I’m not your usual estate agent
I first joined the industry back in the 1980s, and I never lost my passion for property. I launched my little agency specialising in the sale of canalside homes in 2021. I have no office and no staff, and I deliberately keep my portfolio small, so I can give my clients my undivided attention. I can frequently be found chatting to them on WhatsApp out of office hours. I am congenitally honest and I always try to go the extra mile. I even promote properties for sale by other agents without charging them or their clients!
Why me?
I’ve had a long love affair with canals ever since I went to the Netherlands at the age of 6, and on a trip on the Regent’s Canal when I was 11. Canals must be in my blood as my 4x great grandfather Richard Tedstall was a boatbuilder in Wolverhampton in the 1840s. Over the years I have owned three narrowboats and a canalside caravan. I now live beside Glascote Locks in Tamworth and I volunteer as a Ranger for the Canal and River Trust. In my spare time I enjoy genealogy and I write books on history and the home, in fact I often research the history of my clients’ houses. I’ve also written a Narrowboat Log Book, and my husband Mike has published two canal themed murder mysteries (all available on Amazon).
Where I work
I live in a canalside house by Glascote Locks in Tamworth, Staffordshire (that’s my house with the red door!) but I’m not a conventional estate agent with a local patch. I have clients throughout England and Wales, although most are in the heart of the canal network around the West Midlands. Of course, I reach local buyers too, through Rightmove, Zoopla, ‘For Sale’ boards, and social media. Very few conventional High Street agents can claim to have an international audience, and that’s where I come in! Canal enthusiasts can be anywhere, and when they’re looking for a property, they often come to me first. I make sure that distance (mine or your buyer’s) is never a barrier to selling your home.
Think quality, not quantity!
I am a solo agent. In practice that means that when you call with a question or an update, it’s always me you’ll talk to, not someone in an office who hasn’t visited your property or dealt with you before. My ‘back office’ is powered by eXp, one of the top twenty estate agents in the UK. If you call the eXp West Midlands number on my Rightmove listings, it’s eXp’s concierge service who forward your call to me. Our agents are all self-employed, independent, and backed up by strong head office support. I can call on my colleagues for local knowledge, advice, market information, and more. If you think you might prefer to work with a local agent, that’s ok! We can pick one of my colleagues and work together as a team. It won’t cost any extra, we’ll just split the commission between us.
What you’ll get if you pick me to sell your home
All my sellers get one to one support and progress updates from me, in person, with no limited office hours; listings on Rightmove and Zoopla; professional photography from a qualified photographer; aspirational video; floorplans; marketing on my website and my social media channels. Together we will choose a range of extras, all free, such as drone imagery; a professional property stylist to help you to see your property through a buyer’s eyes; ‘For Sale’ boards; house history research; bespoke glossy handout brochures; press releases including Waterways World, CanalBoat, and Towpath Talk; accompanied viewings; open days; self guided virtual tours; hosted virtual viewings; key facts reports for buyers; reservation agreements; custom artwork to remember your home by.
How we begin
We usually begin with a good chat on the phone or on WhatsApp. I often follow up with a remote appraisal of your home to give you my thoughts. Some sellers give me an initial tour using photos they have taken, Skype or Zoom. I also provide you with either a printed report or an interactive online report. This report goes well beyond the rebranded Rightmove or Zoopla print-out which you may get from other agents.
All of this is absolutely free and without obligation. If you’re not ready to make a decision, that’s fine. I am always happy to stay in touch and answer any questions or concerns as they arise. As soon as you feel comfortable that I am a strong contender to sell your house, I will ALWAYS visit in person, no matter where you are.
My Terms
I like to be fully transparent about my fees. I’m not always the cheapest, but I always aim to earn my commission!
My standard fee for a traditional sale is 1.5% of sale price plus vat, that’s 1.8%, with a minimum fee of £3,000 plus vat.
Please call me on 07891 718211 if you would like a chat about selling your property, with no obligation.
Have you considered auctioning your property?
Auctions are brilliant if you’re looking for a quicker and more secure transaction, or if you own a unique property which could inspire competitive bidding. My auction partner Ian at BidX1 works closely with me as a team to offer the best possible service to owners of canalside property. I look after the marketing and estate agency services, while Ian’s role is to provide ongoing advice, deal with enquiries, legal pack downloads, registrations to bid, and manage the auction itself. BidX1 is ethical and supportive, with a genuine enthusiasm for working with my clients. The Canal and River Trust often uses the same company, which benefits us all. The fee for selling at auction is 2.5% of sale price plus vat, with a minimum fee of £3,000 plus vat. This fee is shared between BidX1 and myself. You will normally pay for the preparation of the legal pack in advance of the sale. This may be less than £500 plus search fees, so it can be cheaper than normal conveyancing. Potential buyers pay a bidding deposit which is refundable if they do not win. Bidding takes place on a user friendly online bidding platform. A binding exchange of contracts takes place when the (virtual) hammer falls. The winning buyer must pay their 10% deposit within 48 hours of making their winning bid, as well as BidX1’s admin fee, usually £1,250 to £2,000 + vat, not the huge sums demanded by some other online platforms. The purchase typically completes 28 days later.
