Southville Office

Adam McLachlan

Sales Negotiator

Born into the property business, Adam McLachlan comes from a long line of estate agents and property professionals, and was eager to kick-start his career at CJ Hole. Since joining in September 2009, he has already achieved a reputation as a genuine, courteous and enthusiastic Sales Negotiator, which is reflected in his remarkable sales record.

His prior experience of working in a large sales-driven call centre where he won numerous awards has equipped Adam with a natural confidence on the telephone, but also with the unerring energy and desire to reach targets time and time again.

Brought up in Bristol, Adam has all the knowledge and information at his fingertips to match people to their perfect house, and he still gets a buzz from doing just that. Although currently living near Portishead, he is keen to move nearer to his own patch, acknowledging that Southville is a vibrant and happening place to be, and an ideal area in which to invest. Indeed, his aim is to buy up a string of investment purchases to form his own portfolio.

His ambition, competitive nature and strength of character is echoed in his choice of activities away from the office, ranging from playing golf at the Mendip Spring Golf Club to hurtling himself around a stadium in Filton playing American Football.

Alexandra Farah

Progressions Manager

Once an offer has been accepted on a property and a survey has been arranged, it then falls into the capable hands of Alexandra Farah, the Progressions Manager, who takes it through to exchange and completion.

Her organisational skills, attention to detail and careful diary management allow graduate Alex to stay totally in control of the 50 or so properties she handles, requiring her to liaise not only with the buyers and vendors, but also the solicitors, mortgage lenders and contractors.

Alex’s dedication to her work sees her choosing to accompany surveyors and specialists to many of the properties. This means she can better inform clients about any specific issues arising from surveys and understand what would be needed to rectify them. Since joining CJ Hole in May 2009, her knowledge of old houses and their related problems has grown immensely, an invaluable asset in this part of Victorian Bristol.

A keen runner, Alex has a natural determination to succeed and in her view she is successful if she can provide a smoothly run process for her clients. Happy buyers and vendors are what drive Alex and some have even shown their gratitude by bringing her gifts.

She says: “It’s great to make people happy, particularly first-time buyers. It can be really overwhelming for them. You want to make it as enjoyable and as stress-free as possible and I think that’s one of our strengths at CJ Hole.”

Ashley Day

Lettings Negotiator

Since joining CJ Hole as Lettings Negotiator in October 2009, Ashley Day’s naturally warm and friendly nature has seen him and the business thrive. His sales pitch is rooted in integrity and a genuine desire to find people the property that suits them. He admits he has no specific ‘sales patter’, relying instead on his innate ability to read clients without resorting to the hard sell.

His background in clerical work has given him valuable office and organisational skills, but it also made Ashley realise his passion was for estate agency and for a role that got him out and about meeting new people.

Ashley’s professionalism and ability to cope under pressure has been proven time and again, not least within 45 minutes of joining the company when he was sent straight out on his first viewing. He rose to that challenge and has not looked back.

Although Ashley admits the hours are long and he no longer plays as much rugby as he used to, he would not have it any other way.

“I don’t want to miss my targets – for the company but for myself too because I want to be the best at what I do. I want us to be the best letting agent and we won’t do it working nine-to-five.”

Becky Holland

Lettings Manager

With eight years’ experience in retail progressing to area manager level, Becky Holland was more than capable of nurturing the fledgling lettings department to a successful, respected business when she joined CJ Hole as Lettings Manager in 2009.

She has finely honed skills in customer service, communication, organisation and accounts, all of which are vital in running a bustling lettings business. Her years in retail have also given Becky a good understanding of the importance of knowing the product, so she and her team get to know every property on their books and make sure they deal with any tenant requests prior to them moving in.

This valuable retail background coupled with her knowledge of the area gleaned from living in Bristol her entire life, gave Becky the ability to set up a smoothly run and productive department, where each team member understands their position and shares her desire for the business to succeed.

Getting into the property industry was a lifelong ambition for Becky and is highlighted through her unwavering desire to give clients the best service possible.

She says: “I’ve built up a good relationship with my clients and they now know I’m always at the end of the phone if they need me for anything. Plus they are confident that I will deal with any issues they may have.”

Going forward Becky would like to offer an even greater service to her clients so she is training to issue Energy Performance Certificates, which would be another string to her already fully laden bow.

Gary Rees

Senior Sales Negotiator

With seven years’ experience at CJ Hole, Gary Rees is a very successful and motivated Senior Sales Negotiator with a proven track record in tying up deals. His enthusiasm and drive to succeed makes Gary a popular member of the team with colleagues and clients alike.

His passion for the industry and for south Bristol is evidenced by his own substantial property portfolio, which provides him with first-hand expertise and knowledge of the property market and the sales process. Having such information at his fingertips assists him in providing clients with all the detail and advice they need.

A lifelong interest in property saw Gary gain invaluable experience in construction and property maintenance prior to starting his career in estate agency, providing him with a well-rounded view of the property industry.

