Former director reveals why he’s ‘going it alone’ with own hybrid agency

A successful West Midlands estate agency director has told The Neg why he left a safe job to go it alone as a hybrid agent.

Andy McHugo (pictured) who has worked in traditional estate agency since 2004 including spells at Brum firms Burchell Edwards and James Laurence, was until recently an Associate Director at the latter, where he had worked for eight years.

His new firm, McHugo Homes, is launching on Wednesday covering the Birmingham areas of Harborne, Quinton and Halesowen – initially as a one-man band but with plans to expand the head count soon.

The 38-year-old says he has made the move after realising that “the  pandemic was a bit of a leveller in the market place, and maybe in other industries too and that the evolution of estate agency means that the customer needs are changing, so it’s a more level playing field for me to start up now, when property availability is low anyway,” he says.

Cold start

“Even though McHugo Homes would be classed as a ‘cold start’, I will be sitting in a customer’s living room for an appraisal with nearly 20 years of experience and love doing what I do, so that’s a good starting point I believe.”

McHugo says he is looking forward to working without the distractions of working at a branch and the ability to manage his own workflow. decide when he works but also give his clients more quality time than a staffer can do.

“A simple walk down my local high street highlights the dreary, unfulfilling and unwelcoming environments high street estate agents can be in, and I say can because I am sure there are a lot more that take care in creating the right vibe and culture utilising their facilities well,” he says.

McHugo Homes is also the latest member of the Federation of Independent Agents.

Read more about hybrid agencies.