A few words about service and valuation.

When instructing an estate agent to sell their property, people often wrongly overlook service and marketing, preferring to concentrate on the highest valuation and the lowest commission rates quoted. They often end up regretting it. This document provides information about us, which we think you should carefully consider before selecting an agent to act for you. We feel it’s very important so we ask every client to give us feedback at the end of the sale - to ensure we are continually looking to improve our service going forward.

Valuing property in what is typically a strong yet seasonal local market requires experience within that market place, knowledge of appropriate selling strategies, knowledge of comparable properties that have actually been sold, knowledge of buyers’ requirements and the prices they are prepared to pay to satisfy those requirements. Some agents recommend a flattering price simply to win the instruction, happy to bolster the number of properties on their books, and then try to convince you to accept lower offers. Whilst attempting at all times to achieve the very best possible price for you, John Thorogood will aim to value your property honestly, accurately but realistically. Rest assured we still regularly set records for prices achieved in your local streets.

High quality service - what you can expect?

Every agent claims to offer a high level of service but how many actually do? See our testimonials on our website (some of which please find attached) and see why we’re one of the most recommended agents in the area. John Thorogood has been selling properties since 1970 Between the Commons and the surrounding areas. Our well-established company is family owned and run, and has been founded on one fundamental principle, namely offering the very highest level of service. Sales Director Austin Thorogood has a wealth of experience having been with the firm and conducting valuations since 1994 and there are 3 other Thorogoods currently involved with the company. We understand that in most cases our clients are selling not just their biggest asset but also their home. It’s a major financial and emotional upheaval and can often be very stressful. We therefore strive to give you a high quality, flexible and personal service to ensure the sale process is smooth from start to finish, allowing you to get on with your daily life.

To achieve this goal we employ a highly motivated, experienced, and friendly sales team. As we have a very low staff turnover you will find consistency and continuity in your dealings with us. Our team has excellent knowledge of the local area, which is vital both at the point of sale and with any issues regarding council policy (e.g. planning & building regulations). Our experience is crucial when confronted with any potential problems which might arise (e.g. survey issues, legal delays and problematic mortgage applications) and knowing how to handle these issues appropriately and effectively. It’s all part of the service to chase up these matters and ensure that the sale proceeds to a speedy exchange of contracts. After all this is what you are paying us for!

Teamwork - how does this affect you?

John Thorogood employs ambitious negotiators but they work together as a team on your behalf. This may well have a direct bearing on the outcome of your sale. For example, in a situation where there is more than one offer at a similar price level placed on your property by different buyers, how is it best decided which one to accept? In a firm where individual negotiators only get paid for offers which they themselves generate, those negotiators may well be pushing you hard to accept their own offer, even if their buyer has limited ability to proceed and complete the deal.

At John Thorogood, we do things differently. By pooling all our commissions on each sale we quite simply ensure that it is your best interests that are being served not ours. In this way we can recommend the best offer for you, not just the one we each get paid for! Just as with high initial valuations that are never achieved, sales that fall through can have disastrous consequences for your finances and your move, and it’s vital that the right buyer is chosen.

When we take on a property that another agent has failed to sell, the most common complaint we hear is that the owners have received no feedback from that agent on progress or problems. We realise this can be very frustrating and it is our policy to give you regular reports and updates on how things are going.

When selling through us you will always have a good point of contact within the firm, but we do actually communicate with each other in our office so rest assured the rest of us will also know what is happening with your sale and will try to keep you informed at all times.

Premium magazine advertising - don’t all estate agents do this?

No, some don’t advertise in print at all and others have to cram properties from several different branches in to their allotted pages. John Thorogood advertises extensively in numerous high-profile property publications with a high distribution, usually in premium positions. And with a healthy advertising budget for just one branch, we can offer you a much higher probability of your property actually being featured. Look at the back issues and see for yourself! Through long-standing relationships with these magazines, we also consistently feature in their editorial sections. They are:

• SW Magazine
• London Property News (Outside Back Cover)
• Rise Magazine

We also occasionally choose to advertise in Property Square, London Agents (South), London Magazine, The Sunday Times and The Evening Standard.

Our website - simplicity and functionality.

