Jon Sheppard

When Sheppards Estate Agents took home the ‘Property agent of the year’ award at the recent Guernsey Property and Construction Awards, the accolade was an unexpected, but very welcome, surprise to its founder, Jon Sheppard. A relative newcomer on the property scene, the agency was only launched a couple of years ago. Since then, Jon has overseen the expansion of his team and a move to a new St Martin’s office.

With a background of many years working in conveyancing, Jon Sheppard is better placed than most to understand all the issues that can be encountered when buying or selling a house. For him, that experience can make all the difference when it comes to helping his clients successfully navigate the housing market.

“When I started working in estate agencies, there was an element of frustration for me. Having spent so long on the other side of the process, I could see what could be done more effectively. I also genuinely believed that I could offer a better service to people based on my core morals and beliefs in the way the process should work. It is really important to me that I always do the right thing, so it helps that I’m a straight talker who is prepared to tell people when they are being greedy or not acting in the way they should. I’m certainly not a stereotypical estate agent – it’s not always about the money for me, it’s about my reputation and making sure I do the right thing for everybody.”

When Jon stopped working in conveyancing, he was offered an opportunity to use his wealth of experience working in a local estate agency. Having learned the ropes of that side of the industry, he then took some enforced time out following an accident, and during that period committed to the leap of starting out on his own.

“I started the business very small, with just me working here. I began working on setting up the company in November 2019 and wanted to start without immediately exposing myself to large monthly wage bills etc. I ended up renting a desk in an office space in Town and operated from there. It went well and then we hit March 2020 and the world went crazy.”

With hindsight and the knowledge of how the market responded to Covid, it was the ideal time to set up his business, but at the time it felt like a real leap. However, from the start Jon knew where his focus should be and he was certain he could make a success of it.

“When I launched Sheppards, I needed to decide where we wanted to sit in the market. However, I genuinely believe we can do a good job of selling properties at every level, and we have even been referred to as a ‘boutique estate agent’ by some of our clients. I thought it might take a little while to become established, but my network of people I’ve met over the years really helped and personal recommendations meant that we were able to get established with a portfolio fairly quickly.

“There were a few areas that I concentrated on when setting up the business. I didn’t use a templated website, even though that would probably have been cheaper and easier. I felt it was key to have a custom built one so that I could change everything and anything. I asked a few friends who had lovely houses if I could use them as examples on templates and it went from there. I knew the website would be absolutely critical to our business. As our virtual shop window, we need something that grabs people’s attention and looks professional. For the same reason, we always make sure we use very high quality images of our properties, and make sure we have good, clear details available.”

Importantly, it’s Jon’s name on that website and over the office door. For any business owner, the decision of whether or not to use your own moniker for your company is a big one. Having given it a great deal of thought, Jon decided that for him it felt right.

“When it came to naming the company, I really debated whether to use my name or not. In the end I decided that I wanted to have that personal connection to it. I’m putting my name to the company so people have that guarantee that I am backing the agency and the service we offer. Guernsey is so small that I thought it was important that I made the connection clear.”

While Jon started the firm as a one-man band, by the summer of 2020 the heat was in the market and he was so busy he really needed some help with the business. He says taking on a family friend to help out turned out to be one of the best decisions he’s made.

“At the beginning when I employed Jasmine, neither of us necessarily saw it as a longterm role for her, but it ended up being a fantastic decision for me and the business. She now works full-time and is my righthand woman. I rely on her to organise things when I am busy or not in the office. She has a thirst for knowledge and great attention to detail, which has been a real help while she’s been learning the industry. At the same time, she’s a real creative so she’s been able to take responsibility for the property photography and all the social media side of the business.” WHEN IT CAME TO NAMING THE COMPANY, I REALLY DEBATED WHETHER TO USE MY NAME OR NOT. IN THE END I DECIDED THAT I WANTED TO HAVE THAT PERSONAL CONNECTION TO IT. I’M PUTTING MY NAME TO THE COMPANY SO PEOPLE HAVE THAT GUARANTEE THAT I AM BACKING THE AGENCY AND THE SERVICE WE OFFER

