Buyers'agency chain builds to 22 high street offices

News Category: Industry News

A buyers’ agency chain has revealed that it has built up to 22 high street outlets in the last three months, and plans to double its size by the end of the year.

The Homebuyer Centre is the brainchild of Tim Hammond, who is chairman of the Association of Property Finders and Buyers Agents (APFBA).

Yesterday, Hammond said APFBA has also launched a website (thehomebuyercentre.com) which aims to list every single property for sale on the market, including those for sale through agents and private sellers.

This has been achieved through partnerships with Nestoria and Tepilo, he said.

Hammond said that The Homebuyer Centre emulates Redfin, a successful American model. Redfin has grown rapidly since its launch, completing $ 2bn in transactions in just three years, with a customer satisfaction rate of 97%.

The Homebuyer Centre – a franchisee-style network – orchestrates the entire buying process on the buyer’s behalf. This includes: finding suitable properties, attending viewings, negotiating on the purchase price, arranging mortgage finance, surveys and insurance, and overseeing the entire conveyancing process.

Buyers do not pay The Homebuyer Centre any fee for finding them a home, unless the buyer’s agent negotiates a discount on price. At that point, the buyer pays 15% of the saving.

Hammond said: “So far, we have never failed to get money off. Homes are vastly over-priced at the moment.

“We do not sell houses, but what we provide is an independent one-stop shop for buyers who do not have the time to go from one agent to another, and are tired of only seeing a proportion of the properties for sale on any given website at any one time.

“Estate agents do a good job but they only represent the sellers and it is high time that the market was disrupted and changed. For too long, the balance of power in property transactions has favoured sellers, but we are changing that.

“If sellers have estate agents working for them, why shouldn’t every buyer have buying agents working on their behalf, too? And best of all, the entire buying process can be managed from under one roof.”


Article courtesy of Estate Agent Today Sign up for EAT newsletter