henshaws' team in the spotlight: Timothy Pearce, Director

Every now and again we will put one of the henshaws team in the spotlight. Today it is the turn of Timothy Pearce, Director of henshaws and based in our Bookham office.

Alyson, one of our newest members of the team had a few questions for him:

You’ve been a member of the henshaws team since 1995 when you were appointed Branch Manager in Bookham, and then in 2006 you became a Co-Director of the business. What are the greatest changes you have seen in the local property market since then?

The greatest change I have seen since the mid 90`s is the advance in technology and how that has affected processes within our industry, and the impact it has on a daily basis. In the main this is absolutely fantastic, however it is important for us to remember that we are still in a people to people industry and there is nothing stronger than a face to face meeting or picking up the telephone and having a conversation.

henshaws’ ethos is about providing a first class service and being prepared to go the extra mile to put a smile on the faces of our clients. Can you give me an example of an occasion when henshaws went beyond the call of duty and made a real difference to a client?

Recently we had a client’s house which was full of white goods with the purchaser insisting they be removed prior to exchange of contracts, a vendor who was not living close by, and a lack of available removal people. So we decided to call upon the “muscle” within henshaws to remove said items.

Unfortunately, during the process of trying to be helpful, the lino in the kitchen was ripped when removing the washing machine. Obviously we reimbursed the incoming purchaser, but the reaction we got from both the vendor and purchaser was well worth going above and beyond the call of duty!

What are the 3 most frequently asked questions from clients, and how do you answer them?

1. How long do you think it will take to sell my home?

This question is impossible to answer because of our legal process involving chains and no two transactions are the same. But it is up to us to explain the work we will be carrying out on their behalf over the coming weeks/months in order to secure a successful outcome.

2. Why is my property not selling?

It sometimes just takes time! We constantly review marketing performance of all our properties and if they have not sold we will analyse why and put forward a proactive marketing campaign to address this. This means that this question is addressed as part of ongoing conversations, rather than something that comes 'out of the blue'.

This review includes all marketing materials such as brochures and online profiles, as well as price in the current market conditions, to judge how their individual property is reacting compared to other similar properties.

If possible we would always try and arrange a face to face meeting to discuss the situation in more detail with them and put a plan in place for the next period of marketing.

3. What difference does a price reduction make?

The number of times I have been asked this question is amazing!

However, what is equally amazing is the number of times we have made an adjustment to the price which has led to an increase in activity and, more often than not, has then resulted in us finding a suitable purchaser.

My belief is that people look in price bands and if a reduced property starts to get close to their desired price band then they are more likely to view this property than if it feels just too far away.

What advice would you give to young people buying a property for the first time?

Always buy within your means and comfort zone because after all you have to live!

Put in place a buffer zone in case the economic climate changes, for example interest rate increases. Make sure that with these changes you are still able to meet your obligations reasonably comfortably.

And finally, with a passion for property, where in the world would you live, and how would you describe your ideal home if the budget was limitless?

My ideal home would be somewhere warm next to the beach and the sea but in exactly which country I am honestly not sure… still checking this out!!!

So, while Tim ponders his dream beachside retreat and tries out potential locations on his holidays, the day to day business of helping people find their ‘special place’ whilst achieving the best price for our vendors goes on.

Contact our sales teams to find out about the properties we have on the market, or click here to search for your ideal property on our website.

 Modern agency, traditional values