Peter Hughes – Country Property. A new agency, but not a new name.
With the opening of the Peter Hughes estate agency office in Petworth, predominantly focusing on the sale of country property in West Sussex, Peter Hughes answers some in-depth questions about the business.

Q. What has prompted you to open an estate agency office in Petworth?

A. Ever since I started working as an estate agent in central London in 1982 I have always found that people respond well to honesty, integrity and a professional approach. These characteristics together with my considerable estate agency experience, strong negotiating skills, extensive knowledge of the market and the ability to offer a service that is second to none, are the driving force behind the business.

Q. Surely other firms offer a good service?

A. Yes they do, but there are still many complaints aimed at estate agents. My philosophy is that it takes almost as much energy and effort to offer a poor or average service as it does to provide a very good one, so my focus is on providing the very best service. The sort of service I would like to receive myself and one, which every house vendor expects and deserves. It is also my belief that there is a strong demand for committed independent estate agents who offer an exceptional service, both to vendors and prospective purchasers, and have an in-depth knowledge of the property they are selling.

Q. What geographical area does the business focus on?

A. Whilst the office is in Petworth, an historic, medieval market town in West Sussex, my experience enables the firm to cover a wide area encompassing much of the county.

Q. Why are you concentrating on ‘country property’?

A. I have been very fortunate in my agency career to have been involved in selling some really stunning houses, particularly rural properties and especially historic and listed houses. Although I have significant experience in the upper end of the London market it seems natural and logical to practice in a more rural market where my life and expertise lie. I am very familiar with the West Sussex property market and, perhaps more importantly I associate more with the vendors and their expectations when is comes to marketing their often unique and distinctive homes. The term ‘country’ also encompasses the more rural towns and villages that the corporate agents try to market from afar.

Q. On the subject of marketing how do you market the properties on your books?

A. Each Property and vendor have differing requirements when it comes to marketing. Focusing on a property’s attributes is the key, then promoting those attributes at every possible opportunity to a chosen audience. This includes a colour brochure with floor plan/land plan. In terms of exposure there are some tried and tested methods of advertising country houses both on a local and national level which I exploit to the full, I also write an individual press release on each property with the aim of getting further essential exposure. The web has become an incredibly powerful tool for promoting the sale of a property and this is an area where I have spent much time and money in building a website providing as much information as possible, including an electronic brochure that allows people viewing properties on the website to download information and print if off at home instead of waiting for a brochure to arrive in the post. In addition, exposure on the most popular country property websites is essential; this includes www.primelocation.com which draws in buyers from London and further a field and www.sussexlife.com.

Q. How does the use of technology improve your business?

A. A good service is driven by regular contact with clients and applicants and whilst no computerised system will ever replace that, we use some of the most up-to-date technology available. We can access our database from anywhere in the country and produce quick uploads to our website so that information, including full property details, is immediately available to prospective purchasers or tenants. We can keep in touch with everyone via email. This enables us to spend more time focused on selling houses rather than dealing with administration.

Q. Surely not every vendor wants to go down the high exposure route?

A. Absolutely, and this is an area where I have become very successful over the years; putting vendors and purchasers in touch with the least possible fuss. A ‘quiet marketing’ approach can sometimes work to the advantage of a vendor who wants either a quick, quiet sale or perhaps the other end of the scale where someone may sell if the right buyer comes along; there may be a number of reasons for this approach and, again, each property has a level of exposure tailored to the sellers needs.