National estate agency chain haart has rebranded its prestige offering and is set to take on the Guild’s hugely successful Fine & Country brand at its own game
The company has appointed Dean Heaviside to spearhead the venture. Heaviside was formerly a director at Tops Property Services in Norfolk, where he oversaw the Fine & Country brand.
The former ‘fine haart’ brand is now to be known simply as ‘fine’. It will be rolled out nationally.
It will employ ‘lifestyle’ marketing methods, as Fine & Country currently does – advertising properties by suggesting how owners might identify with making them their homes.
Heaviside was noted as an “expert in selling a lifestyle” by The Times last year, in an article on premium agency brands.
Haart’s new ‘fine’ brand will use in-depth interviews with the seller, enhanced photography including dusk and aerial shots, and photograph album-style inserts to promote its properties.
Brochures, which will be written by a professional copywriter who works on the New York Post, will be handbag-sized in the style of fashion magazines, and will include details on the wider geographical area of the property, famous owners and historical points of interest.
Heaviside said: “The industry has been slow to offer high-end advertising that can really tap into the current consumer market. The Property Misdescriptions Act has scaremongered agents into under-promoting homes.
“As most prestige estate agencies still only offer basic marketing, there is a creative gap in the industry that ‘fine’ will fill by presenting property particulars in a way that sells the lifestyle to a potential buyer.”
Haart ups its game on fine and country properties
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Comments
No, Vivienne - not at all. But I think readers would like to know if, to support his words of wisdom, Tim Mather has been in the business for very long, has demonstrated any success or is just trolling around here making a nuisance of himself. And to your other point, Haart's crime is not using the word 'fine' which shows little more than lack of imagination'; it is being largely a shower of Corsa driving plebs. I am surprised you can be bothered to defend such an abhorrent bunch of oiks, unless of course you work for them - or just don't know any better. Haart 'Fine' won't fool anyone, not least potential vendors.
The web address is www.fine.co.uk.
I would like to make a couple of points.
Firstly, plenty of agents specialise in higher end property, or have a dedicated department to do so. Is Haarts' crime using the word "Fine".
Secondly, Charles...does one require a qualification in order for their opinion to have a value ?
It will be interesting to see the web address for this company. I would imagine www.fine.com would be impossible to get cost effectively. Unfortunately these big nationals who try to tap into the top of the market usually get it wrong by employing 21 year olds on a £15k basic turning up in a vauxhall corsa trying to sell mortgages/insurance so I wouldnt worry too much. Their ideas about promotion are nothing new and there is only so far you can go for a return on the fee. It is already a crowded market.
Note that "Tim" doesn't answer the questions put to him, namely who is he and how is he qualified to comment. I don't dismiss his comments completely but until he tells us who he is, his comments carry very little if any weight. Obviously someone capable of coming up with such pearls of wisdom must be well known and senior within the industry. Strange that I have never heard of you Tim :P
Tim, you have missed the point and can’t be looking at the same industry I am. I have seen few rubbish brochures at this price, so stop slagging agents. Can’t see your point that quality stands out on the internet, one advert on rightmove is just like another. Pretty pictures and website do not make a good agent, as Haart’s theft of a the brand will show them, its the quality of the team in the office, not a computer programme, they just don’t have that capability, as their direct copy demonstrates to anyone with 2 brain cells.
My comments are not aimed to be agent bashing nor do I rank online agents higher.
My point is that the standard to which agents in general (on & off line) present higher value property is of a poor standard. It seldom differs form the presentation of lower value property ie a handful of snaps, copy and maybe a floorplan.
Estate agents don't sell property, people buy property.
The role of the agent is marketing.
Poor quality photography, photocopied brochures, bland text heavy particulars etc are not professional marketing...not in any other industry anyway.
The internet and the new rich media that it brings with it opens the door on a mass of possibilities, yet seldom are they exploited (in the UK).
The way in which buyers search for property and the criteria by which vendors rate agents have changed.
My point is this, and I really am not trying to criticise, recognise the changes, recognise the opportunities and try looking at it, not from your own point of view, but from the vendors or the buyers point of view.
The internet magnifies the differences between box standard and excellent.
Why...because they are side by side on the portals...easy to compare.
Vendors will always go with the agent offering the most,(especially in this climate)and a property with a more comprehensive more attractive presentation will get more viewings.
Big fat juicy carrots win.
What's your game, Tim? You only seem to make agent bashing comments? You claim not to be an online agent but you leap on any opportunity to promote online agents over High St agents. So who/what are you and how are you qualified to comment on the profession? I'm all for some balanced and constructive criticism - assuming of course that you know what you are talking about. But as you seem to think Haart's marketing efforts are better than those of other agents, you appear to be a few searches short of a Home Information Pack.
Richard, If Haart (Fine) are to be accused of plagiarizeing F&C...then what are the remaining estate agents to be accused of, the average standard of presenting higher value properties seems uniformly poor to me. A few snaps, lashings of drab text with the odd floorplan thrown in. Same old.
Dean Heaviside is correct when he says that most prestige agencies still only offer basic marketing (and I would include F&C here)thus creating a gap in the market.
A vendor client with a £1m property has every right to expect more, and better, marketing for his (higher) fee than that of a £90K terraced house.
There are kids selling their BMX bike on Ebay that make a better job of presentation than many agents seem able to do.
The internet user is now more demanding, increasingly so.
Agents need to up their game in order to stay ahead.
The 'problem' with Haarts' new venture is that it will show how weak the presentation skills of other agents are.
Heaverside- didn't TOPs go bust, good recommendation then.
What is strange why do PR to a site like this where all we are laughing at them! What good does it do them, think their target market was the public who they think are thick then?
This is embarrassing and desperate for Haart. I can’t believe F&C have no case against such a blatant copy, really original Haart! They couldn’t even think of an original name let alone their own styling! But I suppose imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and about all Harrt are capable of. But at the end of the day its still Haart and I can’t think of many, any, locations where they are good enough to market quality property. Stick to the down market stuff where clients won’t spot how bad you are.