offer is better in your individual circumstances (even if it means our commission is lower).

We recommend reservation agreements on all sales.  Giving buyers and vendors peace of mind that your sale will go through.

Plus, we will be there every step of the way, from instruction to competition.

For this, we charge a little more, but we believe we give you exceptional value for money.  We believe our clients would agree that we are worth that for the personal service, expert knowledge and unique way that Harrisons markets your home.

If you would like a personal service based on quality rather than quantity click here

How to make the sales process less stressful for property owners is something we are always asking ourselves. With the full stamp duty holiday coming to an end on the 29^th June, it’s been a very busy period for both estate agents and conveyancers.  For Harrisons it’s highlighted a few issues that we believe that could be improved both within and between the two industry’s. Especially when you consider that we are all working towards the same result.  And that is simply to transfer ownership of property.

We have long been very vocal that there needs to be regulation and training within the estate agent industry.  This is why we are members of NAEA Propertymark. Who are an organisation that set professional industry standards though regulation and accredited qualifications.  As members, we adhere to these standards and provide continuous training to all of our team.  Recent months has just highlighted how many other agents have serious gaps in their knowledge. They have no training or guidance within their organisation to fall back on.

How to make the sales process less stressful for property owners

This article isn’t intended to be one of those that reads as one estate agent claiming to be better than their competitors, there are good and bad agents as there are good and bad in most industries.  The aim of this article is to highlight the issues within our industry, and hopefully, we can suggest some solutions and improved working practices.  With this in mind, we need to remember that the Estate Agent industry has no standard in the way things are done, we believe that we need to start to standardise as an industry.  Until then, we make these observations and offer solutions.

The Sales Progressor

The role of a sales progressor is a very important role.  One that should be with a very experienced member of the team who understands the ins and outs of how a property transactions work.  As well as the order in which things happen.  Yet, all too often this role is assigned to a member of the team with little experience.  They are expected to chase the various parties involved just using a checklist and ticking things off as they go.  It’s not their fault that they may not be able to spot a potential problem developing. It’s not their fault that they don’t understand issues.  They have not had the correct training or experience and so, things do go wrong.

This issue is compounded even further when agents set up sales progression teams which are often located in a central office, away from the branch who understand the sale, know the clients involved and know the history of the case.

As estate agents, we believe that one of the first things we can do to make the sales process a smoother one is to stop undervaluing the role of a sales progressor.  Ensure that this position is filled by someone who has the correct experience, training and most of all support should problems arise.  Understanding the process and knowing what to do should things go wrong.  Not only does this save time and money it also ensures the client does not have unnecessary stress.

Another thing us agents could be better at doing, is communicating with each other.  Let’s be honest if there is an issue, let’s communicate.  If the chain is updated, let’s remember that it’s better all-round if we can be quick to act and as open and transparent with each other as possible.  If we work together, we can improve process and in turn improve the image of our industry.

Conveyancing

And so, to solicitors. It is also the case that there are good and bad ones, even so there is much that they too can do to improve the sales process and make things better for all.  Solicitors, known conveyancers, have had a very busy year thanks to the Stamp Duty Holiday and their case loads are currently very high.  However, understanding and working with agents can be the key to relieving some of this.T

Conveyancers often complain that they waste time taking calls and responding to emails from sales progressors that “just have a tick box exercise to do”. We can see that this can be frustrating we understand! However, working in the industry you will quickly be able to spot good agents. Ones that understand the process and are willing to work with you rather than just ticking things off.

Agents are on the frontline.  The property owner is the client of both the conveyancer and the agent. We both have a job to do to ensure they get the best possible service and the desired result of a property sale.  Though the client can chase conveyancers directly they often wont.  Mostly this is because they don’t understand the sales process or they legal jargon.  It’s easier to chase the agent.  Especially when things get stressful and so in turn the agent chases for updates.

Ignoring agents calls or emails, passing the buck to the other party, or just giving one line replies with very little information is one way to focus on your caseload. But this isn’t the best way in our opinion, as it just leaves the client chasing harder, and this is where a lack of trust and blame start to creep in.

 Make the sales process less stressful

To make the sales process less stressful.  If agents and conveyancers can find a way to work together.  To make a commitment that agents will not work from checklists.  Be qualified to deal with the sale process and will not chase unnecessarily.  Perhaps conveyancers can commit to more communication. Copy us in on correspondence for updates. Trust the agent to keep the client updated. Work with us to get the best result for our joint client with the least amount of stress.

This is how we believe you makes the sales process less stressful for property owners.  Surely that has got to be the best result for everyone?

If you would like to look at a less stressful way to sell your home. Contact our team on 01795 474848

https://www.harrisonshomes.co.uk/a-quality-result/

People are confused. They want to know. “How is there a housing crisis when we have so many new builds in the local area?”  Many people in the South East feel disgruntled by the amount of housing being built in their local area. They wonder how we can still have a housing crisis.  Harrisons Estate Agent, Kane Blackwell, has written for the brilliant Sittingbourne.me with his solution to the housing shortage. He calls for planners and developers to look at building, not more housing, but the right type of housing.

