Hunters launches NW franchise

HUNTERS Property Group, the York-based estate agents, is planning to launch its home-based franchise concept in the North West.

Manchester will be home to a Hunters Personal franchise from the new year. The concept, which has already been launched in Yorkshire, involves franchising home-based agents to sell and let properties in their own communities.
  
The agents will work closely with Hunters’ existing city centre offices in Deangate, Manchester.

Hunters’ managing director, Kevin Hollinrake, said: “We believe there is capacity for as many as 50 personal franchises in Manchester and we are now looking for suitable people to run them.”

The Hunters Personal concept, through which an agent looks after a designated area of up to 5,000 properties in his or her own neighbourhood, has been piloted in the York area for the past 12 months. The first Leeds franchise has also been sold.

Mr Hollinrake added: “During the pilot stage, it proved to be a very popular. Customers really like dealing with one person who has a thorough knowledge of their area; our agents are aware of market quirks, such as when house prices on one side of a street are different from those on the other side.

“The new concept could revolutionise the estate agency world. It is a genuine win-win situation for both customers and agents; the customers get a much better service and the agents can earn two to three times what they would as employees.”

Hunters has 16 offices and its divisions include sales, lettings, auctions, new homes, survey and franchising.