It hardly seems possible that a year has passed since Brand Vaughan opened their doors in Kemp Town. Back then they were a team of three, but in less than twelve months that has expanded to a team of eight plus two staff who deal exclusively with lettings.                                                              

The evidence of their growth is out on the streets too. The distinctive Brand Vaughan ‘for sale’ boards are everywhere to be seen these days, not only in Kemp Town, but all across the city.

I met up with the directors Jason and David to find out why they think that their first year has been such a resounding success.

"Well we are absolutely confident that much of our success is down to the way that we deal with our clients. We believe in doing the right things and doing them consistently. By being consistent we feel that we have very rapidly become the agent of choice in this area and that the word is spreading across the city." says David. "We have a policy of holding our client's hand through the entire process and of always being available to talk to them when they need to talk to us". In fact, their business cards even have their mobile numbers on for ease of contact. “It can mean long hours for the team but that is what makes our service that bit more special,” David continues.

“Yes, and it is also important to say that we like to treat our staff in the same way. The attitude at Brand Vaughan is family rather than corporate. Every month we have a team meeting at which we discuss the future rather than raking over the past, it builds morale and helps the team invest in our future success.”

The Brand Vaughan brand is particularly stylish and really stands out and I am particularly impressed with the quality of the details that they send out to buyers. “We have invested in the way we send out details. The majority of our properties are top quality and we wanted our details to match that in quality, hence the high standards, quality photography and high production values. We genuinely believe in consistent marketing of the company and we similarly invest in the way that we promote ourselves. We really enjoy working on our marketing campaigns and we are confident that they have had a great effect in bringing our business to the public’s attention,” says Jason.

“Yes, that and word of mouth.” adds David. “We are so conscious of the power of personal recommendation that we now reward clients with a £200 cheque for any introductions that lead to us being instructed in a sale. We have extended that scheme to include donations to local schools too, when we receive recommendations through that network. It is nice to be able to put something back and schools are an excellent way for us to do that.”

“We have also made a financial commitment to make charitable donations to the local health care trust, which will be used locally. This year it will be a sum of £1,000,” says Jason.

With all of this success, I have to enquire about expansion. The original office is now full to bursting, so do they have plans for new premises? “Well we are certainly expanding and clearly we cannot all fit in our Kemp Town base if we continue to grow at this rate. We have got our eyes on another office. It’s not something that we will rush into but we have got a second office planned for launch in 2009. What is really nice for us as a new company is that not only are we always looking at new members for the team but that we have a lot of people who approach us looking for a job. It’s nice to think that in only one year we have become a company that people would like to join.”

The core business in Kemp Town and the number of prestige homes on their books must inevitably mean that they deal with a great many celebrities names on the pages of the magazine always look great. But I fail, they will simply will not reveal the names of the list of ‘A’ listers that I know for fact have passed through their doors. And all credit to them for their discretion. Were I in such a position I would be glad to know that my private life was not being brandished as some property trophy.

Back at my desk I take a look at the Brand Vaughan website and note that they have properties for £14,000 to £2,450,000, it’s an impressive range. The site works well, they have invested a lot of thought and time as well as money into making it smart and efficient. But what impresses me most is the team’s dedication to a level of personal service and accessibility. At the end of the day that is what most buyers and vendors want – transparency in their dealings and answers when they need them.