A top Worcestershire estate agency has seen a near 80% increase in lettings, thanks to the determination of an experienced manager who joined the company last spring.

Sarah Jenkins joined Nicol & Co as lettings manager in April 2020, and since then has completed on 152 deals, up from 85 in the previous year.

She is also responsible for expanding business in the portfolio landlords’ sector, with those customers rising by nearly 30% from 157 to 204 since she joined

Ms Jenkins, who manages lettings across Nicol & Co’s three offices in Malvern, Worcester and Droitwich, has worked in property for 22 years, focusing on lettings since 2013.

She said: “The lettings market is through the roof since we came out of lockdown, with a huge demand from potential tenants looking for new homes.

“We been particularly successful here at Nicol & Co because of the way we’ve streamlined our operations.

“The traditional agent puts a property on the market, handles incoming calls and can then be involved in anything from five to ten viewings before a letting is agreed, with each viewing taking at least half an hour.

“Nicol & Co has invested in the new Gavl app, which allows us to video and livestream viewings as part of the initial marketing, resulting in real interest from people who can see what’s on offer

“We then take a single preferred potential tenant to physically view the property, which means we save precious time that was previously spent on multiple viewings.

“That’s at least two hours of time saved, per deal, which means our staff can focus more time on providing the service to our clients that they have come to expect.

“This has made a huge impact, as we’re attracting more stock, achieving more lettings, and yet we’re able to do all that with the same number of staff.”

Ms Jenkins explained that Nicol & Co’s success in growing portfolio landlord customer numbers was the result of determined and active management during the recent pandemic.

She said: “We’ve found that landlords have been disappointed with traditional agents whose efforts seemed to be slackening because they were working from home during COVID-19.

“Landlords with multiple properties have been asking ‘What’s happening?’, and are questioning why they are paying for a service that is not delivering.

“In short, it’s easy to be an agent for landlords when everything is normal, but the real value of a quality agent comes through when times are tough, as we’ve experienced in the last year.

“What they have found is that at Nicol & Co we have been working even harder because of lockdown, making sure tenant issues are resolved, that vacancies are quickly filled and that this is all done with top quality customer service.

“This has led to nearly a third more portfolio landlords coming to us, and we’re looking to grow this further in the next few months.”

Ms Jenkins added: “I liken it to getting your insurance renewal letter through every year, when you know you can probably get a better deal, but you don’t always get round to it.

“What we’re saying to portfolio landlords is: ‘Come to Nicol & Co and we will not only ensure that the process of moving across is effortless, we are confident that your portfolio will work better for you and that your tenants are well looked after.”

Anyone looking for assistance with lettings can contact Ms Jenkins on 01905 675999 or by emailing sarah@nicolandco.co.uk

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For further information, please call:

Matt Nicol, Managing Director, Nicol & Co, 226 Worcester Road, Droitwich Spa, WR9 8AY

Tel: 01905 779072

Notes to Editors

Established in 2009, Nicol & Co is an award-winning estate agency offering advice on sales, lettings, new homes and land purchase. The company combines the latest in digital media with traditional high street courtesy and service to provide the perfect blend of old and new technology.

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