Why For Sale signs in Southport now have faces of estate agents on them

Have you wondered why For Sale signs with photos of estate agents on them have been popping up all over town? It’s a guarantee that people looking to sell their homes can now enjoy the help of their own personal estate agent every step of the way. 

The  initiative has been launched by Anthony James Estate Agents, which is based in Southport and sells homes across our region. 

It sees the person who values someone’s home stay with them all the way through to the completion of their house sale, providing expert help and guidance along the way. 

The personal service is in stark contrast to the recent rise of online only estate agents where vendors don’t enjoy the same level of support. 

Anthony James Estate Agents Director Mark Cunningham said: “We have launched our Associate Partner model and it has been such a huge success, we are keen to expand it. 

“With us, an estate agent offers a personal service every step of the way from ‘cradle to the grave’ - the moment they step into your home to carry out a valuation, to setting the right sale price, to showing potential buyers around, providing expert support to guiding you through the sale process towards completion. 

“Our Associate Partners walk into their valuations and know which of their buyers they are going to call on the way out.

“Your home is the biggest investment you make in your lifetime so when the time comes to sell we want to ensure that you get the best price for it and maximise its value. 

“Choose a responsive estate agent to sell your home. You don't want to be left chasing your agent quite literally 'round the houses' for feedback or with incomplete information about your buyers.

“Many people are unsure about the many differences between a high street estate agent and an online estate agent.

“The biggest difference is in the level of service. More often than not you pay for what you get. 

“Our Associate Partners will take home owners through all the challenges, all the pitfalls, all the opportunities, all the legislation. 

“Our fees are still very competitive, but with them people enjoy services such as professional marketing, a qualified team, a personal service and honest advice. We back that up with ‘no sale no fee’, no tie-in period, no upfront fees and no withdrawal fee.” 

Anthony James Estate Agents is owned and run by Mark and Lyn Cunningham, who started the company in 2002, and sister Jacqui.

Their goal is to achieve the best sale price for home buyers with their results over the years speaking for themselves.

The Associate Partners are self-employed so enjoy the benefits of a great work-life balance, while also enjoying the support of the Anthony James Estate Agents office-based administration team, an extensive list of potential buyers and nearly 20 years in the industry. 

There are four Associate Partners whose faces you will recognise from the Anthony James Estate Agents ‘For Sale’ signs - Lisa Roberts, Nicole Trowell, Mark Singleton and Ewan Thompson. 

Once the For Sale sign with their face on goes up outside a seller’s home, they stay there until it’s replaced by a SOLD sign! 

Mark Cunningham said: “They are their own bosses. 

“They have to agree to our Anthony James Estate Agents ethos and our morality, and they enjoy all the training and back office support that we can give them.

“One of the biggest complaints in our industry is that an estate agent goes out to value a property, but then the home buyer will never see them again. 

“Trying to get through to ‘someone in the office’ is not who they think they have signed up to deal with. For us, our office on Hoghton Street in Southport is a support hub where valuers can float in and out and make the most of the facilities we have here. 

“With their own personal estate agent, people don’t have to try and phone an office between 9am and 5pm. They can develop a relationship with their Associate Partner through text, through a mobile phone number, through Whatsapp, by face to face, by Zoom, which makes life so much easier for people and the whole process so much more effective.

“The future is changing for the estate agency industry. People are not going to stand for the poor levels of service they have been suffering any more. 

“They just want an estate agent with honesty, real knowledge, someone who wears their heart on their sleeve and knows what they are about.”