The web is now the major source of new buyers! Whilst some agents’ websites still only offer glimpses of your property or are just over-complicated, our own website has recently been completely re-designed and re-built. It is clear, well set out and features the following.

Property website advertising - maximising exposure!

We have superb Internet coverage, supported by a very healthy web-advertising budget. We can therefore subscribe to all of the following top-rated “property portal” websites and display all our properties to a vast audience.

Search engines - widening our net.

We also invest in quality search-engine technology to ensure that our website will appear high on the list of the major search engines’ results pages.

Software - utilizing new technology.

High-speed broadband connection, a networked computer system and substantial recent investment in high-quality estate agency software gives us much more time to concentrate on doing what we do best – selling your property!

Most decent agents can email their details now. But how quickly is this done and how often do they make use of this service? We are very pro-active and our software has for some time instantly sent “advance notification” of new suitably-matched properties via email, a bespoke service for which we receive much praise from buyers. Now we’ve gone one step further and installed technology to alert them by text and picture message as well. So no matter how busy and mobile our buyers are, we can always reach them early on to generate viewings quickly for you.

The right buyers - it’s all about matchmaking.

Our reputation for being helpful, honest, experienced, knowledgeable and fundamentally straight-talking means that buyers want to deal with us. Furthermore our extensive advertising and history of handling all types of property (from £200,000 up to and over £2.5 million) without being snobbish, rude or patronising, ensures we attract and keep hold of the best buyers out there.

Some agents show all their properties to everyone on their database, making no effort to scrutinize buyers’ needs or be selective. It certainly keeps up the viewing numbers and may look good to you superficially. But in truth, viewing unsuitable properties only serves to annoy buyers and is a waste of time for all concerned. Our company’s ethos continues to be to make every effort to become well-acquainted with people’s specific requirements as we firmly believe that matching the right buyers to your property is the key to achieving the best possible price and to minimize time-wasting for all concerned. It’s all part of our friendly and highly personal service, designed to give you total peace of mind.

High-quality sales particulars - keeping it interesting.

We produce high quality professionally printed brochures for each property we handle. As this can be the first sight a prospective buyer has of your property, we pay special attention to its proper presentation. We don’t cut costs by using our own cheap digital camera and a measuring tape. We employ first-class professional photographers and floor-planners, combining their work with a bulleted summary and a thoughtful yet concise description.

Bored of reading the same old “stunning” estate agency clichés? We are too! We try to write our descriptions and our advertising a little more imaginatively and aim them towards the type of person we believe will be interested in buying that property. We try to concentrate on the individual selling points and merits that set each property apart from others – even in seemingly identical Victorian terraced houses!


Accompanied viewings - always on hand.

We work long and hard to sell your home, so you’ll never find buyers turning up on your door unannounced. One of our negotiators will always accompany potential buyers on all viewings, unless instructed otherwise by you. Because we listen to you, you’ll also find we adhere to all your special viewing instructions (keeping pets locked in the kitchen for the alarm, avoiding baby nap times etc). And we’ll give you just as much notice for viewings as you need. See our viewing times below – (under special circumstances we may be able to carry out viewings outside these hours).

Monday – Thursday - 9.30am - 8pm
Friday - 9.30am - 6pm
Saturdays -10am - 4pm

Design - distinctive identity.

We use a specialist design agency to brand our distinctive company image. This covers web-design, property-brochure design, advertisement setting and office / sale board displays. It maintains our solid identity and strong presence in the market place and improves the quality of presentation for your property.

A3 office displays - equal treatment.

Our prominent corner office is ideally located on the popular Northcote Road and has ample window space to feature all our available properties for sale. We offer all our clients one or more A3-size window cards each with large colour photograph to ensure that passing and visiting buyers are encouraged to make further inquiries.

For Sale boards - raise your profile.

No one loves having a “for sale” board outside their house. They’re unsightly and a constant reminder of your impending move, so of course it’s your decision whether to have one or not. Having sold many properties directly from sale-board enquiries, however, we do regard them as an essential part of our marketing strategy, significantly increasing the property’s exposure. They attract buyers on the lookout for new properties in their favourite streets and help to identify the location of the property to applicants who are unfamiliar with the area.

Virtual tours - an all-round view.

Virtual tours are available as part of our marketing strategy, where appropriate for the type and size of property being offered. Please ask for details.