Estate agency ‘Keller Williams’ Plus’ officially launched in Essex

In September 2019 it was announced that Mark and Claire Readings formerly of House Network, the UK’s first ever online estate agency, together with industry veterans Russell and Anthony Quirk, had invested together in a fledgling estate agency Market Centre in partnership with global real estate giant Keller Williams.

Keller Williams Plus, as the Essex based centre is known, had its formal launch in Brentwood on Thursday evening (9^th January) and was attended by numerous agents, Keller Williams UK representatives, newly recruited agents and dignitaries including the Mayor of Brentwood Councillor Keith Parker; and MP Dr Alex Burghart who also happens to be Boris Johnson’s Parliamentary Private Secretary. Dr Burghart had hot-footed from the House of Commons and the third reading and passing of the EU Withdrawal Bill that evening.

Mark Readings, Operating Principal of the new enterprise, spoke to explain that over 20 new agents had already been recruited as partners across Essex and that many were already listing and selling properties despite the official launch not being until 10^th January.

He stated ‘This business is about its people and the Keller Williams family and helping them to be the best agents they can possibly be. Consequently they provide exceptional service to their clients because they are highly financially motivated. Keller Williams is as much a training organisation as a real estate company and this focus is already adding a significant edge to the performance of our agents in terms of prospecting, fee justification and overall conversion. I could not be more delighted with the fast and productive start that we have had to launching this business’.

Brentwood Mayor, Cllr Keith Parker praised the senior team for its big ambitions that include growing the business to over 100 agents in Essex with thousands expected to be recruited by the wider UK Keller Williams organisation over time. ‘I’m impressed’ he said. ‘The business model that allows agents to work for themselves and to earn a much bigger proportion of the commission, makes sense to me and is a just reward for entrepreneurs that put themselves out there and succeed.’

Alex Burghart, MP for Brentwood and Ongar and Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister Boris Johnson explained how he likes estate agents and understands their importance to the housing market – ‘a focus for this government as it seeks to ensure a buoyant economy in 2020 and beyond and in which the housing market is a key consideration ’ he said. He talked up the ‘Boris Bounce’ that he says is prevailing ‘now that political confidence has been restored and that Brexit can ‘get done’ – the government’s new majority will be used to good effect to concentrate on many other important things that matter to our great country’. Dr Burghart was enthused at such a large entity as Keller Williams choosing Brentwood as a place from which to expand and said that he ‘looked forward to Keller Williams in Essex helping buyers find homes given how important the sanctity of home ownership is’.

Asked by Russell Quirk whether he could hint at the prospect of a stamp duty cut in the March Budget to aid the housing market, Dr Burghart stayed tight-lipped except to say that ‘when the former Chancellor had abolished stamp-duty for first time buyers in 2017, he had been extremely supportive of the move as it was one of the first big policy decisions that he witnessed and supported as a new MP in 2017’.

Keller Williams Plus is based from the ‘Create’ complex in Brentwood and covers the whole county of Essex – further information can be found on the Keller Williams website.