LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
Estate agent Emma Roberts places her sales and lettings experts at the heart of the Penwortham and Lostock Hall communities they serve, writes Stephanie Sparrow. Photography: SusieQPhotography.co.uk
Emma Roberts is determined that her company will stand out from the crowd – for all the right reasons. As managing director of sales, lettings and mortgage advice experts Roberts & Co, she has pioneered a sit-up-and-take-notice blue and orange corporate identity and intriguing cut-out property boards. However, what really makes her company distinctive is its expert local knowledge and support for its community, which adds substance to this inimitable style.
From explaining crucial school catchment areas, to sourcing mortgage advice, Emma encourages her team to be well-informed, approachable guides to finding family homes or rental investment.
“As a high street agent whose employees live in the area we have that local knowledge,” says Emma. “We can talk confidently about schools, roads, access, and commuting times.”
Local does not mean narrow-minded she says. Roberts & Co advertises across all media, including national portals, and is trialling video technology to showcase properties on national sites, the company website and social media.
Preston-born Emma, together with her husband, financial adviser William Roberts, have grown the brand over the past 10 years. Origins in mortgage and financial advice led to property management in 2012 and property sales in 2014. From its branch in Penwortham (and now Lostock Hall) it offers a transparent approach to pricing, and no upfront fees.
Penwortham’s highly regarded primary and high schools, popular with families, and the buzz of its commercial resurgence make for a buoyant housing market. “It’s being called the new Lytham,” Emma says, pointing to the recent openings such as Lime Bar, and Tap and Vine, and also the mooted pedestrianisation project. “It all adds to the culture of shopping and dining and using the local businesses more,” she says.
The buzz gets louder on 18th-19th May when Roberts & Co opens its doors to the Penwortham Live festival.
Entrance is via wristbands which Emma is using to raise funds for the National Deaf Children’s Society in support of a local child.
This spring Roberts & Co opened its second branch in Lostock Hall. Based on Watkin Lane, the new property showroom includes a private office for mortgage and finance appointments.
Emma says its three-strong team will advise homebuyers, tenants, and landlords.
“The new IKEA at South Rings, road widening and a dual carriageway, will take Lostock Hall through a period of change,” she says. Meanwhile, new housing stock is enhancing its potential as a family location, and commuter base for Manchester and Liverpool.
“It offers easy access to the motorway,” she says, adding that the first frontage people notice as they approach Lostock Hall is the distinctive blue and orange of Roberts & Co. It will be even more eye-catching this summer when she installs floral displays in support of Farrington and Lostock Hall in Bloom and commitment to the local community.
Roberts & Co
36E Liverpool Road
Penwortham
Preston PR1 0DQ
01772 746100
50 Watkin Lane
Lostock Hall PR5 5RD
01772 977100
