Estate Agent Franchise UK House Hut - Business Opportunities UK | Find your UK business opportunity today

About Us

House-Hut is an award winning Estate Agency founded in 2005.   We have won awards for our services for the past 4 years at the prestigious Estate Agent of the Year Awards.  These are the largest awards in the industry, presented by Phil Spencer of Channel 4’s Location, Location, Location.  We have revolutionized the working practices used by traditional agents. By using the latest technology combined with highly trained staff, we are able to deliver a high quality service at a very competitive price, which cannot be matched by other agents and which underlies our success. There is a revolution taking place in the estate agency industry and House-Hut is at the forefront of these changes and is leading the way. Our financial structures and large territories deliver a high level of profitability leading to a rewarding business proposition to our business opportunities owners. A report by the ombudsman for estate agents found 100% of respondents said they would recommend us. The awards (which are decided by customer questionnaires) have allowed us to develop a trusted and highly respected brand which is of great value to our business opportunities owners when setting up new territories and has been a major force behind the success of our Bristol Franchise which opened last year.   As an organisation we are constantly looking for new ways to improve and develop our services to keep ahead of the competition. We have strong environmental ethics and have a policy to minimise our carbon emissions making us one of the most environmentally friendly estate agents around.

Who we are looking for

No experience in estate agency is necessary to become a business opportunities owner although an interest in property is desirable. We offer a full and comprehensive training program in all aspects of the business including property appraisals, negotiating, sales progression, legislation, advertising, finances and accounting to name but a few areas. Applicants need to have a good command of English and math and need to be computer literate.

House-Hut Franchises - be part of an award winning business

The face of estate agency is changing and this change has been accelerating since the crash in the housing market in 2007. Many estate agents have disappeared and we believe there is no better time to enter the market place - with less competition there are more opportunities for those who are left! We have noticed a real turn around in the housing market over the past 18 months with increasing sales volumes and we are experiencing year on year increase in profits. Following the success of our new Bristol business opportunities and our success at the Estate Agent of the Year Awards, the time is now perfect to open more branches of House-Hut and we are now looking to expand our operations by offering a number of new business opportunities territories. We are looking for people who are well motivated are interested in property and who wish to enjoy the independence of running their own successful business. Our philosophy is that our franchisees are part of our family and as everyone knows families are there to support each other and work to their mutual benefit so we are there every step along the way to help our business opportunities owners develop their business. Franchising is about being in business for yourself, not by yourself.

Franchises

House-Hut was founded with the express intention of developing a successful and profitable business opportunities network and all our developments have evolved around this. We believe the success of the business as a whole is dependant on the success of our business opportunities owners so we have developed a three point plan to deliver this. Firstly our selection process is vigorous and whilst we are keen not to turn away applicants we need to make sure this is the right business for you. We have a limited number of franchises available during this phase of our expansion. By selecting applicants who we believe have the aptitude and ability to perform well we increase the success of the organisation as a whole as well the success of the business opportunities owners business. Secondly our business opportunities owner packages offer detailed one to one training and support in the initial phase of starting up your business. This training is sufficiently detailed that no prior experience in estate agency is required - we will teach you all you need to know. All you need is the right aptitude and the ability to learn. Thirdly we have the model, operations and systems in place which have a proven track record and which we know from experience work. As evidence of our commitment to our business opportunities owners and our confidence in House-Hut we do not ask for large upfront business opportunities fees. Our initial fees are simply to cover the costs of setting up the legal agreements, branch software systems and our recruitment advertising costs. We rely on our business opportunities owners being successful and we do not charge fixed management service fees to our business opportunities owners each month.   The return we subsequently get comes from our ongoing management service fees which is based on a small proportion of the generated business opportunities income.  

Territories

We offer large business opportunities areas (six to 10 times the typical estate agent patch), which helps produce rapid growth, protects against market fluctuations and offers huge growth potential to our business opportunities owners. This offers you the chance to develop a substantial business with a commensurate income to match.   We have a number of areas available which we are keen to develop throughout the UK; each area has been carefully worked out both in terms of its size and also its boundaries to maximise the potential for the business opportunities owner and ensure the highest possible level of efficiency. We would discuss your area with you in some detail before finalising the agreement.

What Are the Benefits of a House-Hut Franchise?

Joining House-Hut as a business opportunities owner has numerous benefits: Our unique model allows you to start up with minimal staff requirements and premises will not be required and you can run the business from your home - thus minimising costs in those early years.

Buying into an award winning brand and market leader

As Phil Spencer from Channel 4's Location, Location, Location said at this year’s Estate Agent of the Year Awards (ESTA'S), "Winning an ESTA is a huge achievement. There is no better recognition of the quality and success of your service than that of your customers who vote for you to win the awards." Winning the Silver Award for the Whole of the UK and the Gold for the South West in 2010 was a major factor in the success and rapid growth we have seen in the Bristol franchise.  This year we again won a Silver award and were ranked 7th in the whole UK.

