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Tony Sinclair
Tony Sinclair
Estate Agent
731  Profile Views

About Me

Independent Estate Agent In The Highlands Of Scotland.

my expertise in the industry

My experience is not limited to the UK market. First became interested in Real Estate many Moons ago when I lived in California. Worked in Andalusia Spain for a couple of years helping set up a property business there dealing with high end villas. Flipped hard to sell properties over here in the UK and now based in the Highlands of Scotland with a very unique region almost the size of Belgium. Mountains, Glens, single track roads and other environmental challenges keep the job at hand interesting to say the least.

Tony's Recent Activity

Tony Sinclair
Deary me... "Even analysts say, off the record, that it is difficult to give a specific single reason for the agency’s share price decline, which has accelerated in recent months." If said analysts stopped burying their noses in figures and looked at the real world for a minute, it shouldn't come as a great revelation that a matter of losing public trust is playing a major part on PB's woes. As we all know, in the world of advertising, there is no greater power than 'word of mouth'. In time, it builds brands and establishes household names. But it can also be Kryptonite to those who use shady business practices to dupe the public. Yes indeed, 'word of mouth' is mighty Kung Fu but it takes time which many companies trying to make a quick buck don't have the patience for. But alas and alack for PB, that same 'word of mouth' has reached the point where it now beginning to steadily spread and it will eventually begin to spread like wildfire as they fan the winds of discontent themselves. At this point, I wonder if the Powers That Be at PB look back and realise where they could have been by now if they had been more honest and transparent. Like a trusted household name in a position where nobody could pause a serious threat to them. Unfortunately, the wheels of time cannot be turned back. And so it has come to pass that they are a household name but for all the wrong reasons and plummeting share prices reflect this. So we don't need analysts to tell us that PB is heading for collapse in 2019 unless radical changes are made. Problem being they may already be at the point of no return. It can take years to build a good reputation but only months to ruin it. (Remember Ratner's et al) As per usual, we will continue to hear outrageous claims about expansion and of how well they are doing. (All the usual signs of cover up) Then one morning out of the blue some folks will choke on their cornflakes as they hear the inevitable news as we did recently with Wonga.

From: Tony Sinclair 11 October 2018 07:41 AM

Tony Sinclair

From: Tony Sinclair 09 October 2018 07:21 AM

Tony Sinclair
I am an agent in Scotland so please allow me to enlighten you and the 'major estate agency chief who wishes to remain anonymous'. Home Reports are not popular here and actually slow the market down. Hence why home owners et al have been trying to get them abolished for the past four years or at least have them undergo a major change and here's why. In Scotland, you cannot legally sell a property without a Home Report. (Unless it's a private sale between two mutually agreed parties. In which case only a EPC (energy certificate) is needed as it is south of the border) The problem being is that the owner has to purchase the Home Report upfront. They are priced on a sliding scale so to give you an idea: HR Costs: £0 to £100,00 = £360 £100,001 to £200,000 = £480 £200,001 to £300,000 = £600 £300,001 to £400,000 = £720 and so on until you reach properties of £900K to £1000,000 (£1,140). Properties £1 over the magic million are subject to negotiation by the surveyors. Now while those with high end properties may be able to afford the higher fees, the average home owners with properties in the £200K and £300K region have to fork out £600 to £720 respectively. Having to pay these amounts upfront can be a struggle for many people who have families or are being forced to sell for other reasons. (Especially if the reasons are financial) The system also has a domino effect with certain times of the year where families have to find extra money for other things like Summer holidays, Bank holidays, Xmas and everything in between like Easter, Halloween, Bonfire Night etc. This often results in people going off the boil as it were because as one event passes there is always another expense looming on the horizon. Therefore the seller has to be motivated and kept motivated. In fact some of the larger estate agents occasionally offer free home reports to lure people in but claw it back with other fees like higher percentages and so on. So it's easy to see that Scottish estate agents have a lot tougher job than their English counterparts. The Home Report system is stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea. While they are a good idea on one hand, they are far to expensive on the other. But that's not all. For reasons unbeknownst to us, the surveyor's 'valuation' of a property often differs considerably from ours by thousands or indeed tens of thousands of pounds. Hence why I always warn people not to get upset at the HR valuation. I should add that we achieve our 'higher' prices even when negotiated down which proves our valuations are more accurate. Some say the survyor's comparable system is outdated and stuck in the past but in all honesty I wouldn't know so I won't comment. In fairness though, a surveyor can only price the physical structure and not other USP's such as locations or views and so on which people will indeed pay more for. The general consensus is that while home reports are a good thing, especially the surveying part which stops people getting sold a white elephant... they are far too expensive for the average home owner. (Their words not mine) Therefore, I can only assume that the 'major estate agency chief who wishes to remain anonymous' wants to protect his identity because he's either trying to stir up a hornets nest to annoy people for his own amusement or unfortunately like some people in the property sector is engaging his mouth before his brain. If one thing is for sure, he has been talking to surveyors, not field agents who have direct communication with home owners. And I will wager he has definitely not communicated with the latter who are the most important. To my English counterparts I say this. Do not let this 'jobs for the boys' Home Report system manifest into reality. At least not in it's current form. Should you ignore attempts to establish it... you will see the English and Welsh markets come to an almost grinding halt because the majority of people who need to sell their houses simply will not be able to afford to sell. Sales will plummet along with your salaries... (You can take that one to the bank) So if you want to be a super agent in England, do a year up in Scotland. Because if you can persuade people to fork out hundreds of pounds upfront, getting prospects in England will be a doddle. Oh yes, one more thing I forgot to mention. Scottish Estate Agents do not see any commission from home reports either which is a tad greedy in my opinion. Seeing as we are the ones who have to explain and overcome this unwanted obstacle to selling properties. In conclusion, I will make another prediction for you all and of course the anonymous gentlemen who may or may not be trying to instigate disruption of some kind. Any thoughts or attempts to introduce the Scottish Home Report system in England is already dead in the water. You see my friends, before it even gets a foothold, things will have already been radically changed in Scotland. It will have been either been replaced with a more user friendly system or abolished entirely... Trust me on that one because it is indeed a sales killer.

