60 Second Interview James Bailey

JAMES BAILEY

Surrey Rocks caught up with estate agent James Bailey to discover what it’s like to start up a new business, life in Surrey, his amazing charity efforts plus a few fun questions thrown in the mix to get to know the man behind the dapper suit!

WE HEAR JAMES BAILEY PROPERTIES HAS BEEN RUNNING FOR 15 WEEKS, HOW HARD HAS STARTING A NEW BUSINESS BEEN? I knew it was never going to be easy and I’ve never been one to shy away from hard work but it’s a whole different ball game. I have worked in the industry for nearly 15 years, and I’ve always wanted to start my own estate agency. The biggest hurdle has been securing opportunities to work for new clients and getting my name out there. We’ve delivered fantastic results for new clients who have been willing to give us a chance. I work 7 days a week and am driven to perform and ultimately repay the faith shown in me and my company.

WHAT DIFFERENTIATES JAMES BAILEY FROM OTHER ESTATE AGENTS? Two words – Service & Communication. Having worked for some of the biggest names in the industry, I became increasingly frustrated by the lack of service and communication on offer. Some agencies seemed to be getting lazier and rely too heavily on technology. For me, Covid has proved more than ever that human interaction is vitally important. I genuinely get a buzz from dealing with people and offering a personal service. I have had people leave 5 Star Google reviews just from conducting a viewing with them. That means so much to me and the business. We are here for anyone who needs us, any time of day, 7 days a week. My mobile phone is always on and people can get in touch to ask for my help whenever they need it. This is my life, this is my passion and I strive to the best local agent in the area for years to come.

HOW IS THE SURREY PROPERTY MARKET IN YOUR OPINION AFTER COVID? Surrey is in an incredible part of the country to live in. We have a vast selection of excellent schools, gorgeous green spaces with so many wonderful local and independent businesses on our doorstep and access to London is better than ever. All of this and more, make Surrey one of the most attractive places to live in the UK and means it’s an excellent investment. Even at the back end of Covid, we are still seeing people move out of the city into the area. We are seeing people stay in the area too which speaks volumes about where we live.

WE HEAR YOU HAVE DONE SOME GREAT FUNDRAISING EVENTS, CAN YOU TELL US MORE? I love a challenge, especially when it means I can raise money for charity. In 2019 I ran the London Marathon without training, raising nearly £4,000 for Teenage Cancer & Breast Cancer research. Then last November, I decided to trek 300km (the distance of 7 marathons) in just 30 days. This was a huge challenge due to my time limitation as I was working full time from 8am-8pm. It didn’t leave me much time to complete the distance and therefore I had to get up at 4am most mornings and even walked from Sutton to Essex one day which took 14 hours and ticked off 40+ miles. My feet were in pieces, but I completed the feat with 3 days to spare and raised nearly £2k for the MOvember charities.

AND IS MOVEMBER STILL ON THE CARDS? Absolutely. We are going to launch our own initiative called MOVEmber which means we will donate a percentage of sales/lets for the month of November to the Movember charities. We are very excited to raise as much money to help others.

NOW FOR SOME FUN STUFF ABOUT YOU. IF YOU HAD TO TAKE THREE THINGS TO A DESERT ISLAND, WHAT WOULD THEY BE? A solar powered music device, a hammock, and a fishing net.

WHO WOULD PLAY YOU IN THE MOVIE VERSION OF YOUR LIFE? Wow. That’s a tough one. I’ve been compared to a few celebrities including Jude Law, Ewan McGregor and even Ricky Gervais. Could we combine all 3 to create a Hybrid?

WHO´S YOUR IDEAL CELEBRITY DINNER PARTY GUESTS? Tough one but let’s go for a boy’s night in with David Beckham, Ricky Gervais, Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Quincy Jones, Matthew McConaughey & Denzel Washington. What a party that would be.

BEST ADVICE EVER GIVEN? ‘Enjoy the ride’. My grandad always used to say it. We never know when our journey will end, so enjoy every day as much as you can. I have always tried to surround myself with good people and treat others as I wish to be treated. Be there for each other at all times.

MOST EMBARRASSING ITEM IN YOUR WARDROBE? Probably any one of my 3 cowboy hats. I’m not embarrassed by them however appreciate it’s slightly unusual, but I am a massive fan of country music. WHAT ALL THE WOMEN WANT TO KNOW, ARE YOU SINGLE? Yes.

WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A WOMAN? Someone with a great sense of humour, who is intelligent, driven, and adventurous. Someone who has good values and wears their heart on their sleeve.

WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE GROWING UP? A fireman or a police officer as I wanted to help people. I remember telling everyone in a school assembly I wanted to be a fireman and they laughed. It’s funny looking back now as a lot of my pals are either firemen or have at least applied to be. Not so funny now, hey!

BEST CHARACTER TRAITS? Ambitious, caring, driven, fun. I just try to be the best man I can be. I’ve been incredibly lucky to be raised well by my parents and I’m surrounded by incredible friends and family. I work hard, have fun and am always there for anyone who needs me.

WORST HABIT? Blowing my nose loudly. I’ve always had sinus problems and apparently I sound like a rhino according to my family. IF YOU WERE AN ANIMAL WHAT WOULD YOU BE? A dog. By far my favourite animals.

FRIDAY NIGHT OUT OR SUNDAY DAY IN? A Sunday Day In. An epic roast dinner, a bottle of red (or two), yummy dessert and a nice movie snuggled up in front of the roaring fire.

WHAT´S THE BEST THING ABOUT SURREY? I can’t pinpoint a single thing, but no matter who you are and what you like, there is something for everyone. As I mentioned before, there is so much to love about this beautiful county.

WHAT PLANS DO YOU HAVE FOR THE FUTURE? To continue building my business by providing an excellent estate agency service. We recently became official sponsors of Sutton United Women, and I would really like to invest in more local projects and show our support as and when we can. I’m excited to provide job opportunities to the local people as the business grows and continue to change the stigma that faces being an estate agent. We aren’t all bad ��

 andy@spraytanningguy.co.uk |  www.spraytanningguy.co.uk |  07950 917391

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