Buying into a tried and tested business model, which is proven to work

You may be tempted to think it is easy to set up and emulate what others have done - but there is so much more to growing a successful business than just copying ideas from others - if you don't get the whole package right then it won't work and your efforts will end in failure. The NatWest/bfa Survey of Franchising for 2007 research concluded that 93% of all franchises were profitable after two years compared to the extraordinary fact that four in five non-business opportunities businesses fail within two years. The very essence of a business opportunities of course is that you can access knowledge, key areas of best practice, business tools and training.

No upfront development costs

Starting out on your own these costs can be considerable and mistakes expensive - just building a successful website can cost £1,000s. With House-Hut all this has been done for you - including development and design costs, templates, brochures, advertising materials and a proven presentation format. By joining House-Hut you will benefit from the last six years of development, research and testing - including the very severe test of surviving a housing recession.

Full training is provided

There is an initial intensive training period lasting one month during which you will be taught all aspects of running an estate agency franchise. The training is on a one to one basis and will be tailored to take into account any previous experience. All aspects of the business is covered from property appraisals, taking instructions, software systems, marketing, negotiating, estate agency law, finance and accounts to staffing and client management. You will also attend a workshop course on using our software systems. During this period we help you set up your systems, legislative requirements and marketing programs so that once your training is completed you will be ready to go.  We have invested heavily in our training programs to ensure from day one you get off to a flying start. You will then be ready to start out on your own but will benefit from close continuing support and mentoring, especially in the first three months with help available at the end of the phone Monday - Friday from the same dedicated staff who did your initial training. There is also a comprehensive and detailed operating manual covering all aspects of the business which you will be able to refer to at any time.

On going support and development

With a House-Hut business opportunities you are not on your own - there is support available whenever you need it and you will benefit from our ongoing development programs. We realise that in the early days you will require more intensive support and training, but as your experience grows this will reduce. We have a strong commitment to provide on going and continuous support - the world does not stand still and neither do we. We are constantly updating and refining our systems to ensure you stay ahead of the competition. We hold regular meetings with our business opportunities owners to update you on these developments.

Benefits from reduced costs on supplies and equipment

The joint purchasing power of our operation together with shared resources and centrally negotiated contracts will ensure reduced operating costs.

Use of an established and trusted brand

Your customers properties are their most valuable asset and when it comes to selling they will turn to someone they can trust – yet estate agents as a group are not trusted by the public!   From day one you will be perceived by your customers as being part of an award winning tried and tested brand - this will ensure more rapid growth and development of your business. Trust is a vital and priceless asset to a business. By joining House-Hut you will be part of a rare breed - an estate agent you can trust.

Detailed operations manual to guide you through every single procedure

This detailed manual is constantly under development and revision and provides an invaluable reference tool for when you get stuck!   The regulations governing estate agency is constantly changing - with the estate agents act, home information packs, trade descriptions acts to name just a few - and so our online manual is also constantly changing so you stay ahead of the field.

Large territories

Short term, this increases your rate of growth, increases the ratio of profits to operating costs and long term offers the opportunity to build a substantial business with the financial rewards this will bring. Our family philosophy means we treat our business opportunities owners as we would like to be treated and our generous territories are calculated to provide a viable and profitable business to our business opportunities owners.

Run your own business and be your own boss

A business model which offers the opportunity to develop and run your own successful estate agency with the ability to create a capital asset of considerable value over time but without the considerable risks, research and development costs of starting out on your own. Developing brand awareness and trust can take years - with House-Hut you open the door and walk in.

Multiple income streams

We provide exciting and lucrative opportunities to maximise your profitability with preferential rates negotiated with our trading partners which generate additional revenue.

Low start up costs

The cost of starting a traditional estate agency is large and in many cases will burden the owner with considerable debt. Our model utilises technology to keep start up costs to a minimum. No expensive premises, leases or shops are required and staffing requirements are also very low. Our operating systems and know how minimise the time required until your business goes into profit which significantly reduces these upfront costs.

Be part of a vibrant and progressive team

We believe this is the future of estate agency and with continued development we aim to stay ahead of the pack and we invite you to become part of a small elite group.

Testimonial

"Many thanks for all your help setting up our House-Hut franchise, we could never have done it without you. Having been trading now for six months the business has far exceeded all our expectations, especially in this tough period for estate agents. We are already referred to locally as 'the company that wins all the awards'. Having looked at a number of estate agent franchises, House-Hut stood out from the others and we definitely made the right decision in choosing you. The awards have been so much help to the business and the commission structures, especially the £700 upfront fee, has been invaluable to us and our customers. We are all looking forward to the next year as the business continues to improve month by month."
Paul & Linda Bristol

Costs

Initial investment £17,950 + VAT
This provides a comprehensive package including full training with accommodation provided, initial marketing materials and pays for an initial marketing campaign to get you off to a flying start
MSF payable: 10.5% PCM of business opportunities owner income.

Territories Available

Currently we have a number of selected areas available across the UK please contact us for further information.