This week we were featured in The Manchester Weekly News, where we spoke about the exciting launch of our new branch in West Didsbury.
In the feature, the team explain what the move into West Didsbury means for Philip James. You can view the article by clicking here or read it in full below.
Fashionable West Didsbury village is an area on the up and is now one of the most exclusive locations to own or rent property. Over the last few years, demand for properties in this leafy suburb has soared, leading to Philip James being the first major agent in the area to open its doors.
Philip Nolan, CEO, said: “Opening West Didsbury village links up our market leading offices in Didsbury village and Manchester city centre. We are growing as a company and in 2016 will sell over £250 million worth of property and manage property for our landlords worth £350 million.
“We decided to open a purpose built office with a team of 35 as we are continually increasing our portfolio of over 2000 managed properties.
“It has been particularly refreshing to expand at a time when many of our competitors have been selling their businesses to national corporate agents. Our team feel rewarded for all their hard work when they see our progress, and know they are part of a winning team.”
The aim of the new office will be to further the reach of their renowned service for lettings, property management and sales.
Existing and new landlords will find an agency that prides itself on the lowest voids and the fastest lets with an envied database of 25,000 potential tenants. BBC, ITV, Manchester United and the British Cycling team are already valued tenants of Philip James landlords.
Marc Cox, new business manager for south Manchester lettings, said: “The launch of our new West Didsbury office later this week is already proving a huge hit with local landlords and I anticipate that this will only increase as we establish ourselves as the most dynamic agent in the area
“The feedback and support that we have received so far from the residents of West Didsbury is truly remarkable and I am personally excited to work closely with the area’s landlords to continue in maximising their rental returns.”
THE NEW OFFICE
The new office is located within the old gardens of the Metropolitan on Burton Road, the cultural heart of this cosmopolitan village, surrounded by the most popular independent shops, restaurants and trendy bars.
Rob Kennedy, managing director of the Philip James group, has been managing the Didsbury village branch for nearly 20 years and appreciates more than anyone the significance of having a West Didsbury office.
“Traditionally, other agents have sold West Didsbury properties from Didsbury village offices, which now seems a dated approach based on its popularity and unique identity,” he said.
“Philip James will be the first agent who will be able to market properties jointly between the two areas. This is will double our clients’ coverage, double the clients’ marketing, and showcase the properties in two prime Didsbury locations.”
The building is made up of three offices converted into one, housing nearly 40 staff. This open plan, futuristic, and energetic space for the staff to work and thrive in will house the 2000 properties currently managed as well as the sales operation for West Didsbury.
Rob said, “No one else has ever opened an office in West Didsbury, I suppose because it’s quite small, so it’s a fantastic opportunity for us to offer a really tailored agency and rental service, catering for that small area.”
WEST DIDSBURY
The transformation in Manchester’s property market over recent years has been dramatic, and West Didsbury is no exception.
“West Didsbury as a market has become so sought after,” said Rob. “People are often choosing to live in this part of Manchester over Didsbury, which was previously the more popular spot.”
West Didsbury needs estate agents who know the area well and can move as quickly as the industry is, and Philip James are more than prepared to take up the challenge.
Rob says: “If you look at how West Didsbury has evolved over the last 12 to 18 months, in both sales and rentals, you can see that it’s a booming area. There’s so much demand, the market really is remarkable for such a small area.”
COMMUNITY SPIRIT
“What we’ve found already in West Didsbury is that it’s a very close-knit community,” said Rob of the latest office location. “We’ve been made to feel very welcome there, and we’re looking forward to getting involved in West Didsbury as a village.
“We sponsor a lot of schools and projects. Physically, we’re a big workforce, and we’ll be eating and drinking and hosting meetings all along Burton Road, so it’s nice to have such a good reception.
“It’s something that will be important in the approach that we take.”
UNDERSTANDING CLIENTS’ WANTS
Moving within Didsbury and West Didsbury has become increasingly sophisticated, with few properties lingering long on the market.
Philip James build many resident chains in both Didsbury and West Didsbury, making it easy for clients to move locally.
As the leading agent for more prestigious homes, this generates many highly sought after properties in the mid and lower price brackets.
They will be able to tailor their marketing to suit those people who are considering the change, and are the only agents to have the two areas to market from.
THE PHILIP JAMES TEAM
The level of estate agency in the village is high, and the team at the new West Didsbury office has been carefully selected from the existing staff and new recruits.
The team know the properties in detail, including their best features, and have an excellent knowledge of the property styles, schools and amenities within the Didsbury and West Didsbury areas.
This is one of the many things that sets them apart from other estate agents.
FORWARD-THINKING MARKETING
Reflecting Didsbury and West Didsbury as one of the most competitive areas for sales and lettings, their marketing strives to be fresh, dynamic and cutting edge.
They have successfully introduced concepts such as moving video tours; halo framed window displays; 3D image maps with land registry maps and aerial views; architectural photography with wide angled lenses and moving drone/mast images.
The location of the new office also means that the traditional window display marketing will be exposed to an incredibly high footfall of local residents.
For more information, call sales 0161 448 1234, or lettings on 0161 448 3219 or email didsbury@philipjames.co.uk
