Launching its sponsorship with Kingston Nub News, regional editor Emily Dalton spoke to Saxon Kings on what makes their estate agency unique.

Saxon Kings is an independent estate agent in central Kingston. Established in 2006, owner Sarah Hope took over the company in 2012. 

Only 13% of female estate agents own their business in the UK, according to data from 2021. Owner of Saxon Kings Sarah Hope said she is "fiercely proud" of being in that small percentage. 

What started out as a Saturday job when Sarah left Uni, quickly became her dream role as she moved to full-time, got head-hunted and then wanted to run her own agency. 

"I think it is such a privilege to be allowed in someone's home," Sarah said. "For most people that's their biggest asset they have, and you're letting us come in and have a look around and try and work our socks off to get you the best possible price whether that's for selling or renting." 

Previously on Park Road, for the last 14 months the little office has found a new home on Kings Road as they wanted to be "more in the community". A much more residential area, Sarah and Nicola explain they enjoy seeing the dog walkers and families on the school run as they go past. 

What makes Saxon Kings different? "It would be easier for me to grab a megaphone and shout 'We literally go above and beyond!'," Sarah says, cupping her hands around her mouth. 

New home. (Photo: Saxon Kings)

Buying a house or moving into a new flat can be an exciting time for new families or young people getting their foot on the property ladder; but it can also be a difficult period if a loved one has just passed and the property need valuing, or if a couple have split up and need to sell the family home. Saxon Kings is there though it all. 

"I have been known to sit on the floor and help people box up their family possessions," Sarah says. "Or if I need to sit on the sofa in the middle [between a couple], I can do that too. 

"It really matters to me that we try to make it as stress-free as possible." 

Dealing with both sales, lettings and property management, Saxon Kings takes a wholistic view in helping their clients. "We just try to be more caring than: we put a property on the internet, you've come along and done a viewing, thank you, goodbye," Sarah says. 

Both Sarah and Nicola shared anecdotes of people they had helped sell a deceased relative's home, buy their own, and then advise if/how their children can get on the property ladder. 

"It is a good asset that customers know we're not just in it for the transactional sale," Sarah says. "Which is maybe why they keep coming back."  

One customer had bought a property with another estate agent, then walked back in and said to the company: here's the keys can you find us tenants and manage it for us. Nicola said they have also been asked to look around properties for clients and give opinion if it is a good purchase. 

Renting or letting flats. (Photo: Saxon Kings)

"We tailor our services to meet individuals and suit peoples' need," Nicola said. 

Some of their landlord clients live overseas and opt for a hands-off approach. Saxon Kings let them know when any issues have been resolved. Other landlords like to know everything that is going on with their property, so the team endeavour to keep them updated with all the details.  

Sarah says around 98% of their trade comes via word of mouth, allowing them to be a flexible service in reaching out to properties elsewhere.  

Based primarily in Kingston, the estate agent is flexible where it deals with its properties: from central London's Elephant and Castle and Haringate, to Portsmouth and Canterbury.  

Again, not merely a transactional service, Saxon Kings is only a WhatsApp away from being on hand. Sarah said she loved how "no two days are alike", and sometimes that involves answering messages on a Sunday morning to sort out the heating, helping fix a key snapped in a lock, or liaising with building management if there's a leak from another property. 

Houses in Kingston. (Photo: Saxon Kings)

It is the little things that count, like helping international students in their first time in the UK trying to find somewhere to live, or even where to buy a duvet. 

Both Sarah and Nicola eyes light up when they are talking about properties; they bounce off each other and increasingly get excited when they remember clients (which they endearingly refer to by the house or street name) they have helped. 

Nicola said: "There's nothing better than going on a house visit and somebody loves what they're seeing and you can see that they love it" 

"It's super exciting as well because it's someone's first home we have the opportunity to be there," Sarah added. 

Nub News is proud to announce that Saxon Kings s is the latest sponsor of our news service.

Saxon Kings' support will help us deliver the high-quality journalism that Kingston deserves - no clickbait or intrusive ads, just the latest updates on what's happening in our town.

It is thanks to the generosity of organisations like Saxon Kings that we can continue our mission to revive local news, both in Kingston and across the UK.