Parry House, Birchwood Boulevard, Birchwood, WA3 7QU

Mon-Fri 8.30am -6pm
Sat: 9am - 4pm

We are constantly learning and enjoy sharing our expertise and insights. Here is where we will talk about hot topics, give ideas and advice on marketing, and tackle customers common questions and challenges.

We enjoy helping our sellers to secure the maximum selling price for their biggest tax-free asset! After all, that is one of the main reasons you need an estate agent for, right?

The difference between a good estate agent and a great estate agent, is often down to the proven results they religiously achieve for their customers.

Since launching as a business, we are very proud to have consistently achieved on average 3% over our sellers’ asking prices, which based on our average house price has meant £6,750 more equity secured for our sellers, and that is after our fees are paid!

This year alone, we are consistently achieving on average 5% over our sellers’ asking prices, which based on our average house price has meant £11,250 more equity secured for our sellers, after covering our fees. Impressive!

We would love to work with you and make sure you are one of our next success stories!

And just like that 2019 is almost over!

Christmas is the perfect time to enjoy the festivities celebrating with family and friends, reflect on the highs and lows of the year just gone and start looking forward to 2020 and what the New Year will bring!

Although I feel like my feet haven’t touched the floor again this year, what an amazing second year in business we’ve had. 

We have grown our turnover by just shy of 500%, and therefore have helped so many more sellers and buyers on their moving journeys.  Making even more friends for life and repeat customers in the process, (which will always be the main reason I personally love estate agency as much as I do), for the many relationships we get to make and cherish along the way!

So, the big question you are probably wondering…. how the hell have we done it?!?

Harper Williams has been recognised for its outstanding customer service to its clients by the biggest award scheme in the UK residential property industry – The ESTAS Customer Service Awards.

Not only have they been shortlisted within their own category, which is a massive achievement in itself during their first year since launching, but the Sales Director Leanne, has also been shortlisted for the 'People Award' in which the top 25 agents have been selected out of over 4,000 brilliant agents! Wow!

I have been keen to write this blog for a while, to share our views and shed some light on estate agency etiquette when it comes to getting your home valued. There seems to be a historic myth that if you ring an estate agent to request a valuation/ market appraisal of your home, that you must only do so if you are looking to sell your property!

Why would you waste their time otherwise…seems to be the consensus!

Well, let me poor cold water on this myth once and for all and share with you, some of the key reasons/ circumstances that we would be happy to assist in carrying out a professional appraisal of your property.

 

The Warrington based agency received the ‘Best in County’ title for Cheshire and Leanne their Founder was also one of the winners of the toughest category ‘The People Award’ at the prestigious ESTAS 2019. The award was announced by Phil Spencer, the TV property expert at a lavish luncheon & ceremony at the Grosvenor House, Park Lane London on 10th May attended by 1,000 of the UK’s top property professionals.

The awards, celebrating their 16th year determine the best estate and letting agents in the UK based purely on feedback from customers who are asked a series of questions about the service they have received from their agent, over 45,000 surveys were completed by customers during the competition. 

Can ‘Property Photography’ help generate more interest on Rightmove & Zoopla?

Estate agency is a complex mix of valuation, marketing, lead generation, selling and negotiation skills along with local plus legal industry knowledge. Anyone who has ever sold a house will tell you, generating the right number of viewings is critical, but doing that can be tough when there are so many other competing properties for sale in your area.  A recent review by ‘Estate Agent Today’ found that the bulk of agents say that homes which invest in specialist property photography receive more viewings than those without. This is something which home owners shouldn’t ignore, so what exactly are the benefits of professional property photography?

Put simply, “it helps you sell quicker and for more”. Professional property photography helps your listing to stand out when a buyer reviews their search results on portals such as Rightmove and Zoopla.

This has been shown to improve the “click through rate” (the number of times your listing is clicked on by buyers) and more importantly, the number of viewings requested. This obviously will increase the chances of your property selling quickly. But more importantly it can also increase the eventual selling price by creating interest from multiple parties.

There is something quite joyful about making a new luxury purchase!

