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Estate agency has been part of Andrew Robinson’s life since childhood. After more than a decade working in the industry, he’s now launching Robinson Residential with his wife Natalie. Together, they want to offer homeowners across Barnsley a more personal way to move home.
Andrew’s introduction to estate agency came long before he ever imagined making a career out of it. As a child, Saturday mornings meant helping his dad prepare for property valuations. He’d cut out house sale adverts from the Barnsley Chronicle and organise them into files by area.
It was a world away from today’s online property searches, but those early mornings gave Andrew his first connection to an industry he would eventually make his own.
“That’s how valuations happened back then,” Andrew smiles. “Dad would take those sheets with him and show people what else had recently come onto the market in that village.”
But while estate agency was part of family life, it wasn’t a career Andrew planned to follow. In fact, he admits he thought it was “seriously uncool” simply because it was the family trade. Instead, he worked in retail after leaving school. It was only when his dad persuaded him to give estate agency a try for six months that everything changed.
“I went in and thought, wow, this is brilliant,” he says. “It was great fun and it just stuck.”
Andrew went on to build his career across Yorkshire, including 10 years with Manning Stainton, where he progressed to managing one of the company’s biggest branches. Although he enjoyed his time there, he eventually reached a point where he wanted something different.
“I’d got as far as I could in that business,” Andrew explains. “I enjoyed it, but had to think, do I want to stay in that world, or do I want to make a change?”
That decision led to Robinson Residential, the business Andrew is launching with his wife, Natalie. With years of estate agency experience in Barnsley, she brings local knowledge to the business alongside professional photography and videography skills.
Starting Robinson Residential has also been a proud moment for Andrew’s dad, whose own career in estate agency first introduced him to the profession all those years ago.
“Dad’s been encouraging me to do this for years,” Andrew says. “He knew how much I enjoyed estate agency is really proud that I’m running my own business now.”
After so many years working in some of Yorkshire’s busiest branches, Andrew has seen what makes estate agents successful. He’s also seen how easy it is for the customer experience to change as businesses grow. More properties can mean more valuations and more appointments, but often less time for each homeowner.
“Most estate agents become successful and then end up doing everything at speed,” Andrew says. “They’re valuing houses, taking photographs, and rushing to the next appointment because they don’t have enough time.”
It’s one of the reasons Andrew and Natalie wanted to build Robinson Residential differently. Andrew focuses on valuations and guiding clients through their move, while Natalie focuses on creating the marketing that helps each property stand out. Together, they bring a more personal approach to every home they work with.
“We’ve already got the expertise in-house,” Andrew explains. “Customers don’t have to pay extra to get the best marketing because it’s part of what we do.”
But for Andrew, good marketing is just the start. He wants clients to feel they have someone they can turn to throughout their move. That might mean discussing different locations, talking through potential purchases, or simply offering an honest opinion when they need it.
“We want people to use us as a source of advice,” he says. “I recently spoke to a client who wants a bungalow and they have four or five streets they like. So, we said, tell us your criteria and we’ll leaflet drop those streets to say we’re working with someone looking to buy. If somebody’s thinking about moving, they can get in touch.”
It’s this personal connection that Andrew believes can be lost as agencies become larger. He recently spent more than two hours with a homeowner discussing their plans and talking through the options available.
“That’s not something you usually get time to do in estate agency,” he explains. “Most of the focus is on getting the sale, rather than helping people through their move.”
Andrew believes the same level of care should apply whatever type of property someone is selling. Every client deserves the opportunity to present their home at its best and feel supported throughout the process.
It’s the kind of estate agency Andrew and Natalie want to build for homeowners across Barnsley and the surrounding area – the community they know best. While they’re happy to help clients further afield where it makes sense, their ambition isn’t to build a huge regional chain. They simply want to do a really good job for local people.
When Andrew and Natalie began looking for a base for Robinson Residential, they wanted somewhere that could support them as they got started and grow with the business. The Business Village quickly stood out.
Andrew already knew the site through Natalie’s work and had seen the environment first-hand. What really impressed him though was how straightforward everything was from the start.
“It was a bit of a no-brainer,” he says. “They’re clear about what they offer and how everything works. Some commercial property can be quite difficult to navigate, but The Business Village made it simple.”
The location was another important factor. From an estate agent’s point of view, Andrew sees the S75 postcode as a good place to be based. And, with easy access to the M1 and free parking, it works well for a business that spends much of its time visiting properties and meeting clients.
As a startup, the ability to grow at their own pace was another reason The Business Village appealed. Robinson Residential will begin in one of the smaller office suites, but has the option to move into a larger space as the business grows.
“It’s nice to know that if we grow, we can grow within The Business Village,” Andrew says. “But equally, if we’re happy where we are, that’s fine too. It’s on our terms.”
Starting Robinson Residential means Andrew is now seeing estate agency from a new perspective. He knows the industry inside out, but building a business from scratch brings a whole new set of challenges.
One of the things that stood out about The Business Village was the support available alongside the office space. Andrew was particularly impressed by the focus on helping businesses develop, not simply providing space to work. Business Development Manager Kevin Steel has already become someone Andrew can turn to as he works through ideas and plans.
“You’re experienced in your own industry, but running your own business is different,” Andrew says. “It’s helpful having somebody you can bounce ideas off who understands what you’re trying to achieve.”
For now, Andrew’s focus isn’t on becoming the biggest estate agent in Barnsley. It’s much simpler: building trust and proving Robinson Residential can deliver the service it promises.
“The biggest thing for us is proving that people trust us,” he says. “I know we can do a good job, but the people of Barnsley have no reason to think that yet.”
That philosophy sits at the heart of the business Andrew wants to build. One based on good advice, personal service, and recommendations from happy clients.
“If we build a business that people recommend because we’ve looked after them properly, everything else will follow.”
