One of Yorkshire’s most reputable estate agents, Preston Baker, continues to establish itself as one of the industry’s leading lights, after picking up three separate accolades at this year’s Sunday Times and The Times Estate Agency of the Year awards.
Held at London’s Hilton Metropole, the annual event saw the family-run firm awarded gold for Best Medium Northern Estate Agency, Best Financial Services Estate Agency and Best Training & Development Estate Agency.
Formed in 2008, Preston Baker has grown from strength to strength and is considered a well-known, familiar brand across North, South and West Yorkshire. From operating as a single branch, the company now serves York, Selby, Doncaster, Leeds and Sheffield, from its seven branches and from January 2017 will also be covering Wetherby and Crossgates.
Having won awards in the Estate Agency of the Year competition every year since 2012, the business continues to surge forward, delivering premium results for its customers, thanks to its innovative approach and experienced staff.
It is the second time Preston Baker has been named Best Northern Estate Agency, with the judges finding it to be ‘an exceptional estate agency which achieved near perfect mystery shopping results and an agency that is challenging the status quo’.
Speaking about the company’s latest success, Managing Director Ian Preston said: “To achieve the highest award for three separate categories is an incredible accomplishment and the diversity of the awards proves we’re an all-round, great company that delivers excellence for its clients.
“We’re delighted to have been recognised as the Best Medium Northern Estate Agency and taking the Best Financial Services Estate Agency for the second year running. Winning Gold for Training & Development in particular highlights how we maintain our excellent standards and we’re proud to be successfully competing against the biggest names in the industry.
Training Manager, Nicky Partridge who is now Leeds Area Manager said: “Our team is key to the company’s success, which is why we endeavour to make sure everyone is trained to be the best they can be. Hearing what the judges’ said about how we have ‘an outstanding training syllabus’ meant a great deal, as we’ve worked hard to implement a top-class training programme.”
Co-founder and Ian’s cousin, James Baker, believes the company’s success is down to its reputation for delivering proactive, first-class service using pioneering marketing techniques and cutting edge technology.
Last year, saw the creation of Property Launch – a strategy which the company developed to help vendors sell their house much faster reducing the number of days their house is on the market and increase the price they achieve. This is just one example of how Preston Baker aims to stand out from the crowd, alongside having a strong social media presence and a customer focused website, which was updated earlier this year.
James said: “We’re proud of the fact we’re a Yorkshire-based, family-run company but we’re always looking to offer something different to our peers.
“We keep the customer at the forefront of everything we do and our staff have exceptional knowledge of the industry, with each individual demonstrating a positive attitude, high energy and great community spirit, all attributes which resonate throughout the company.”