IT HAS BEEN almost a  year since Nony and Sam Kerr-Smiley left High Street estate agency and set up their own  business, under the Martin  and Co umbrella. What they initially assumed would be selling one or two houses a month, has quickly turned into something far bigger. They are averaging a sale  a week. 

“Every client’s sale and purchase is different,” said Nony,  “and each of their circumstances  are individual, with differing  needs. It is never a one size fits  all in our agency model. 

“We have had a client selling in Winchester whilst living overseas. Their home had been  rented for some years and, to achieve the best prices, needed  a bit of careful presentation, repainting and new carpets. The  owners were not in a position  to oversee this, so we stepped  in and organised painters, furniture to be moved and some  recarpeting. We even brought  in furnishings from home to  help make it more homely, and  watered the garden, before arranging photography. On another home, we put up  some hanging baskets and tidied and dressed a garden, to make the photographs more appealing.” 

These are unusual cases but give an idea of who Sam and Nony are, and the service they provide. They put customer care ahead of all else and strongly believe in traditional values, offering  an agency model where the client is treated as a person,  rather than a commodity or  simply a file transaction. 

“We feel that people have  been overlooked as individuals  for far too long,” continued Sam, “and we really take a  pride in looking after our clients personally, from the first call to completion.”