Gary has achieved his MNAEA qualifications and is mainly office-based, dealing with any offers that come through and getting the properties to the point where they are surveyed. Having lived in Southville itself for the past two years, he has acquired specialist knowledge of Victorian properties, and his affection for the area is obvious to all his clients.

Hannah Craven

Administrator

Responsible for preparing the marketing details of each property that gets taken on, Hannah Craven’s flair for creativity is an important quality in her role as Administrator. Her passion for photography and art ensure the properties look their absolute best and Hannah’s drive to get the most out of each room even extends to teetering atop a ladder to get the right angle.

A geography graduate from The University of Birmingham, Hannah returned to her home city of Bristol to take up her position at CJ Hole in July 2009, where the skills and disciplines she learned throughout her studies are being put into good practice for the benefit of clients.

Her impressive ability to prioritise allows her to keep a cool head when faced with a multitude of varying tasks to carry out to tight deadlines and there is never any time wasted in getting a property marketed.

Hannah is articulate and intelligent, and shows a thoughtful nature, so vendors and buyers can be sure that each set of property details are accurate and comprehensive.

James Dear

Lettings Valuer

Having been a key member of the lettings department since its inception in 2008, James Dear has watched his determined efforts as Lettings Valuer come to fruition with CJ Hole becoming one of the leading lettings agents in the area in a relatively short space of time.

Rather than taking his foot off the pedal, James is now keen to help the portfolio grow further. His extensive knowledge of new media allows him to find every potential lead and he uses his negotiation skills to turn those opportunities into new instructions.

His previous experience as a sales negotiator for CJ Hole and his lifelong knowledge of the city has helped him achieve an impressive conversion rate of properties he values, a critical skill in this tough market. His success is due largely to his aptitude for valuing properties correctly.

Crucially, James has unwavering belief in his company’s brand and the service they can offer to clients, which is transferred to potential clients.

Michael Johnson

Branch Manager

As Branch Manager, Michael Johnson leads from experience. He started out in estate agency in 2002 when CJ Hole employed him as a trainee negotiator and his drive and determination to succeed has seen him rapidly rise through the ranks. His personal experience of each role in the company gives him a confident understanding of the business and what is needed for it to succeed.

Michael is sales-driven, competitive and passionate, qualities he has instilled into his team and that have resulted in the company becoming number one in the area. Michael’s business acumen steered the company through the recession by encouraging the need to work harder and smarter. His optimism and energy shines through in every aspect of his work, including his outlook on the troubled economic conditions:

“The recession has been good experience. We’re being a lot more proactive, vetting our applicants more because mortgages are harder to get”

MNAEA-qualified, Michael moved to Bristol from London and has taken great effort to get to know the area, to live it and breathe it. Having lived in Southville itself for several years, he’s become a well-known face amongst the locals and is the first to know about any changes or developments in the area.

Paul Goverd

Managing Director

Franchisee since 2001 and employed by CJ Hole in Southville since 1994, Paul Goverd lives and breathes this area and the business. He knows and loves the city and this pocket of it better than a cab driver, and insists that his team do likewise.

Paul boasts a strong corporate background prior to his career in estate agency, with substantial chunks of time spent working for Bank of Scotland, Legal & General and Cadbury’s. This experience gave him a solid grounding in marketing and management, which is evident in the success he has brought to the Southville office. From being eighth in the area league, Paul brought his agency up to number one in 2006 and has sustained that position ever since through sheer hard work and consistency.

His greatest achievement is to have survived the recession and to have come out the other side with a brand new business as well as his existing sales business. Paul’s experience and shrewdness gave him the impetus to launch a lettings department when the property market crashed. This had the added advantage of allowing him to retain all staff; a fact he is proud of. To Paul, his handpicked team is his business. He has trained every single one so they can benefit from everything he has learnt over the years. This means that each client receives honest, informed and educated advice, regardless of whom they speak to at the branch.

Avoiding redundancies has allowed Paul to continue running an effective and high quality estate agency, which he believes is impossible with fewer than five members of staff. His two decades in the business has taught him that the client is key and that it is just as important to ensure efficient after-sales care, as it is to get an offer accepted – a breadth of service often not provided by other agents. For CJ Hole Southville, it is one of their strengths.

“We’re there to push the sale through so the vendor doesn’t have to. People are entitled to a good service. We want to eradicate the stressful experiences people have of moving house.”

Although Paul is now a family man with a wife, two children and a love of walking on the Black Downs, his business is just as important to him as it ever was. In fact, he likens it to a child that he wants to nurture and watch thrive. With 30 years’ experience, his MNAEA qualifications and his lettings exams under his belt, he still has a thirst for learning and improving and keeps abreast of all market changes.

“You have to keep strengthening and altering systems. I’m constantly looking to improve and deliver a better service. You can’t sit back, even for a week.”