Estate and letting agency franchisor Century 21 UK has opened its latest branch on Mitcham Road in Croydon, south London.
The branch is owned by father and son duo Will and David Parker who have operated a business in the local area for more than 50 years and have chosen to move into the property market.
Services available from the new Croydon Central office include residential estate agency and lettings management, commercial sales and letting, independent mortgage advice and surveys.
Will Parker said: “Having operated a local business for more than five decades, our family name is well established in the area as a reputable employer and we believe that will stand us in good stead in our future endeavours in the property market.
“Even though our previous venture wasn’t in the same sector, our knowledge of the Croydon area is second to none and we have an acute awareness of the local property trends. In fact, the recovery of the sales market and the buoyancy of the letting market in Croydon and south London in general is part of the reason we were keen to get involved. Century 21 seemed the obvious choice to help fulfill our property market ambitions and it is providing us with all the support we need to transfer our skill sets and become appropriately qualified.
“In many ways it is a match made in heaven – our local knowledge allied to Century 21’s global reach and expertise.”
Rob Clifford, chief executive of Century 21 UK and group commercial director of Shepherd Direct Group, said: “Although many of our franchisees have previous experience of the property market, we have always welcomed entrepreneurs from all walks of life and the new Croydon Central branch is the perfect example of this.
“Knowing your local market can be just important as an extensive estate agency CV and we are confident Will and David will be able to apply their knowledge to making our newest office a success. We offer all our new franchisees comprehensive training programmes and ongoing support to ensure their offices can realise their potential, so potential franchisees considering taking the plunge can rest assured that we will offer them the appropriate guidance every step of the way.
“House prices and rental demand in the capital didn’t tail off as markedly as other areas during the global financial crisis and they are now also recovering more quickly, so Will and David are certainly entering the market at an exciting time. We are looking forward to working with them in the months and years ahead.”