Experienced high street agents launch hybrid after six figure investment

Two successful high street estate agency directors claim to have invested a six-figure sum into their new hybrid estate agency. 

ispymyhome.com, which is run by father-son duo Mike and Ben Brain, was soft launched in January after two years of development.

Mike Brain (pictured right), 57, is the joint founder of well-known Midlands agency Hannells - of which he is still an active director.

His son Ben (pictured left), 30, has in the past worked as a director for the firm.

ispymyhome claims not to be an online agent but says that its expansion model 'doesn’t rely on having a high street presence and instead focuses on targeted marketing and experienced local estate agents'.

“Times are changing and having an expensive high street office is no longer required to provide a great estate agency service and secure a top price for your property," says Mike Brain.

"This new model of estate agency is growing massively."

Since soft launching in January, the firm says it has been instructed on 35 properties and taken on eight members of staff working in Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and Staffordshire.

The Brains say they are now looking to work with more agents in Nottingham and Leicester and are keen to speak to prospective investors.

“We know what it takes to sell properties successfully; we are taking what we know really well and putting it into a package with no gimmicks," says Ben Brain.

“We offer the complete estate agency service, from professionally edited wide-angle photography to accompanied viewings."

He says that most of the firm's offers have been taken outside of office hours, catering to people's changing lifestyles.

ispymyhome offers vendors an up-front fee of £645 or a 'pay later' fee of £795.

*This article has been updated to indicate that the Brains are not 'former' high street estate agents