At the end of this month, the independent estate agency Beville will have been running from its Sonning Common office since 2002. Serving South Oxfordshire and North Berkshire, the company is known for specialising in village and country properties, and more recently, the rental market.
Director Richard Beville said: “We provide a complete property service linking buyers with sellers and landlords with tenants, to facilitate fast, successful and hassle-free moves. We have a wealth of experience and in depth local knowledge, enabling us to provide a personal, professional and innovative service. Moving home and choosing a new place to live can be an exciting experience, and our primary goals are to achieve the best possible prices within required timescales.’’
However, on occasions the experience of selling a house can be stressful so Richard’s friendly support at these times is invaluable. He gives a genuinely ‘personal service’ monitoring everything on a day to day basis from the initial offer through to completion.
Back in the early 1990s, estate agency began to change as lenders started to buy up independent agencies, and there is still a move towards larger, more corporate agencies, so it’s quite rare to find a local business that doesn’t have to answer to any regional Directors, meet sales forecasts or liaise between people in other offices. Our focus always remains with our clients.
When the agency launched 15 years ago, its vision was to offer a “truly independent” service, where personal service was everything, and pride was taken in getting the best price for the customers “And this is as much true today, as it was when we first opened,” said Richard.
The Peppard Road office is premises for Richard & his staff whose close communication ensures an in depth knowledge of every property and an awareness of the stage to which a property sale has progressed.
Reputation seems to be the buzz word, with repeat business and word of mouth fuelling our success. “We literally get generations of the same family buying and selling with us,” said Richard.
One client said “We spoke to a number of estate agents when we came to sell but felt Beville had the best handle on the local market. They were realistic and consistent and were never pushy – we always felt they had our best interests to the fore and took a longer term view than others – and they really helped the transaction happen.”
Another client said: “I think the fact that they are a small, locally knowledgeable firm rather than a more impersonal chain made a big difference. I certainly saw that other local firms did not take such good care of their clients.”
Local-born-and-bred staff also play a big factor in what the agency can bring to the table. Richard was born in the original Townlands Hospital and went to Langtree School and Henley College.
Since Reading-born Marcus Witt, 19, was taken on as an apprentice a year and a half ago he has really got stuck in to all aspects of the business. He has recently completed his City and Guilds Sales Of Residential Property Apprenticeship and is moving on to become a member of the NAEA. Marcus said: “People don’t realise just how much work there is to do before you can get to a successful completion. It’s about attention to detail for each client.”
“We all have deep roots with the area,” adds Richard. “It’s one of the reasons we continue to support local events and charities, such as the open garden and picnic event for Bishopswood Special School in Sonning Common, and the OnYourBike charity event which we have been heavily involved with since its conception and is now in its 11th year.
‘’Our personal service sets us apart’’
