Agency launches new Franchise and Consultant schemes

A three-branch agency in the south west has launched a franchise model which it says should appeal “to those wanting a more flexible, lower-risk opportunity to launch their own estate agency business.”

DOMVS, founded in 2005, says it operates in the mid-to-higher price bracket with three branches in Dorchester, Weymouth and Wareham. 

It has been trialling a ‘Consultant Agent’ concept locally and says it is now in a position to offer the opportunity more widely to the right candidates. In addition there is the option of becoming a fully-fledged estate agency franchise. 

The company says it’s been considering the move for a year; under the scheme, agents will have the freedom to manage their own work-life balance and with DOMVS’ support, be fully-functioning from day one. 

All agents, whether as a franchise or consultant agent, will be equipped with a five-day training programme, on-going support and mentoring from a dedicated team, a marketing team to help with lead-generation and brand campaigns, tech-support as well as access to PropTech, and support with legislative changes and compliance. 

Polly Greenway, chief executive and founder, says: “We are extremely proud of the brand we have developed over the years and excited to offer experienced property professionals and energetic sales executives the freedom and flexibility to create their own estate agency business, on their own terms, with the potential for high financial rewards. 

“We are a small, friendly team and believe we are providing a unique opportunity for carefully selected partners to trade at the mid- to upper-end of the property market with full support and training from an operationally-savvy business. 

“We want all franchisees and consultant agents to reap the rewards of their hard work and to work with us in a way that suits their lifestyle, so for some, a fully-fledged franchise option will be in their best interests, but for others, we wanted to offer a lighter scheme, which will enable consultants to get up and running as easily and as quickly as possible.”

Business development director Eddie Fitzsimmons adds: “This isn’t a fly-by-night, half-hearted initiative. We have thought long and hard about how the franchise and consultant agent model will work for both the business and for our partners. It was essential that all elements were in place, and all implications were considered, before launching, so that our partners have the best chance of success. 

“We now believe we have created an offer that allows agents to do all of the fun bits of being an agent - meeting people, agreeing deals, managing their own pipeline - while we do all the boring bits on their behalf. 

“The scheme has been working incredibly well in North Dorset, since launching at the beginning of this year and now has four properties on its books, with multiple under offer, and we have every confidence the concept is transferable into other areas."