Kane explains ” I know that we have a housing crisis, however, there is not a shortage of houses being built, but a shortage of the right types of homes for local people”

Read the full article that explains How is there a housing crisis when we have so many new builds in the local area?

Harrisons pride themselves on getting the best price in the shortest time possible. We have helped thousands of families move home in the Sittingbourne area over the past 35 years. If you are concerned your listing price may be putting off putting an offer on your home or you would like to know more about how we can help to get you moving contact us today 01795 474848.

Lots of agents are claiming they are selling houses before they are listed online. The housing market is booming currently, many homes are actually selling before they are listed online. Many are also selling for over the asking price, but for properties over the £1m price bracket, the pool of potential buyers is somewhat smaller.  This is where knowing your clients requirements and knowing how to market the property properly is essential.

Branch Manager, Ryan recently tied up a sale of such a property in under a week.  This case, we think, perfectly demonstrates how we do things differently here at Harrisons.

Here is how he did it:

The vendors of a large country home, with land, wanted to move. However they didn’t want the hassle of the sort of attention that their kind of home could attract once it went online.  They wanted only serious, proceedable buyers coming through their door.  They had already had an agent out and invited Ryan along as a comparison.

Ryan took the time to understand their requirements.  He listened to their desire for a simple sale without lots of viewings.  Ryan knew that the property could attract a lot of interest and if it was listed online. It could mean many buyer enquiries and possible leads for Harrisons to value other homes.  He also knew that this wasn’t in the best interest for these vendors.

He took the time to explain how we market homes at Harrisons.  Assured them that he would only allow people to view their home that were likely to buy it and, despite our fee being higher than the other agent that had been out, the owners instructed Ryan to sell their home.

Behind the scenes marketing

Every property we market is marketed “behind the scenes” for a minimum of two weeks before it is listed online, unless the vendor wishes otherwise.  This is to ensure we have all of the property details correct. Contact any potential buyers on our database and to offer a sneak peek to our social media followers and groups.

So, Ryan went and took the photos, filmed a sneek peek video for our followers and returned to the office. He then picked up the phone to a potential buyer who was looking for this type of property.  This potential buyer had recently accepted an offer on their property and had already been financially qualified as being able to proceed with a purchase in this price bracket.

Needless to say, this buyer was keen to view and subsequently made an offer.  The offer stage is always a delicate process.  This is where an exceptional estate agent can really demonstrate how good they are in their role.  Ryan had already built a strong personal relationship with both parties.  They trusted his advice, but it’s still a skill to get to a figure that everyone is happy with. Ryan worked hard to get there, often doing further viewings and taking/making calls late into the evening to get to an agreeable price.

Needless to say both the vendor and the buyer are really delighted with the outcome. The vendor even phoned to say how delighted they were and that we had earned every penny of our fee!

Try the Harrisons Way

Building relationships and trust. Understanding our clients individual needs and wishes.  Knowing our local market place, and pre qualifying potential buyers so that they can move quickly, should the right property for them come onto the market. This is something that sets Harrisons apart.  If you would like to know more give the team a call on 01795 474848 and find out if we really do have a different approach to estate agency.

If you are looking for your dream home, click here to be notified of suitable properties before they come onto the market (we promise not to spam you).

Selling houses before they are listed online.

every ,”Harrisons Estate Agent Raise £10,000 for Charity”

To celebrate raising an amazing £10k for Holding On Letting Go.  On Saturday,  teamed up with staff and volunteers from the charity. Pitching a pop up stall in Sittingbourne High Street.

We had a wonderful day.  It was fantastic for our staff to meet the team from Holding On Letting Go.  Shoppers and members of the public joined in with our raffle and tombola and hopefully learned something about this very important local charity too.

Raising a glass to toast this achievement.  Harrisons have pledged to continue the support for the children’s charity. By committing to more fundraising in future and a pledge to bring the total raised to £20k.  We are hoping to achieve the figure by this time next year!

Fund raising initiatives organised by Harrisons included donating £50 for every house sale; holding raffles, and a team member participating in a sponsored bike ride. Harrisons worked with other local businesses to donate Christmas presents to the children supported by Holding On Letting Go.

All the staff at Harrisons have got behind the fundraising initiative which has only been running for 12 months.  It has already raised enough money for the charity to support 30 children. Who are struggling with the loss of someone they love.  In the UK, a child is bereaved of a parent every 22 minutes. With more being bereaved of a sibling, other family member, or friends. The services offered by Holding On Letting Go are invaluable to many children throughout Kent.

To find out more about Holding On Letting Go and the work they do with bereaved children. Visit their website here. Or to learn more about our fundraising efforts. Read our article Harrisons Estate Agent Raise £10,000 For Charity