Pring's Blog

April 2012 Stephen Pring – An estate agent for 30 years!

Well, this month sees a milestone for me - it is 30 years since I first started my career in estate agency! What a fabulous journey that has been and there have been amazing technological changes along the way but one thing remains totally at the heart of what I do – I LOVE matching the right people with the right houses!

Moving home is such an emotional process for people whatever their reasons for moving. The satisfaction of making it happen for them and then seeing them around town afterwards when they are shopping and they stop to chat and tell you how they love living in their new home, is absolutely super. You get intensely involved in their lives for a period of time, play a key part in making something happen and facilitating a major change and then enjoy watching them move on. It’s incredibly satisfying.

During those 30 years I have sold over 4000 properties of all types, sizes and values. I cannot begin to imagine the value of property sold over the first 27 years but since establishing Pring & Co in September 2008 I can tell you that I have sold over £35,000,000 (£35 million pounds) worth of property!

From an estate agency point of view, technology over the last few years has been an amazing leveller. It has completely changed the way we operate and transformed the way people buy houses. However, one thing is as true today as it has always been, and probably more so… “People buy from people”… and it’s the quality and experience of the individual that makes the difference. Now, more than ever before, the difference is down to the individual that you choose to represent you, market your home and sell it on your behalf.

Here’s a really good example of how technology has evened the playing field.

Most of my career was at much loved CJ Hole. We had 13 offices covering the towns and villages of North Somerset and that meant we could “capture” any buyer walking into any of those towns and offer them the properties we were marketing. Our “edge” over other estate agencies was that we covered an area in depth. That, combined with the excellent colleagues that I had, is what made the difference for our clients choosing to sell their house through us and is what built CJ Hole’s reputation as a superb estate agency. Nowadays, with the amazing information available at the click of a computer button, you don’t need a network of offices. I believe that I now have just as much opportunity to sell a property as estate agents with multiple branches throughout the country… and indeed, throughout countries! I have sold a myriad of properties as Pring & Co; from small bungalows to a stunning and individual church conversion – a property which my client had tried to sell over 3 years through other major, national estate agencies.

Someone said to me very recently… “Out of all the agents in Nailsea, you’re the one whose advice people trust. You have a brilliant website, a telephone and an excellent reputation – you could sell any house from a park bench if necessary”! And do you know, I couldn’t have put it better myself.

So what of the future? Well, I have thoroughly enjoyed the last 30 years and whilst I couldn’t envisage working for another 30 years, I do love what I do and in another 30 years I would only be 78!

Mind you, the park bench could be a bit uncomfortable by then!!