Toby and Tom set up The Search Partnership in January 2015.  Two years ago, the business was rebranded The Property Partnership Group incorporating commercial and land management service lines.  They have acquired some of the region’s most sought-after properties for their exclusive list of private clients.  Their Marketing Director, Kathryn Wallace, gives an insight into their working lives with a series of questions and answers. 

Tom Robinson

Has anything in particular surprised you about acting for buyers over the last 10 years?

Yes.  Clients often surprise us!  Our buyers often start looking for a particular style of house in a favourite village and end up buying an entirely different style of house in a completely different area.  I enjoy introducing our buyers to different areas that they were perhaps not familiar with at the outset of their search.

What is the best and worst part of your job?

Best - When I take a client to their dream home.  They walk round visibly trying to conceal their excitement when they’ve mentally already moved in – that is just fantastic. 

Worst – When, after months of searching, I find the perfect house for a client, agree terms and then the seller decides not to sell.  Toby will tell you that the disappointment takes me weeks to get over.

Can you tell us about one deal you will never forget?

We avoid broadcasting details of houses we buy for clients to maintain their privacy, but I did keep in close contact with the owners of one house for 13 years before they decided to sell.  We eventually acquired the house for clients off market.  In my opinion it is the most impressive and prestigious house between Harrogate and Ripon.

What is your favourite village in Yorkshire?

There are many to choose from but if I must decide, it would be Fearby.   Every house in the village is attractive, there are no 70’s developments that have impacted on the vernacular.  Most of the houses have distant views over the Swinton Estate, there is a pub, the village green is charming, Masham is on the doorstep and the walks from the village are some of the prettiest in the county.

You must know Yorkshire and surrounding areas better than most.  Do you still need to use your Sat Nav?

Within 25 miles of our office in Boroughbridge I don’t generally need to turn it on.   When I am driving in the depths of the North York Moors, or up in the Dales, I occasionally do use it to guide me to a house I have never visited before, but there is no substitute for the trusty old road map for fully understanding the setting and location of the property before arriving.  We carry out higher budget searches throughout the North of England and I can’t pretend I don’t get lost occasionally!

What is the best way of getting a new client, who you have never met before, to trust you?

Interesting question.  There are too many people in estate agency who are not trusted, and it is an area the whole industry needs to improve upon.   As buying agents, we are only paid when a client exchanges contracts to buy a house so clients can be wary that we will encourage them to buy a house that is not perfect.  However, in my experience, there is no better way of gaining trust by advising them NOT to buy a house that they are interested in.   Our clients should buy the right house, for the right reasons at the right price.  Trust and professionalism are key to the longevity of the business. 

Toby Milbank

Do you just buy houses for clients, or do you search for any other assets?

Although the house searches form the backbone of our business, we also carry out searches for farms, sporting estates, grouse moors, forestry investments and the occasional rental property.  The Property Partnership’s commercial department handles all the commercial and investment searches.

What is the most satisfactory part of your job?

Guiding a client through the entire search and acquisition process is something I enjoy hugely, but perhaps the most satisfying part is when a client finds a house and they then ask for help with another acquisition; normally a different asset such as a farm or forestry investment.  When a client puts their faith in your skill set repeatedly, it really does mean a great deal.

Where is your favourite place to stop for lunch when travelling around the north?

There are too many good pubs to choose from so I can’t narrow this down to only one.  We do take our office lunches seriously and we are fortunate to have some excellent shops in Boroughbridge.  It is hard to beat a freshly baked pie from Appletons, the excellent sourdough from Yolk or a locally grown delicacy from Fink.

Would you prefer to live in the North York Moors, or in the Yorkshire Dales?

A difficult question.  I was brought up on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park and it does have a place in my heart.  The rugged moorland landscape is inescapably beautiful.  However, I am ashamed to admit that there are some parts of the North York Moors that are softer and more attractive – more likely to end up on a postcard.   I can’t answer this question, which is probably why I ended up living near Bedale, exactly halfway between them both!

Do clients you act for regularly become friends as time goes by?

I think it is important that relationships with our clients need to remain entirely professional.  However, we are responsible for what is probably the most significant investment that a client will ever make, and we do get to know them and their families very well.  You may be surprised to know that if a very close friend of mine instructs us to act for them in their search, I normally prefer Tom to take the lead.

Have you been given any memorable advice from a boss or coach in the past that you still rely upon today.

Yes, my first estate agency job after university was with Strutt & Parker in Newbury.  My boss at that time was an excellent broker and he always told us that “human beings have two ears and one mouth for a reason”.   I find this mantra useful for life in general and it can be interpreted in many ways but in the workplace, he mainly meant that you need to listen twice as much as you should speak.   Listening to a client’s needs, wishes, preferences and desires carefully before advising and guiding them, significantly reduces the likelihood of you saying something that you might later regret.