Property sales firm accelerates plans for growth
Pontefract-based business, ASAP Ltd, has accelerated its plans for growth in the wake of the pandemic.
Launched in 2014 by directors Richard Megson and Tony Hill, Assured Sale And Progression (ASAP) acts on behalf of estate agents and their clients, working with selected solicitors to shepherd house sales and purchases through the conveyancing process.
The ASAP team had grown to 20 by March of this year, mostly based at the offices in Pontefract with an optional element of homeworking.
When lockdown began some of the firm’s staff were furloughed, but not for long.
As an increasing number of new estate agents started signing up for its service, resulting in the need to recruit more staff. It now has a team of 29 and predicts it will be 40 by the end of 2020.
Megson said “We had an ambitious growth plan in place pre-Covid but we are bringing everything forward in response to the rapidly changing landscape.
“The combination of pent-up demand following lockdown and raising the Stamp Duty threshold has unleashed a huge wave of activity in the market.
“In addition, people are seriously rethinking where and how they live after months of lockdown so that is generating further interest.
“With the threat of an economic downturn and whispers of another coronavirus wave, estate agents are understandably cautious about staffing up to meet the rise in demand.
“Businesses are looking at ways to keep their overheads low at the moment so are far more open to doing things differently.
“Outsourcing their sales progression is a flexible way to manage their pipeline without the financial commitment of taking on staff.
“We are at a very exciting point in our development. The last six years has shown us that as long as we stay focused on delivering a high quality service and recruit talent – and there is a lot out there – ASAP can continue to go from strength to strength.”
