Tech, a hot market and mandarin-speaking staff help agency expand
Birmingham agency Davidson Estates has more than doubled its team during the pandemic to cope with its increasing workload.
Birmingham estate and letting agency Davidson Estates is on track to more than double in size within a year as it looks to grow its seven-strong team.
The company, which has offices in Edgbaston and the city centre, had just four staff this time last year but now has seven and is advertising for a property accounts manager, inventory clerk and new homes consultant. The latest recruit is Jenna Coghlan, who joined the company as a marketing assistant and front of house.
MD Ben Davidson (pictured) says a booming lettings market meant he was spending a fortune outsourcing the task, and realised it made sense to bring inventories in-house.
The new homes market is also thriving and the agency – set up in 2009 – is able to capitalise on this because it’s independent and flexible.
Spectre
“Working with proptechs to offer clients a better service also gives it an edge, he tells The Negotiator: “Using proptechs like Spectre means we can go to an appraisal with a plan that includes details about properties in their area, which helps to address the problem of people being reluctant to list before they’ve sold.”
The estate agency is planning a big marketing push this year, focusing on both traditional and social media, including the Chinese app WeChat, helped by the fact it has a Mandarin speaker on the team. Davidson adds: “We want to get as many houses on the market as possible this year – our aim is to educate people to help them find that place.”
After opening the second branch last year, its head office has just had a refurb but Davidson says there’s currently enough space for more staff so there are no plans for new offices short-term – although that could change if the agency continues to grow.