From: Tony Sinclair 06 October 2018 09:02 AM

Tony Sinclair
Here we go again with these forums. Full of people in denial engaging their mouth before their brains. A trait usually reserved to politicians. Thankfully, there are still a few amongst you who still know how to talk sense. Property Wizard in answer to your comment. "The next nail in the coffin will be when Purplebrick disclose how many properties they actually dont sell and how many millions go to waste with Purplebricks not delivering a sale" This enigma was solved by a City Analysis many moons ago because of PB's constant refusal to reveal the answer to the question. The figure reach was that PB sells 52% of their properties while leaving 48% unsold (or 48% of their suckers... oops customers out of pocket) As mentioned here, this kind of Hybrid Model 'Pay If We Sell Pay If We Don't' will eventually fail and I believe will face regulation next year. With PB struggling in Australia and coming under scrutiny in America things do not bode well for them. Yet while the model runs on greed rather than customer service it will indeed keep teetering on the edge of the great abyss. The trend of High Street Estate Agents closing down will continue while they keep moaning about Hybrid Agents and blaming them with every excuse under the Sun instead of trying to hang on to their own greedy model of charging outrageous fees. Riddle me this... Why should a High Street agent (in most cases) charge thousands of pounds more for doing exactly the same as a much cheaper Hybrid Agency? As for the naysayers who constantly compare all Hybrid Online Agencies to the controversial Purplebricks... wake up and smell the coffee. Yopa for instance, is fast aligning to overtake Emoov next year due to their focus on Customer Care and Service. And indeed it's No Sale - No Fee option. The problem with UK business in general over the past few decades is the 'Stand And Deliver' attitude. Businesses who have have adapted the 'Pirates Code' of "Take all you can and give nothing back" ah-arrrr! Well guess what? Consumers have said enough is enough. They are becoming more savvy and are fighting back. Their ranks are swelling in demanding good old fashioned Value for Money. especially with the uncertainty of Brexit et al. I know this and so should everyone here because at the end of the day we are all consumers too! So let's cut the name calling and blame game. High Street Agents... put your own houses in order instead of sinking into denial and blaming Hybrid Models who are quietly chuckling at you as their coffers swell and yours dwindle. If you want a comparison try the big supermarkets who year on year are constantly losing out to the likes of Aldi and Lidl yet refuse to amend their marketing trickery. It's not rocket science folks.... "If a man can write a better book, preach a better sermon or build a better mousetrap than his neighbour... though he build his house in the middle of the woods... the world will make a beaten a path to his door" .

From: Tony Sinclair 21 September 2018 07:07 AM

Tony Sinclair

From: Tony Sinclair 07 August 2018 06:30 AM

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