One of the West Midlands leading estate and letting agencies has completed a £250,000 investment drive that has seen it establish a new Worcestershire office and embark on a recruitment campaign.
Berriman Eaton, which also has offices in Bridgnorth, Tettenhall and Wombourne, has used the funding boost to secure sustained growth in house sales and a lettings portfolio that has increased by 25% to 400 properties under management in the last twelve months.
In order to continue to offer the highest levels of customer service, the business has taken on three new apprentices to join the team, following in the footsteps of identical twins Hannah and Sophie Jones and Ella Coleman who have just completed their apprenticeships and accepted full time positions.
The final major development has been the launch of the new Berriman Eaton brand and corporate identity, reflecting its core belief in a traditional approach to estate agency that leverages all the benefits modern technology can deliver.
“It has been a very strange period for the housing market, with the manic start of the year being replaced by more pragmatic conditions, driven in part by the changing economic climate,” explained Nick Berriman, Director at Berriman Eaton.
“Our £250,000 investment has been put in place to build on our strong position in the West Midlands and this has helped us sustain growth across all of our existing offices and especially in our venture in Worcestershire.”
He continued: “The new brand has been two years in the making and I’m really pleased to say the change has been welcomed by all our customers and the property sector in general.
“In fact, one well-known local estate agent told us they that it was the best agency rebrand they had ever seen.”
One of the biggest successes in the last twelve months has been the continued growth of Berriman Eaton’s lettings business, with 400 properties – ranging from one-bed apartments to family homes and luxury locations – currently under management.
The agency’s commitment to deliver a single source solution to the process has proven extremely popular, as has its confidential service for high-net-worth buyers and sporting professionals.
Andy Roberts, Director and Head of Lettings at Berriman Eaton, went on to add: “Demand is outstripping supply at the moment, and this is driving up rental prices significantly in the West Midlands.
“We’ve seen a 25% increase in our portfolio in the last twelve months and can see this increasing again in 2023.”
Caroline Eaton, Director of Berriman Eaton, concluded: “Our market share in traditional hotspots of Wolverhampton, Wombourne and Bridgnorth continues to grow, and we are delighted to see how well BE Worcestershire is progressing.
“Debbie Fellows and Julia Simonds have fitted into our business seamlessly and not only have they established their own office at Churchill & Blakedown Golf Club but have also hugely increased the level of ‘new build’ work across all our branches.”
Berriman Eaton, which employs 31 people, has also expanded its technical capability.
Headed up by Richard Eaton, the department now has 2 full-time employees providing photography, floorplans and Energy Performance Certificates – all geared towards improving its turnaround time from being instructed to sell a property to getting it live on the market.
