What it's like to set up an estate agency: Husband and wife team using business as a force for good
Moving house is considered to be one of the most stressful things you can do. But husband and wife team Mike and Rachel Bailey believe it doesn’t have to be this way.
They want to make the process of selling or buying a house as pain-free as possible while also taking the time to celebrate this important milestone in people’s lives.
The couple set up estate agency EweMove Stafford in May 2021, inspired by their own experiences.
“Mike and I met 10 years ago and I had a one-person flat in Burntwood. It wasn’t the right time to sell so I rented it out,” explains Rachel.
“We had four estate agents in two years. For me, there was a lack of compassion and understanding that where you live is one of the biggest things in your life.
“It got to the point where the tenant wanted something doing and I was happy to do it but it wasn’t coming together. We stopped using an agent and we managed it ourselves.”
Before buying a property together, Mike and Rachel rented and say they received a similar level of service as tenants. “We saw it from both sides,” says Rachel.
When it came to selling her flat, she felt none of the estate agents helped her to understand what was involved. “They were good at selling a product and a service but not at explaining the process. When we came to sell, I was in my early 30s and as it’s not something you do every day, I didn’t have a clue. In the end, we sold it to the tenant."
Buying their own house also left them disappointed with many aspects of the industry.
“We didn’t speak to our estate agent after having our offer accepted until we collected the keys. It’s one of the biggest investments you will make in your lifetime.
“If we bought a new build, they would wrap the house up and put a bow on the door. Why should buying a second-hand property be any less special?” says Rachel. “We knew there had got to be a better way,” adds Mike.
When Mike, 40, who has a background in sales and customer service, was furloughed from his job during the pandemic, they seized an opportunity.
“I started looking at setting up our own estate agency but the costs were astronomical. Then we came across EweMove as a franchise.
“When we were renting, we had an experience with EweMove. A man from EweMove came to do a valuation at the property and we weren’t expecting him. The empathy shown was exactly the way it should be,” explains Mike.
After putting together a business plan and getting advice from Rachel’s father, a retired managing director, they decided to take on the franchise covering the Stafford area.
Mike, who has trained with the Property Photography Academy, works full-time in the business with Rachel, who works in HR for private healthcare company, supporting him behind the scenes and getting to know the properties and the customers.
But setting up an estate agency wasn’t their only goal. “We didn’t want to be a run-of-the-mill agent known only for sales and lettings – we wanted to make a real impact on the community and to use our business as a force for good,” says Rachel, 36.
One of the ways they do this is by supporting House of Bread, a Stafford-based charity dedicated to providing food, friendship, advice, and support to vulnerable and homeless people.
The couple, who have a 10-year-old son, Evan, donate the unwanted furnishings from properties to the charity for use in crisis shelters, temporary housing and permanent homes.
Mike and Rachel also support the charity through fundraising such as their annual ‘reverse advent calendar’ where one item is donated each day in December.
Another way they support the local area is by offering work experience placements and fixed-term contracts to students on photography and film, television and media HND courses at Stafford College.
They promote other local businesses on their social media and Mike has recorded a series of interviews, titled Mike Meets, to showcase their work. There no such thing as a typical day but most weeks Mike can be found meeting new customers, writing up house listings, taking photos and filming videos of properties and the local area.
The couple pride themselves on ‘hand-holding’ their clients through every step of the process and Mike, who is supported by a sales progression team, can be found liaising with solicitors and ensuring buyers and sellers are kept up-to-date.
They are also committed to making sure every house purchase feels special with Mike collecting the keys, taking the final meter readings and meeting the new owners at their property.
“After taking the meter readings, I lock the door so the buyers can unlock it. We give them a gift box and a bottle of bubbles.
“We also have a bottle of bubbles and celebrate because it’s a journey we’ve also been on. We write their name, address and the date of completion on the cork and keep it in a bowl. We still remember every property and every customer,” he explains.
