I write this note to you all in what can only be described as very strange times.  Many of you are currently sat at home on the government backed Furlough scheme probably feeling a bit helpless whilst waiting for better times when we can reopen the business.  For those of you that are currently working from home, you will be dealing with enquires and queries from lots of customers that are in most instances not linked to your branch and so must feel very unfamiliar.

The measures we have taken since the Prime Minister announced on the 23rd of March that we had to close have been completely focused around how best to protect the business that you have all been instrumental in building. In those first twelve months that NHM had been trading we had travelled so far and all the front end indicators at the end of February suggested that year two was going to be even better than year one had been.

We truly believe the market will come back to us when this terrible pandemic passes but unfortunately we nor anyone else can know how long that will take and therefore we are trying to be as careful as we can be around what we spend whilst we are incapable of generating any front end business and therefore incapable of generating any new revenue. It is imperative that we keep our costs bolted down as tightly as possible so that we can trade through this period and be financially healthy when we come out the other side, hence utilising the government backed furlough scheme to protect everyone's job security for the long term future.

Many businesses like ours have furloughed all staff and gone into complete hibernation.  We have not followed this path as we feel it is worth the cost of keeping some staff working from home maintaining contact with our sellers and our landlords that are currently on the market, our buyers, sellers, tenants and landlords that are within our Residential and Lettings Pipelines and our tenants and landlords that are within our managed portfolio's. The purpose of all this contact is to protect the business that everyone has worked so hard to build, so that we do not have to start from scratch when the day comes that we can return to our offices and start trading again.

With this in mind, we are also going to be using a new product that Brief Your Market are in the advanced stages of creating, it is an interactive online viewing platform that can host sellers & landlords self shot video content.  We believe there will be a lot of positives to be had from this as whilst we are shut and unable to conduct physical viewings potential buyers & tenants will be able to do virtual viewings. This will help to keep our sellers & landlords engaged and it will help us get a fast start when we reopen.  Our properties will hopefully be short listed for viewing physically when the circumstances allow following a Virtual viewing.  We will keep you informed of progress but we are confident that the system will be fully operational within the next few weeks.

I know times are difficult for everyone reading this note, both in terms of the financial impact they are feeling and in terms of the uncertainty around what is going on within our business and within our industry.  We will also be worrying about our friends and loved ones health but I can promise you this, we will come out the other side together and we will continue to be a great business that thrives maybe even more than before.

We are constantly reviewing the situation and we will communicate with you all again once the government has updated the nation with regards to ending or extending the current lock down period.

In the mean time, stay safe and keep well.

Best regards

Matt McCreath

Managing Direcor

To say the last few weeks have been both strange and difficult is an understatement both from a professional and personal point of view.  Professionally it’s been hard to see the unbelievable start we made in 2020, which followed on from an incredible last four months in 2019 to be halted by something completely out of our control.  Personally it’s been hard to see how this has impacted you all, my team who I care about and who have worked so hard and skilfully over this last year.  I genuinely think you’re the best team of estate agents in the industry and cannot wait for the day we can get you all back doing what you love and what you’re good at which is selling and letting properties.  This business and this region would be nothing without you the people.

I would just like to say a huge thank you to you all for everything you have done for the business up until this point but also for the professionalism you have displayed during these incredibly tough times.

There are still lots of positives, unbelievably in March 2020 we matched 2019’s instructions numbers and comprehensively beat instructions fees, second hand instructions and second hand instruction fees.  At the half way point in March we were tracking to do our first £200k plus net fees result and I know we would have done this if the market hadn’t have been hit so hard with so little warning.  We also converted our pipeline at 100% even with all the challenges that March presented.

Looking ahead the business is well equipped to cope over the coming months.  The decisions that have been taken recently and the measures that have been implemented will ensure that we’re in a great position to take advantage of the opportunities that will be there when all this is over.

Thank you once again team for all your efforts and professionalism and remember, the comeback is always stronger than the setback.

Stay safe.

I hope you are all keeping safe and well during these challenging times. The last few weeks have been strange to say the least. As you all know we started the year with a bang and we were ahead of every KPI on 2018 and 2019 meaning we were in very good shape for 2020. I anticipate that when we return we will continue this level of focus and energy.

Our business is built around you, the people and our culture of “people first” is, and will continue to be, our number one focus. Whilst we get through this time of uncertainty we have been keeping all our clients informed and serviced to ensure the fantastic businesses you all have built continues to run effectively and will be well serviced for the future.

It is very strange not speaking with you all every day and having our weekly conference calls and meetings! I look forward to having you all back in as soon as possible to continue our strides forward that we have made during the past 12 months.

We have been doing a lot of admin work to ensure that the daily tasks are carried out and enquires continue to be serviced. You have all done so well during this period and as always I am very proud of you all. I want to reach out to you all to ensure you all know if you would like to talk or have any question, please pick up the phone. I am still here for you all and would love to hear from you.

The decisions that have been taken recently to protect everyone means we are in a great position to take advantage of the opportunities that lie ahead. 

Thank you once again for all your efforts and professionalism. I look forward to seeing you all again soon

Stay safe.