Metropix Team Blog

Friday Fun!

Just as a reminder, Roy Brooks was an estate agent from 1950-1971. His witty, truthful descriptions made his ads worth scouring the property ads of the Sunday Times and Observer. Here is the next in our series -

W1. Small modernised. PERIOD RES. Dble drawing room, 3 decent enough bedrooms, b&k (new 8 yrs ago). Small paved garden with flower bed.  The outlook – the backside of Woolworths – might be considered a little fustian, but good enough for our clients (HER grandpa & uncle are Peers; descended from DUCHESS OF DEVONSHIRE, HE decent upper middle class, descended from 6 generations of Generals. STIRLING CASTLE was ‘Home;) it’s probably good enough for you. £8,550 FREEHOLD.

Friday Fun!

Just as a reminder, Roy Brooks was an estate agent from 1950-1971. His witty, truthful descriptions made his ads worth scouring the property ads of the Sunday Times and Observer. Here is the next in our series -

Children’s Surgeon, joining the Freemasons & going into the City, as a sort of medical missionary, to tend sick business men (Poor Dr. Faustus’ said a wise old doctor friend of mine, and one of them; ‘a millionaire at 40 – and dead at 42’). Anyway, MUST SACRIFICE rather grand MOCK GEORGIAN det. SUTTON house, 5 beds, 4 big. 1 only just makes the grade as a bedroom., bathroom., principal lav. With throne in green brocade, lounge hall, drawing room which can be opened into dining room (32ft) for entertaining, b’fast room., lab-sav. Kit. 52 power points. BIG GARAGE BIG GARDEN with fountain and fish pond – sadly depleted, however by patients of nearby veterinary surgeon. Country air. 29 mins. Victoria £8,995 FREEHOLD

Metropix scoops Award at PropertyDrum Conference 2012

We are very excited to announce that Metropix has won the ‘Floor Plan and Photography’ category at last night’s PropertyDrum Awards!

Our entry focused on the advantage that floor plans deliver to agents in terms of creating more interest from homebuyers and also highlighted the high levels of satisfaction reported by our customers: our latest survey recorded that 9 out of 10 customers were ‘very satisfied/satisfied’ with the overall quality of our customer service.

We also demonstrated how quickly our floor plans can be produced by showcasing the results from our ‘Speed Floor Plan Drawing’ competition, whereby 94% of the entries were able to draw a 3-bedroom property plan in five minutes or less.

So, a big thank you to all customers who voted for us, to those that have provided testimonials regarding the service we provide and to the award judges who recognised the value we deliver to sales and lettings agents across the UK on a day-to-day basis.

Brian Farrell
Managing Director

Friday Fun!

Just as a reminder, Roy Brooks was an estate agent from 1950-1971. His witty, truthful descriptions made his ads worth scouring the property ads of the Sunday Times and Observer. Here is the next in our series -

Darkest Pimlico. Seedy FAMILY HOUSE two rooms in basement, ground, 1st and 2nd floor and attic room on 3rd. Decor! – peeling, faded and fly-blown. Garden – good for Westminster – all of 20ft. Lease 80yrs. G.R £60p.a. If you are too late to secure this gem we have a spare along the road rather more derelict. A lightly built member of our staff negotiated the basement stair but our Mr Halstead went crashing through.

And the Winner Is...

Throughout March and into April, we invited property professionals from across the UK to take part in our ‘Speed Floor-Plan Drawing’ competition; the game we believe the organisers of London 2012 mistakenly overlooked!

With the competition coming to a close, we are pleased to reveal that the winner of the competition, and officially the ‘UK’s Fastest Speed Floor-Plan Drawing Champion’, is Stephanie Dunn-Fox from Findahome Online Estate & Letting Agents (http://www.findahomeonline.co.uk). She lodged the impressive time of 2:48:77, illustrating just how quickly a floor plan can be produced!  Congratulations!                                            

                                            
    


Stephanie has won the Gold prize of the new Apple iPad, which as you can see above has made its way to the Findahome Online offices.

Runners-up are Jonny Orme from Martel Maides, who logged a time of 2:53:63 and wins the Silver prize of an iPod Nano; and closely following in the Bronze position – with a photo finish! – is Nathan Patterson from Manning Stainton, who recorded 2:53:72 and takes home an iPod Shuffle.  

Whilst the winning time was an impressive 2:48:77mins we would like to thank all those that participated; of which, 94% achieved times of less than five minutes to draw the 3-bedroomed house provided.

Congratulations to the winners and big thank you too for everyone else who took part in the closely-fought contest. We hope you enjoyed our take on the 2012 Games!

Friday Fun!

Here is another witty ad from Roy Brooks! (See last week's Friday Fun post for more details)

Chester  Sq. Belgravia. Under its mantle of dust and dirt this is a very fine house; there is even an air of aristocratic decay about the broken passenger life ‘Im afraid that the lift is out of order we’ll have to walk up….’ Cannot fail to impress your guests.  5 principal bedrooms, 2 staff rms, plus 3 attic rooms, magnificent vast ‘L’ shaped first floor drawing room, about 35ft, fine large dining room, solid mahogany doors, study, a frightful old kit, 3 old fashioned bathrooms.  I suspect that under the grime, this eminent Banker’s house is pretty sound; but better get a good surveyor. LONG 41 yr lease. G.R ONLY £100 p.a Say, £19,995 but try any offer; owner might take a low price from deserving, but impecunious, young couple. Viewing Sunday 3-5. Knock 4 times.

Speed Drawing Competition - Leaderboard Update

As we approach the final week of the competition, we welcome some new entrants onto the leaderboard but the current top spot remains unchanged with Nathan Paterson from Manning Stainton with a time of 2mins 53seconds!  

