Estate Agent Milton Ashbury close the door on the opposition, winning a Silver Award, Bronze Award and a nomination for another at the National Estate Agency of the Year Awards 2008. 

Milton Ashbury were officially crowned as one of the top three Letting Agents in the country out of over 14,000 competitors on Friday. The National Estate Agency of the Year Awards coined Milton Ashbury as the agent that ‘strives to be the small agent that makes big dreams come true’. But it was Milton Ashbury’s dreams that came true when they scooped a Silver Award for the Best Innovation, Bronze Award for Best Small Letting Agent and received a nomination for the Jackson Cole Corporate Responsibility Award.

One of the company Directors, Stephen Parry commented on receiving the awards ‘it is tribute to the hard work and dedication of our staff and contractors that have resulted in us being recognised at a national level.’

As the South East has been hard hit by the credit crisis, and with the constant withdrawal of funding by lenders, it has made the estate agency business more competitive than ever.

Estate Agent offices on the South East coast have been closing at an alarming rate over the past year, from established chains to single office establishments. And it is a tribute to Milton Ashbury’s commitment to its customers and clients that they have not only remained buoyant in such troubled times, but also managed to gain recognition at a national level.

Milton Ashbury Property Agents opened their first branch in Cliftonville, Margate in 2003, and since then has grown from strength to strength. Not only gaining recognition for their work as a selling and letting specialist but also winning a Town Pride Award for their work with listed buildings and recently receiving a nomination for the Jackson Cole Corporate Responsibility Award for their work within the community.

Director, Graham Kinnear, tells of how the company intends to move forward despite the housing crisis, ‘we have turned our focus onto the community, investing our time and money restoring and refurbishing the once grand, but now neglected buildings in the area. We have just acquired 3 new properties in the Cliftonville West area which we are working on as we speak. It is times like this when you need the community in which you operate to support you, and this is a two way process. By working with the current tenants we aim to make these once spectacular buildings, once again, a nice place to be’. The efforts of Milton Ashbury’s distinct customer focus do not come unrewarded with a reported 62% of revenue generated through return business or recommendation. There is a lesson to be learned.

Those agents who were on board to ‘ride the wave’ of the property boom have seen themselves well and truly hit against the rocks as the market has begun to decline. Historic seaside towns such as Hastings, Southend and Margate have been far from the hot property locations of late as the market has been flooded with buy to let investors struggling to stay above the water and fight the current of the impending threat of a rental downturn.

It is encouraging to be able to seek refuge in a small agent who are taking control of their future, and in turn, their clients. With innovation and customer focus being at the foundation of their success, now is surely the time to hoist up the main sail and, indeed, sell.

For further details on Milton Ashbury call 0800 970 7349