Member Article

Lettings agency’s move into sales will “revolutionise the way people buy and sell homes”

North East lettings agency KIS Lettings is expanding into sales –using technology to revolutionise the way people buy and sell homes.

The South Shields-based business – recently named Letting Agent of the Year - expects turnover to rise above £1m as a result of the move, which will also create three jobs.

The move will also see the firm unveil a new piece of software technology which promises to transform the process of house-buying.

KIS currently manage properties for over 700 landlords from branches in South Shields, North Shields, Sunderland and Welwyn Garden City and was named Letting Agent of the Year at the 2013 national Landlord and Letting Awards.

Founder and Managing Director Ajay Jagota said: “People come up to me all the time and say ‘Ajay, why don’t you sell houses like you rent them out?’ The truth is that only recently have economic conditions become right for KIS to bring our successful approach to renting to the residential sales market.

“Property prices in the North East were still falling as late as last year – but more recent figures from the Office of National Statistics show a 4.2% rise. That might not be as high as other parts of the country but it definitely suggests the property market is on the up.

“We’ve challenged the conventions of renting at every step – things like abolishing deposits, introducing our unique landlord insurance policy and using technology to maximise efficiency in ways our competitors haven’t thought of, but people are still buying and selling houses like they did in the thirties and forties.

“That system is out of date and it needs to change.”

KIS’ offer to sellers includes:

Obligation-free complimentary property brochures for all prospective sellers. Free Energy Performance Certificates Competitive rates.

The company will also shortly be rolling out a one-of-a-kind piece of software technology which will give people buying or selling a home more control than present and keep them better informed about how the sale is progressing.

The software allows buyers and sellers to see in real time how their sale is progressing, which applications have been approved, milestones reached and checks completed - as well as helping them stay on top of the huge amounts of paperwork involved.

Ajay said: “Anyone who has bought a house will tell you the euphoria of having your offer accepted quickly fades into the frustration of ringing up your solicitor every couple of days to ask why you can’t move in yet. Our software will hopefully go a long way towards ending that.

“The technology builds on the online dashboard we already used, which gives our landlords complete transparency with regards to their accounts and much better communication – key to the 98% satisfaction rating we achieved in a recent survey.

“Our aim has always been to take all the stress out of renting. Now we’re turning our sights on taking all the stress out of buying and selling. As we’ve always said, just keep it simple!”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ajay Jagota .