OliverFinn, the Chiswick based flat fees agency, has experienced 120% increase in revenues in the past six months as vendors abandon higher fees of rival estate agents in favour of OliverFinn’s flat fee structure. The firm charges £2,500 to sell any flat and £5,000 to sell any house, regardless of the final sale price. Landlords also enjoy flat fees with a charge of £1,500 to let any property including full management. As a hybrid that combines the best of a traditional high street agency and an internet based concept, OliverFinn is able to charge the fixed fees to both vendors and landlords alike.
As house prices have risen, so have estate agencies’ fees. Internet estate agencies have garnered headlines of late with their low fees but many vendors are unable to trust an agent whom they have never met and provides little more than a (poor) marketing service. Furthermore, many house sellers are time poor and do not have the time or inclination to conduct viewings.
It is no surprise, therefore, that OliverFinn has experienced such phenomenal growth in such a short space of time. OliverFinn currently operates in Chiswick and has plans for a second office in Notting Hill in 2007. The firm does not have a high street office but conducts its business from a normal office building. All staff are experts in the local market and many of them are long term residents of the area hence their unequivocal knowledge of pricing and marketing strategies.
Christian Harper of OliverFinn comments, “With at least 90% of buyers beginning their search on the internet, the proliferation of internet estate agents is no surprise. However, to successfully market a property, the agent needs to show the property at its best and provide thorough information on the property and the area. We think OliverFinn is the way forward. We avoid the high fees of the traditional high street agents yet have the local knowledge, professional photographers and marketing materials to show the property to its fullest potential.
