About - TEST

A message from the Director

Thank you for taking the time to look at our website. My name is Laurence Tremayne and as my name suggests, I am the Director of Laurence Tremayne Daventry and Long Buckby.

My personal journey

I did not set out in life to own an estate agent’s, but from the age of 17, and by coincidence, I had a very keen interest in property.  I left school with an aim to try to be happy, be as successful as I could and to do whatever I tried to the best of my ability.  With both drive and ambition I try to be the best I can.  I have always had a very strong work ethic and belief in my ability.  I have always maintained that if I can go home at the end of the day and say I have done my best I cannot do any more.  This is something that I have always carried forward and try to instil in my staff.

My journey into estate agency was an interesting turn of events.  I was running a successful franchise that allowed me, on a part-time basis, time and money to invest in property.  Over a period of time of interacting with estate agents I found their approach extremely frustrating.  Their customer service, lack of urgency, lack of drive, their processes and their tardiness became tiresome and began to wear me down.

My decision to enter agency happened one day whilst I was sitting in an estate agents listening to another excuse.  I thought “there would be a far greater chance of this getting sorted if I was sitting in their chair”. I realised I would certainly do a far better job than the agent sat there as my knowledge was already greater than theirs.

I went home, got out a pen and paper, and a plan was formed.  I knew it would take a few years to learn but a time frame was set and the plan put into operation.  It included working for both an independent agent and also the largest corporate estate agent through to management level and a national new homes developer to enable me to learn all the good and bad bits of the industry.  I would then try to take all of the best, try to eliminate the bad, and set up an agency to be the best in my area.

My business journey

Having completed my “apprenticeship” with both the independent and corporate estate agents and the national new homes developer, I set about starting my own agency in 2002.  A planning application was submitted for our office at 10-12 Oxford Street, Daventry in February of that year.  Initially my plan did not include anyone else but in April 2002 I decided to accept a partnership and Tremayne and Belcher Estate Agents’ was formed.  A delay in planning saw us open our doors for the first time on 18 October 2002.  I had set a target to be the number one agent in the town by 31 May 2003.  Many of my competitors laughed at this aim, particularly stating that as I had chosen not to be in the High Street I would not be able to compete and that no one could start from scratch and grow so quickly. 
My aim was achieved by 31 January 2003 – 4 months ahead of schedule.  This was achieved by applying and instilling my beliefs, work ethic, dedication and sheer hard work.

Having set our own bar we then had to focus on maintaining and then raising the standards and have remained the leading agent ever since.

2007:  In 2006 I noticed a definite change in people’s reasoning for buying in certain areas.  No longer was work location such a key factor, suddenly schooling was a real issue.  With this in mind our Long Buckby office was opened on 20 May 2007 with the focus to concentrate and specialise in villages falling into the Guilsborough School catchment area.

2008: Although the housing market went into decline and recession both offices continued to move forward and the planning started towards another office.

2011: In January 2011 we opened an office in Woodford Halse which quickly established itself as the leading agent in the area, so much so that our competitor decided to scale down and withdrew from the area.

2013: I decided that my plans to drive the business were different from my business partner so I made the decision to end our partnership and we would go our separate ways.

This was an ideal opportunity to drive the business further and with the name change to “Laurence Tremayne”, a new logo was created, shop fronts upgraded and our new website launched.

Our focus has increased from maintaining a good service with that personal touch to improving our customer experience. You will see many changes in 2014.

We have maintained our position in Daventry and Long Buckby through perseverance, determination, hard work and managing our client’s expectations. We have seen competitors come and go and we are still here. Sometimes, that speaks for itself.