My Property Box moves into sales with two 2021 acquisitions

Residential sales joined the My Property Box line-up in April 2021, nine years after the Darlington-headquartered firm opened as a lettings and property management specialist. Buying two local competitors made it possible.

Bishop Auckland estate agency Lifestyle Property was the first of the pair. Its sales, lettings and property management work passed across, and founder Ashley Fenwick came too, taking a leading role in building the new sales arm. Fenwick had started Lifestyle Property in 2010, arriving with more than 25 years of property sales experience behind her, gained at Halifax and Ann Cordey Estate Agents. The plan after handover was for the Newgate Street office to close.

The second business was South Shields firm Westoe Lettings, whose purchase gave the group a firmer footing on Tyneside and Wearside.

Regional confidence sat behind the timing. Ben Quaintrell, who founded the business and runs it as managing director, pointed to a run of good news for the area: "Huge opportunities lie ahead for the North East following recent government confirmation that Treasury North is moving to Darlington, Teesside has been granted freeport status, together with several exciting developments in the green energy sector."

The jobs those projects create would feed straight through into housing demand, he argued: "Many hundreds of jobs are being created and that will not only stimulate the local economy but trigger a huge demand for quality homes, both to own and rent."

On why the group chose that moment to add sales, Quaintrell said: "The acquisition of Lifestyle Property, together with Ashley's invaluable industry expertise and knowledge, means it is the perfect moment to move into property sales." Standards, he stressed, would not shift: "We provide landlords and tenants with an exceptional level of service and that ethos will continue in our approach to property sales."

For Fenwick, the deal came at a natural point. She said: "It was the right time for me to sell the business, having run things single-handedly for the past 12 months." She also saw a bigger change underway: "I also believe there is a growing trend towards a more digitally focused and tech-savvy approach, such as that provided by My Property Box, which is likely to reduce the need for a presence on the high street."

Carrying a business single-handed is hard going. Owners in that position are welcome to get in touch for an unhurried, confidential chat.