LICENSED ESTATE AGENTS IN VIRGINIA WATER HELPING CUSTOMERS WIN
Barton Wyatt is proud to have received its license from the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA), one of the first UK estate agencies to do so.
A licensed estate agency means consumers are guaranteed that at least one person within each office is qualified in residential property sales, either through a formal qualification or through length of membership through the NAEA.
This qualification requirement is unique to NAEA licensed estate agents – the only license of its kind in the UK property industry. Barton Wyatt have five qualified members of staff.
At its launch in the House of Commons in November 2010, the licensing scheme was given the backing by Grant Shapps, Housing Minister and Alison Seabeck, Shadow Housing Minister.
Shapps said “by ensuring they enjoy the trust of people buying and selling homes, estate agents will inject greater confidence and movement in the housing market. In future, anyone looking to buy a home or sell theirs should ask the simple question of their estate agent – ‘are you licensed by the NAEA?”
He added “Currently there is no barrier to anyone setting up and practising as an estate agent. There is no legal requirement for estate agents to obtain a new license, leaving consumers with a clear choice as to whether they choose a licensed or unlicensed agent”.
Peter Bolton King, Chief Executive of the NAEA said “I am delighted to confirm that Barton Wyatt is now fully licensed. We would like all sellers and buyers to ask their prospective agents, do you have an NAEA license? If they don’t, they should ask themselves whether that’s the agent from whom they would get the best service when marketing their property.”
“No one would knowingly use an unlicensed taxi driver. Neither should they use an unlicensed estate agent.”
“In a difficult economic time, it is important for anyone placing a home on the market to use a professional, knowledgeable agent. NAEA members know their local area and know their market. That is very important to consumers”
James Wyatt, Partner of Barton Wyatt commented “we are focussed on providing a high calibre service to our sellers and buyers, and being a founder licensed estate agent shows our commitment to remaining one of the best estate agents in the country.”
The new license will also guarantee Barton Wyatt is covered by required amounts of professional indemnity insurance. They will also undertake 12 hours of continuing professional development every year, commit to keeping up to date with industry developments and be bound by the NAEA’s rules of conduct. Barton Wyatt is already a licensed letting agent under a similar scheme run by the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA)
The NAEA represents around one in three estate agents in the UK. It aims to get as many members as possible licensed by June this year. All of its members can be found by visiting www.naea.co.uk.
For more information on the Barton Wyatt App or their properties please call 01344 834000 or visit www.bartonwyatt.co.uk
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Editor Notes
About the NAEA
The National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) is the UK’s leading professional body for estate agency personnel representing the interests of around 10,000 members who practice across all aspect of property services both in the UK and overseas. These include residential and commercial sales and lettings, property management, business transfer, auctioneering and land. The NAEA is a sister organisation to the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) and as is Propertylive.co.uk, the UK’s only regulated property portal.
The NAEA is dedicated to the goal of professionalism within all aspects of property, estate agency and land. Its aim is to reassure the general public that by appointing an NAEA member to represent them, they will receive in return the highest level of integrity and service in both sales and lettings, for all property matters. Both NAEA and ARLA members are bound by a vigorously enforced code of practice.