Last week, ESPC member firm MOV8 Real Estate, Estate Agents and Solicitors, opened its second branch in Edinburgh. The firm, which has had an office in the Shore are of Leith for over 5 years, took the step to open a property showroom on St John’s Road, in the heart of Corstorphine, in response to a shift in market conditions.
“Corstorphine is a fantastic area,” says Robert Carroll, Managing Director of the firm, “with a huge variety of accommodation, from family homes to affordable modern flats. This move brings us closer to buyers and sellers in the west and south west of the City as well as having West Lothian just down the road.”
The reason the company opened the second branch was more than just necessity explains Carroll.
“We have been constantly hiring for about three years now and it got to the point where I didn’t even have somewhere to sit in the Leith office. This has to be the most expensive desk I’ve ever bought though!”
With over 20 members of staff and growing, the decision wasn’t just one based on space.
“On a serious note, it wasn’t just about getting more space: we could have taken another office in Leith for that. We already had a good presence in the west of the City, but we’ve had consistent feedback from clients and potential clients that they want to feel that we are accessible to them and that they easily could pop-in to see us if they wanted.
That said, we appreciate that the internet is the primary way of getting properties in front of people’s eyes in this day and age. That’s why we’ve combined local presence with a friendly, modern showroom concept that brings properties and also our property and financial advice closer to our customers.”
MOV8 Real Estate wants to encourage people to come in and browse the properties they market and have a chat with the staff. This is why it is referred to as a ‘showroom’, rather than simply a branch.
“We have embraced the latest technology to make the browsing experience as pleasurable and efficient as possible for the public. We’ve mounted touch screen computers to the walls, enabling buyers to swipe through all of the properties we market and all of the properties on the ESPC website. They can then easily print off any details that they would like to take home. Oh, and we’ve got a wee fridge with cold soft drinks to make the experience all the more pleasurable!”
To mark the opening of the property showroom the company held a champagne reception for associates of the company, suppliers and Corstorphine residents. They then followed that up with a public launch the following week complete with Can Can dancers!
“We wanted to tell Corstorphine that we were open, that we were different and that we weren’t just going to sit behind our desks and wait for the phone to ring. That’s not the kind of company we are and it’s not the type of service that we offer to our clients. The Can Can dancers handed out balloons to adults and kids and teddy bears to wee kids and created quite a stir! I can safely say that the residents and, in particularly the local shop owners and bus drivers, absolutely loved it! We’ve had a fantastically warm reception from the local community and look forward to serving the west of the city for many years to come.”
Drop in to MOV8’s new property showroom at 128 St Johns Road for advice on buying, selling and mortgages.
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