 

Will Nathan win the gold and be crowned the 'UK's Speed Floor Plan Drawing' champion...or will someone pip him at the post on the final lap? If you are up for the challenge then don't forget that the competition closes on Friday 20th April, so get your entry in asap!

For further details about the competition and how to enter click here. 

Good luck and happy drawing!

Friday Fun!

Roy Brooks was an estate agent from 1950-1971. His witty, truthful descriptions made his ads worth scouring the property ads of the Sunday Times and Observer. His book “Brothel in Pimlico” (available on Amazon) is a glorious collection of these rather amusing ads, as below. We are delighted that Roy Brooks is a Metropix customer. Here is one of his ads below -

FASHIONABLE CHELSEA, Lamont Road. Do not be misled by the trim exterior of this modest Period. Res. with its dirty broken windows; all is not well with the inside. The decor of the 9 rooms, some of which hangs inelegantly from the walls, is revolting. Not entirely devoid of plumbing, there is a pathetic kitchen & 1 cold tap. No bathrm., of course, but Chelsea has excellent public baths. Rain sadly trips through the ceiling on to the oilcloth. The pock-marked basement flr. indicates a thriving community of woodworm; otherwise there is not much wrong with the property. In the tiny back garden an Anderson shelter squats waiting… Lse. 40 yrs? G.R. £50. SACRIFICE £6,750.

Speed Drawing Competition - Leaderboard Update

 

The competition is hotting up with Nathan Paterson from Manning Stainton taking the lead with a record breaking time of 2mins 53seconds!  
 

If you think you have what it takes to challenge this and take home the Gold, then email us at support@metropix.co.uk for entry details.
 
Just a reminder that entries close on the 20th April, so there's still plenty of time to get training and enter to see if you have what it takes to become the UK's fastest floor plan drawer!
 
Good luck and happy drawing! 
 

Metropix has been shortlisted as a TOP 10 supplier in the ESTAS Supplier of the Year category

 

Metropix has been shortlisted as a TOP 10 supplier in the ESTAS Supplier of the Year category in recognition of the high quality services it provides its clients in the industry.

 

This year thousands of agents across the country have had the chance to vote for their favourite suppliers rating them on the quality of the service they provide and the value each supplier brings to agents businesses.  Just entering this category speaks volumes for the confidence each supplier has in the quality of the products & services they deliver.

 

The gold, silver and bronze winners will be announced at the 9^th annual ESTAS ceremony on the 20^th April at the Hilton Park Lane.  The awards will be announced by Phil Spencer in front of 500 of the UK’s top agents and suppliers.

 

All suppliers who entered the category will receive a full Client Feedback Report providing valuable data from their agents.

 

The ESTAS 2012 are sponsored by Zoopla in association with HomeLet, Endsleigh, Expert Agent and RICS.

 

Agents & suppliers who are interested in next year’s competition can register here

Tickets for the ESTAS 2012 can be purchased here

Speed Drawing Competition - Leaderboard

With a fantastic response to the competition, the Speed Drawing 'Games' are now in full swing, with new challengers taking part each day.

We'll be updating the leaderboard weekly, so if you think you've got what it takes to become the UK's fastest floor plan drawer then email us at support@metropix.co.uk to enter.



Just a reminder of the prizes:

Gold: The new Apple iPad
Silver: An iPod Nano
Bronze: An iPod Shuffle


Good luck and happy drawing!!

Floor Plan Speed Drawing COMPETITION!

Win the very latest Apple iPad!

Pit your wits against other estate agents from across the UK in our 'Speed Floor-Plan Drawing' competition - the game we believe the organisers of London 2012 have mistakenly overlooked!

You could win:
Gold: The new Apple iPad
Silver: An iPod Nano
Bronze: An iPod Shuffle

And of course… the very coveted title of 'UK's Fastest Speed Floor-Plan Drawing Champion'.

What to do:

• Email support@metropix.com and we will send you the floor plan template
• In your own time practise drawing this plan using Metropix
• Book your personal webinar (where you screen-share with us) and draw your plan in real time
• Two attempts are allowed and your fastest time will be recorded and entered into the league

League tables will be published weekly and the closing date is Fri 20th April.

So, get on your starting blocks and … let the Games begin!

Marvelling Momentous Metropix Milestones!

When running a growing business, I believe it is important to herald significant milestones that are passed as a marque of evolution or success. From signing the first customer contract at the outset to perhaps completing your 500th property transaction. Now, in today’s digital world another milestone worth celebrating is on reaching 1000 Twitter followers, which I am pleased to report we have achieved today!

A big thank you goes of course to all our 999 followers for connecting to our @Metropix handle for news and updates from our team. And now, a big ‘virtual handshake’ also goes to @MirEstates, who is officially our 1000th follower. Welcome on-board and we hope you enjoy our Tweets.

On reaching this milestone, it made me reflect on the way in which the property industry is adapting to incorporate social media into the marketing mix. Rolling back a decade or two and any potential buyers were limited to just a handful of ways of reaching property agents: either by walking into a branch to register, by flicking through the pages of the local newspaper or by picking up the phone.

Today, the addition of online portals, agent’s websites, mobile phone apps and now social media sites are all providing potential buyers with the information they need (including our floor plans of course!) at the touch of a button. Social media provides a new route to promote properties, while also building the profile of your agency and team via news postings, local information updates and informal tweets to active followers.

It will certainly be interesting to monitor just how the use of social sites such as Twitter will continue to be utilised across our industry. Although, judging by the fast rate in which we reached 1000 followers, it is clear to me that agents are already seeing the potential and are actively embracing what could be seen as a new age of property marketing.

Brian Farrell
Managing Director