Getting to know us...

NICK HENDERSON, MANSBRIDGE BALMENT MD, SHARES HIS THOUGHTS ON WHAT SETS OUR ESTATE AGENCY APART AND THE SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP OUR STAFF BUILD WITH OUR CLIENTS.

NICK HENDERSON
MANAGING DIRECTOR

“People have said to me, ‘We got the asking price on our first viewing!’ – That’s not right. That’s not how it should work.”

“My parents moved to Lydford when I was three – my life has been here ever since, and I now live with my lovely family in Tavistock.

“As far back as I can remember, I saw Dartmoor as a special place. In my childhood head it was the wild west, brought up watching 1950’s and 60’s westerns, with the likes of Audie Murphy and Clint Eastwood, meant that without the ability to transport myself across the Atlantic I had the next best thing. The Midwest grasslands were on my doorstep. They still are.

“It isn’t just Dartmoor that attracts the many to this part of the world. The rolling farmland and pretty villages, the market towns and bubbling rivers that make their way to the estuary and ultimately out to sea, these are all elements that make this such a wonderful place to live.

“There is a link between health and location and, as we recover from the pandemic, increasingly, people have found the south west peninsula to be a place to live their lives in a better way.

“Estate agency practice should not be rushed. There are many elements to consider when advising our clients.

“Some people think that all estate agents are the same, doing the same thing for the same result - find the cheapest one and save some money.

“If you are seeking advice about what for most of us is our most valuable asset, you need the best advice.

“The difference between an experienced and knowledgeable estate agent and one with little or no experience may be the difference between success and failure – a sale or no sale, the full value or perhaps a lot less. Not all estate agents are the same.

“In order to give the very best service to clients a combination of factors is needed. Coverage and accessibility are hugely important.

“The internet is a marvellous thing and a wonderful tool – when I think back to the early 1980’s and the way we used to work, I wonder how we managed – but the internet on its own is of little use. Knowledge is hugely important in this business. Communication skills are vital.

“Databases, photography, office locations, your company profile, the ability of your staff to listen, your presentational skills are all elements in providing the right advice and service. But this is a people business and, ultimately, it is the people who matter and the people who make the difference.

“Mansbridge Balment were established in 1971 by Harry Mansbridge. I joined the firm in 2006 and have worked, and continue to work, alongside some wonderful characters and people.

“The firm has an enviable reputation throughout the area and across the offices. I am extremely proud of the team we have built up and the great jobs they do across the sales and lettings business.

“We are hugely involved in our communities and this includes support for sport and education across the region. Whether it be the primary school duck race or the local half marathon, we will always look to help whenever we possibly can. If you are part of the community then you have to mean it, you have to genuinely care about the people and place – without it we have nothing.

“No estate agency business in this area has done more to help the community than Mansbridge Balment.”

Not all estate agents are the same.