Overseas property firm targets independent agents and consortia

An overseas property firm has set up dedicated a programme to sell through travel agents.

Sun Kissed Homes wants to work with independent agents and consortia through its tailor made ‘SWIFT’ programme which offers a package of sales, finance and marketing support.

The company offers properties in Spain, South Africa, Bulgaria, South and North Cyprus with Turkey, Portugal and Morocco being added in the first quarter of 2006.

Agents receive typical levels of commission of £700 on every home sold, rising to more than £5,000, depending on the value of the properties. These range in price from £100,000 to over a million pounds.

The company believes independent agents are ideally placed to hold evening events introducing their client-base to property buying options overseas, which would be supported by a local Sun Kissed marketing team.

SWIFT-appointed agents will also have preferred supplier status in a villa rental programme that has a proposed launched next year.

Head of marketing Ian Hunter said: “Agents are well aware of the opportunities for increased income that selling homes abroad, sales can bring and of the moves by Thomson and Worldchoice into the market in recent months.

“Our SWIFT programme gives agents the right comprehensive product to enable them to take advantage of their professional staff and agency location to bring in new revenue streams” with services that include funding and legal support.” 

The SWIFT marketing package includes:

• Membership package with all product information.
• Access to trade only web site: www.skhprofessional.com.
• Promotional material and SKH personnel to help with sales evenings.
• Local PR pack including template media material.
• Point of Sales materials
• The opportunity to join fact finding trips.
• Top agent reward schemes.
• Support for marketing activities, eg local shows.
• Staff training.
• Helpline, especially useful for legal queries.

Hunter said: “Given the moves by two of the largest players in the high street at the end of 2005 it is clear that sales of homes abroad are poised to become a major earner for agents in the future, and will replace the income they are currently loosing to direct bookings over the web.

“We are looking to work with one or more of the consortia whose members fit the quality profile we require, and many of whose existing customers are likely to want to know more about buying a second home or retirement property in the sun”.

Meanwhile, 42 Co-op United Co-op Travel branches have started offering information about Taylor Woodrow de Espana homes in Costa Blanca, Mallorca and Costa del Sol on an exclusive basis within the high street travel industry.

Commercial development manager Ruth Evans said the arrangement is significantly different to other property schemes offered by agency chains.

She said: “By linking directly with one of the UK’s leading house builders, we can market properties to customers in full confidence of the quality of the build and the customer service they will receive before, during and after the sale.

“This is important to us in order to maintain the bond of trust we have with our customers and to ensure that this is a quality addition to our range of services.

“We didn’t want to create an arrangement where we would be acting as an estate agent for a variety of properties of mixed quality. Given the negative publicity that some Spanish property developers have received recently, we felt that gaining consumer confidence was crucial.”

Report by Phil Davies