Whether it is a new statement watch you’ve been saving for, that once in a lifetime exotic holiday or the new prestigious car you’ve always dreamed of…there is something very exciting about making an indulgent purchase. 

Especially if endless hours of hard graft, time and patience have gone into making it happen!

For most people, owning a home will always be your biggest asset, so therefore the ultimate prestigious purchase has got to be investing in a luxury new home!

Why?

There is something magical that happens in the world of selling houses around this time of year, and this magic happens once September is out of the way, the kids have gone back to school, and Mums and Dads are back into their school routines after their busy summers and holidays, and it is as if there is a sudden mindset shift towards house moving.  

Plus, autumn itself has a very majestic feel with the array of colourful leaves falling to the ground, the crisp mornings, darker nights setting in and the temperature changing, winter candles purchased and heating and fires on turning our homes into our cosy haven from the cold.   Not to mention the excitement of Halloween, Bonfire night and Christmas along with all the festivities to enjoy.   

And so, the magic begins….

I have been asked this question quite a lot recently, so I thought it was the perfect time to put the answer out there!

Selling or buying a house is considered the third most stressful thing you will ever do in life behind death followed by divorce and sadly for some customers, they are trying to deal with a couple of these at once. 

This is exactly why empathy and accountability are two of our core values at Harper Williams, which we live and breathe every day.  

Estate agency isn’t a typical 9am-5.30pm office job.  It is a lifestyle!  It is something you constantly think about and a responsibility that if you are passionate and love what you do, will never really leave you.  

People generally hate estate agents…. And I mean really dislike us!  We are up there with some of the most hated professions…tax inspectors, parking attendants and politicians just to name a few.

This depresses me! 

Like good neighbours, sometimes you meet people in life and you just know that they will be in your life forever. 

Graham is one of those people. 

We met almost seven years ago, during my time with a corporate agent.  Graham had retired from his successful career in the construction industry and his high school sweetheart Pam had sent him on his marching orders for a part time job, probably to get some peace and quiet at home. 

When we met, I was working for an estate agent in Warrington town centre and Graham had applied for a leaflet distribution job at one of the other branches.  Soon realising he was very over qualified for the role and would add more value dealing with the direct public, he got sent to the Warrington branch to become our viewings representative. 

 

Like two peas in a pod, despite the significant age gap (sorry Graham), we hit it off straight away!

Upsizing is a big move and the thought of it can be quite daunting. 

We have been lucky enough to have helped lots of customers over the last 15 years face the common upsizing challenges, so wanted to share with you our thoughts on this, and our top ten tips to consider, when thinking about making that bigger move.

Harper Williams have taken a look over last year’s figures and activity within the Warrington property market and wanted to offer you a snapshot of our findings.  From average property price per location, increase in average house price per type, to volume of completed transactions per price range, we have collated all the data for you and put it into a simple infographic for your browse. 

We hope you enjoy and find something of interest! 

If you are curious as to your current house value, we would encourage you to contact the team on 01925 407210 or request a valuation at https://www.harper-williams.co.uk/valuation.  

We look forward to chatting with you. 

Which comes first the chicken, or the egg?

With Easter just around the corner, I thought it was the right time to address a common topic currently amongst home movers, facing the very same catch 22 challenge!

Do we need to find our next home, before we sell ours? 

I will be quite short and snappy in this blog, as I think there is a clear answer.      

My heart always goes out to anyone thinking of downsizing.  

You may think to an estate agent you are just a number, another transaction to deal with.  However, when you genuinely care and connect with your customer’s needs and why they are moving, this really isn’t the case. 

I met Gordon and Barbara Williams when they had decided to take the plunge and downsize a couple of years ago. They had lived in their listed cottage in the heart of Rixton for over 40 years.  Surrounded by fields, breath taking views and open countryside, Railway Cottage had been their safe haven for all their married life.  They are your typical childhood sweethearts. This quirky and quaint cottage they called home, had brought them decades of laughter, happiness, and lots of cherished memories. 

The Property Ombudsman TSI NAEA Zoopla Primelocation