Agent Insight: Lee Edwards of Anchor Estates, Walsall & Sutton Coldfield

We speak to Lee Edwards, owner of the successful West Midlands agency Anchor Estates. It is an exciting time for Anchor, with a new branch in Streetly in Sutton Coldfield to be opened next month. Here, Lee gives us an introduction to Anchor Estates and chats about the local property market.

Could you please begin by telling us a bit about your company and the area you operate?

We first opened three years ago with a high street branch in Aldridge, near Walsall, and have been successfully selling homes in a radius of about three miles since then. We are residential sales specialists with vast experience across our six members of staff, and on October 1st we will be opening a new branch in Streetly, Sutton Coldfield, where we are hoping to replicate this success.  

What is your USP?

We’re like a family run business in the way we deal with people, and we are always available to offer advice and a personal service to our clients. We market our properties very thoroughly, using all available avenues including portal websites and we always offer our clients a competitive price.

What types of properties do you sell?

We sell all types of property right across the board, with our core range being anything from £80,000 - £500,000. To give an example of the range of properties we sell, on our website we’re currently listing everything from a one-bedroom flat in Aldridge priced at £65,000 to a six-bedroom detached new build property in Stonnall priced in excess of £750,000, with all types of homes in between.

How have market conditions been this year?

It’s been a superb year for us, with a significant increase in sales. Although stock has been an issue with some agents, we have always had a very decent level available to us due to our excellent reputation.

What are the buying trends in the area – do you see many first-time buyers or property investors?

 In terms of government schemes, Help to Buy has not had a major effect here, although we have seen plenty of first-time buyers, with funding often coming from the ‘bank of mum and dad’. We’re not really in an area that sees too much activity from property investors either; it’s more end users who want to live here. People are attracted to the area by the excellent schools on offer and the convenient transport links to Birmingham city centre.

What are you hoping to achieve over the next 12 months?

We’re hoping to build on a very successful year by taking forward the same model in to our new branch in Sutton Coldfield. We want to continue to offer value for money to our customers and maintain our current selling rate.