Earlier this month we let you know about the new NAEA (National Association of Estate Agents) Propertymark assurance scheme and what it means to clients, be they buyers, vendors, landlords or tenants. What I thought I’d mention today is just a small indication of why we Strawberry value our membership so much.
Many trade and industry associations are viewed with a degree of cynicism. This most probably stems from the fact that there are some who simply collect fees from members and in return are happy to endorse them (or even recommend them) without much in the way of checking out their customer service skills first!
For us NAEA Propertymark membership means so much more. Their standards are high and this reflects our own philosophy of putting our customers first. In addition they also ‘do their bit’ and try to make change for the better within the industry - a great example of this is the fact that they have just submitted their views to the Treasury ahead of the Autumn Budget.
Within their requests they have called on the government to relax stamp duty for first time buyers and provide incentives for downsizers to encourage them to move. NAEA Propertymark would also like to see the removal of the 3% surcharge on second homes and buy-to-let properties and have appealed to the government to extend the Help to Buy equity loan scheme beyond 2021 for first-time buyers and introduce a separate scheme to boost the purchasing of pre-owned property. Finally they have reiterated past calls for mandatory regulation of estate agents and production of codes of practice to ensure clarity of service offerings and fee structures.
With all of the above in mind it is very hard to imagine anyone using an agent who is not an active member of NAEA Propertymark and we, for sure, will always retain our membership and take advantage of every additional piece of support and training it provides.