Club Meeting with John Poulson's "My Job" Talk

Firstly, I have a confession to make, my name is John Poulson and I'm an Estate Agent!

I have spent much of my career apologizing for being an Estate Agent as the industry has certainly had its dark days. However I am extremely proud of the service standards that myself and Georgina, my wife and business partner offer to our clients at Reeds Rains in Nantwich.

The modern Estate Agent has evolved from the original Land Agents, who would manage country estates and agricultural interests, something with which I had an interest in from an early age.

I was born in Leigh, Lancashire in 1968, we moved to Colne when I was three then ever further southwards to Lymm when I was 13. My father was a Mining Surveyor, so we went to be close to the nearby Lancashire coal mines.

Within a very short time of moving to Lymm, I found myself a weekend job on a small dairy farm which was about 10 miles from home, a brisk cycle ride at 5.30am on a winters morning! Working from 6am Saturday and Sunday, I loved the hard work in every season which helped to grow my ambition to work within the industry.

Towards the end of the first term at Lymm 6th Form, it was suggested that due to lack of interest in my five chosen subjects, I may wish to choose to leave before I was forced, I took the hint!

I then enrolled at Hereford Agricultural College doing a course in Forestry and Estate Management. One of my placements took me to Lord Whitbread’s estate near Hitchin in Bedfordshire and I remember us estate workers being expected to help beating on the shoots and being paid in Whitbreads beer, not a bad rate of pay.

I also worked for a self employed contractor in Condover near Shrewsbury, extremely tough work with little focus on Estate Management, so I again packed my backs and headed off.

Arriving back in Cheshire, a friend of a friend told me about a job, 14 days straight, working in an office. I took the job at the Estate Agents in Stockton Heath, working for an original gentleman Estate Agent called Patrick Ashall, from whom I learnt a huge amount, not least of which was how to treat people fairly and with respect whatever the first impression may be.

During my years I have worked across much of Cheshire and surrounds, including: - Stockton Heath, Lymm, Warrington, Lowton, Penketh, Winsford, Northwich, Sale, Chorlton, Didsbury, Northenden, Withington, Middlewich, Sandbach, Crewe and finally landing here in Nantwich.

Georgina and I bought the franchise in 2007, just before the market crash and subsequent recession, not great timing. However we have survived and although it has been extremely tough, I still love my job and working with Georgina.

Nantwich is a great place to live and work, but this is changing fast. With extensive new build and redevelopment happening within the town, I personally don’t think the infrastructure can survive. A lack of parking, schools, doctors and other amenities is putting a huge strain on this small market town, now becoming a victim of its own success.

Our industry is also changing with so much done on line with Rightmove, Zoopla etc. being fantastic marketing tools for us. However I am pleased to say that our clients, particularly the repeat clients who always come back to us say it’s for the same reasons, our service, commitment and personal attention, which is extremely rewarding to hear.

Outside of work, Georgina has my two adult step children, with Charlotte our granddaughter.

My passion for the outdoors has not lessened with any spare time being spent fishing, tree planting, chicken growing, vegetable gardening or riding my bike around beautiful Cheshire lanes.