So tell us a little bit about your department?
We are based in the town centre of Halifax within a mixed sector consisting of shops as well as all the major bank branches. The office opened as a cold start at the beginning of 2006 so we are a relatively new branch of Ryder & Dutton but with the strength of marketing and quality of service we quickly grew to be one of the market leading agents in the town.
How long have you been working together?
The current team are mainly new to the branch, having had a few changes around earlier in the year. I have been at the office since we first opened and Steph who has also been here since the beginning is one of the negotiators although she is now on maternity leave, having had a new baby in July and won’t return until the middle of next year. Michaela is my senior negotiator and assistant valuer, having had a number of years estate agency experience and being with Ryder & Dutton for about 3 years, starting briefly in Halifax, she moved to the Huddersfield branch and then with Steph going on mat leave we needed someone with experience and Michaela was the ideal person to come back to Halifax. Camilla and Lewis are our newest members of staff, both having joined us in April of this year, Camilla having previously worked in TV production and Lewis has recently qualified from university, so it is his first full time work.
What sort of properties do you usually deal with?
We deal with the full range of property but are probably best associated with the middle towards upper end of the market, good sized family terraces and semi detached houses to farmhouses and executive homes over a wide area
What areas does your branch cover?
We mainly cover the Calderdale district which runs from Todmorden in the Calder Valley and Rishworth in the Ryburn Valley, areas which link in with our Manchester area offices, through to the boundaries of Huddersfield around the M62 corridor and then we operate out towards Bradford and Keighley areas so it is a very wide field of coverage.
What is special about your town that attracts buyers?
One of the key factors is the central location being between the two major north of England cities of Leeds and Manchester , with good commuter access to a wide range of commercial centres in between, couples with the fact that we have fantastic open countryside and moorland surrounding the town providing some of the best walking country in the county. Halifax is the birthplace of what was the Halifax Building Society, now part of the Lloyds Banking Group and as such is still a major employer in the town as well as other national and international companies in the area. The Town is also going through a period of regeneration particularly with the large development at the Broad Street Plaza which will house shops, restaurants and leisure facilities to the edge of the town centre. There are also ambitious plans for the Piece Hall, deemed to be the second most important building in Yorkshire, with recently announced plans for a £16m scheme to create Halifax’s very own Covent Garden.
How do you think Ryder and Dutton stands out from its competitors?
Ryder & Dutton are regarded as one of the quality estate agents in the area, providing professional and friendly customer service and advice backed by excellent marketing with high profile newspaper advertising and internet presence. Being the largest independent agent in the area, we are the only agency able to promote and market properties across West Yorkshire and East Lancashire, covering the important M62 corridor which is a very popular area for house hunters wanting regional access as well as good local facilities. Our Centro facility is also a unique offering, backing up the excellent service provided by the branch teams by dealing with enquiries up to 8.30pmweekday evenings and across the weekends, ensuring we are available to buyers and sellers and are minimizing the number of missed calls.
What do you think the strongest quality of your team is?
We have instilled a good team work ethic in the Halifax branch with everyone enthusiastic and keen to succeed as individuals and collectively in respect of sales targets and in providing the quality of service and communication with vendor clients as well as buyers looking in the area who we register and continue to contact up to the point of them finding a suitable property.