Along with Jasmine, Jon has expanded with a flexible team of employees who share the responsibilities of the busy office: “Lisa works in the office for 28 hours a week and helps with organising appointments and our diaries, correspondence and the website as well as the all-important job of answering the phone. Annie works in the afternoons to cover Lisa, while Jo does the bookkeeping and Emma organises the client due diligence and some of the HR duties such as holidays and staff contracts.” It sounds like a slightly complicated system of part-time employees, but Jon is certain that for him, it’s the most efficient way of running the business: “We operate as a family and it’s really important to me to be a good employer. I offer a lot of flexibility to my staff as I know that’s what a lot of people are looking for. But I’m also aware that I don’t want my monthly commitments to be too high, so while my staff are paid well, most of them are on contracts that suit their individual needs and work as much as we require depending on how busy the business is.” The expanded team would certainly not fit in Jon’s initial rented desk space, but he realised fairly early on that he was going to outgrow that. He therefore took the decision to move into a bespoke office space, which he oversaw a custom renovation for last year. In the heart of St Martin’s, it has given the firm a significant physical presence as well as their virtual one. But he believes it was a necessary move to provide the firm with the ability to offer the enhanced levels of customer service he prides himself on.

IF I HAD A SLOGAN FOR SHEPPARDS, I THINK IT WOULD BE THAT WE’RE NOT ABOUT A QUICK SALE, WE’RE ABOUT THE RIGHT SALE. I LIKE TO BE ABLE TO SLEEP AT NIGHT AND KNOW THAT I’VE DONE THE BEST FOR MY CLIENTS

“I’m passionate about customer service and it’s certainly an area I want Sheppards to differentiate themselves on. When I worked in conveyancing I went above and beyond to try to remove the stress on people, and I take the same approach with this firm. It also helps that I’ve been in the industry for long enough to know a lot of people – so if I don’t know an answer for my client, I can usually find it out.

“If I had a slogan for Sheppards, I think it would be that we’re not about a quick sale, we’re about the right sale. I like to be able to sleep at night and know that I’ve done the best for my clients.

I think it helps that I haven’t always been an estate agent and have gained experience in conveyancing and trust and company over the years. I also don’t have an engrained drive to sell at any cost or to pit my team against each other, we have to remain exactly that - a team. I look at it in terms of if I make money then they all benefit from a share of it beyond their normal contractual terms. We work together and get rewarded together.”

While Jon now has considerable experience as an estate agent, he believes his conveyancing background is still key to his success. He says that his thorough understanding of all parts of the process means that his clients know exactly what to expect.

“If you look at our success record for selling properties, it is really good. I think the trick is that we identify issues before they become problems. My background obviously helps hugely with that as I’m aware of many of the pitfalls that can affect a property sale. We don’t want our sales to fall through, so we always make sure we’re very upfront with potential purchasers. I like to think there is a mutual respect between the client and the agent and the purchaser and the agent.

“I know that as a conveyancer, I would end up explaining all the steps in the process to the client as the estate agent had often given unrealistic deadlines. I understand how it all works so I’m able to manage my clients’ expectations from the start. From bank turnaround periods to the timescales for court, I know the mechanics and workings of the process inside out, which helps to keep my clients calm during what is a very emotionally charged time for many people.” Two years in to being a business owner, Jon is certain that despite the unavoidable stresses that accompany it, starting Sheppards was the right decision for him. He says the hard work is always worth it when he gets a happy client at the end of the process.

“My main satisfaction in this job isn’t the money. It’s the customers feeding back to me that we’ve gone above and beyond to help them and that they appreciate that. We do our best to make sure we communicate well with everybody and do everything we can to make the process as smooth as possible. If you have used us to buy or sell a property, I want us to be the first people you think of when it comes to selling something on again. I think as an agent you always have to remember that the purchaser in your current sale could be the vendor next time. Everyone is a potential client so you want to be seen as reasonable, fair and honest by all parties.”

That attitude was recognised when Jon recently won the ‘Property agent of the year’ award at the Guernsey Property and Construction Awards. He says receiving the trophy was an unexpected result, but one he was delighted with.

“I was shocked. It was the first time we’d entered so I certainly wasn’t expecting to win. I was genuinely happy to be a finalist, so getting the trophy was a bonus. As a new brand had started up from nowhere, it was a real recognition that we’d achieved something. I was absolutely elated and so pleased for my team to get the recognition they so deserve. Since starting the business, I have lost my brother so it was very special to be able to dedicate the award to him at the ceremony, albeit later than expected due to Covid.”