What is your business?
Bonds Estate Agents, the modern hybrid agent bridging the gap between the traditional high street agent and online model.
What does it say on your business card?
Daniel Bond, MARLA ANAEA – Managing Director
How long have you been trading?
Just over 2 years
Why do you think you won gold at the British Property Awards?
A few reasons. Firstly, because our business is people driven NOT process driven. Our team is committed to being flexible and adaptable to meet the individual needs of our clients, customers and the individual journey of their property, which is different ever time.
Secondly, because we are changing the status quo of the industry and doing things differently in the interest of evolving with peoples changing lifestyles, market conditions and the opportunities the digital age has given us.
What is your opinion on the market?
Without a doubt we are in uncertain and challenging times, but this isn’t the first time and it won’t be the last. We see it as an opportunity to reflect on what’s not working anymore, embrace change to do things differently and more effectively.
People will always have a need to move and those that thrive in difficult conditions will be those that decide not to participate in the gloom of the external environment and focus on the internal environment that is within our control. The latter is where we are choosing to spend our energy.
What do you think the best outlook to have in the property industry is?
I think the only outlook to have right now is a positive one because where your focus goes, energy flows and we need our energy firmly planted in a mindset of growth, expansion and innovation to find new ways to overcome market challenges and continue to meet our clients needs.
What do you think could improve the industry / market?
The mindset of the people that work within the industry. At this time we need to model what great property agent service looks like, lead the change that needs to happen to evolve as an industry and inject confidence back to the people that we want to serve.
What is your greatest achievement and what made it so special?
Winning the Gold at the British Property Awards was of course a very special moment, and after only two years in business! It is humbling to be recognised by industry experts as leaders in our area, especially amongst more established agents.
But what really make our team proud is that we have perfect 5* rated score across Google, Facebook and Dash reviews from our clients. It gives me huge validation that we are raising the bar in customer service, which is our key success driver.
What is your property prediction for 2020?
Following October’s political outcomes will be a turbulent time and we will likely see a dropin confidence short term, but the market has faced challenges before from changing legislation and external conditions and we will see them again in the future. The market will stabilise and when it does, we will be stronger than we are now.
For us it’s going to be a really exciting 12 months, with lots of plans for expansion and investment in developing the services available to our clients and embracing new modern methods of online marketing to extend our reach in a more targeted and intentional way.
In a more competitive and changing market those that are more innovative, adaptable and flexible will come out on top.
What is the most satisfying part of your job?
Being a positive influence in what is often a difficult and emotional time for people. When people put their trust in us, and we can create the outcome our clients want it’s very rewarding. When we can hand over keys, a bottle of fizz and shake hands it’s a great feeling.
Plus, knowing that we are doing something that others aren’t. In an industry steeped in tradition we are stepping out from the norm and being recognised for it.
Are you currently offering anything special for landlords?
Our model is based on offering the most competitive rates with the highest level of service as standard and our 5% + VAT fully managed lettings fee reflects that, as well as no upfront costs or tie in period so that there is no risk to the Landlord.