Business Hour
Property expert Jason Preston, Head of Sales at Fine & Country meets with Sarah Varley to find out more about him and his fascination with the property market in the much sought-after Ribble Valley
Originally from Ilkley in West Yorkshire, Jason Preston has lived in the Ribble Valley since he married 18 years ago. He inherited his passion for property from his parents: “Mum and dad were huge house renovators and my wife and I have renovated several properties both here and abroad so it’s fair to say that even in my spare time, I’m a property fanatic!”
Catching the property bug early on, Jason got his first taste of working in the industry when he embarked on work experience to Dacre, Son & Hartley. He continued his studies and went on to university, but after graduating he returned to Dacre’s in the Ilkley branch, where he worked in the commercial sector for the eight years. He moved on to work in fund management in Leeds and then on to Knight Frank selling hotels across the north of England, including the Lake District and Lancashire.
“I really have done a bit of everything to do with property, from residential and commercial to property management,” he explains.
Jason then returned to Dacre’s, where for the following six years he was Senior Associate and Branch Manager of their Settle and then Skipton offices, where he specialised in selling high-end properties across a wide area that borders the Ribble Valley.
“The two areas have a lot of similarities and are quite similar in pricing for the premium houses. I was living in the Ribble Valley and working in Yorkshire, covering a huge area from Wharfedale to Crosshills, right over to Colne and Gisburn and everywhere in between, so I was doing a lot of commuting.”
“When Edward Snowden approached me to see if I would be interested in heading up Fine & Country following Ian Lloyd’s retirement, it was quite an exciting proposition for me. I know the Ribble Valley very well having lived here for almost 20 years and had been working in such a similar property market so the move made a lot of sense.”
“I am a perfectionist when it comes to presentation of properties and service, so Fine & Country is a great fit for me,” Jason says. “There is a slight misconception in what we deal with at Fine & Country. It is the upper end of the property market, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be wholly reliant on value. If a home is beautifully presented and would fit within our brand pillars then we can certainly help, and presenting your property professionally to the widest possible audience with us, enhances your chances of achieving the best price in the shortest time.”
Fine & Country have a staggering 225 offices in the UK alone and cover 15 countries. With their head office on Park Lane, London, they offer local, national and international coverage and have honed a tailored and high-profile marketing strategy for selling properties. As Jason explains: “We have our premium Refined magazine showcasing some of our properties, which you can pick up from our offices and is also distributed to local establishments such as hotels and dentists, and our dedicated Media Centre at Park Lane ensures that we appear in as many national and international publications as possible, including the broadsheets.”
Looking at the current property climate, Jason is very positive: “There is a good amount of demand for properties within the Ribble Valley, as demonstrated by all the new builds in the area. The entire Ribble Valley is a desirable and aspirational place to live, popular for its location, being well placed for commuters to Manchester and Yorkshire and of course it is a beautiful place to come home to, with its amazing views, superb walks and award-winning gastro-pubs!”
Jason is also enthusiastic about the amenities we enjoy here, stating: “The infrastructure of the Ribble Valley sets it apart – our schools are particularly good.”
He does have one note of caution, however: “The new builds have put pressure on local properties in terms of pricing. It is more important than ever to price properties correctly to sell.”
In terms of property trends, Jason believes we are seeing a trend to ‘dress to impress’ when selling a property, and this is where Fine & Country excels: “The way we present houses is slightly different in terms of photography and our sales process uses a national network and high profile, first-class advertising. We provide a premium service and are very proactive, targeting our marketing to the appropriate demographic.”
Jason is based at Fine & Country’s beautiful Whalley Marketing Suite on King Street where they have been for the past 12 years. Jason enthuses: “We offer sensible, straight-forward advice in a very down-to-earth way, backed up by the powerful resources we have at our disposal.”
