Time flies when you’re having fun! It’s already six months since Connor Leane joined the M A S O N S team. We’ve caught up with him to reflect on his highlights so far and hear about some exciting new additions to the M A S O N S service that he’s taking forward.
Connor joined us in March as a Lettings Consultant. He’s been busy juggling a breadth of responsibilities, from marketing properties and finding amazing tenants to setting up and maintaining tenancies and building up a portfolio of managed properties. All while making sure we meet the growing demand for our award-winning services with our trademark professionalism.
So, Connor…
Q: Let’s refresh our memories. Why did you decide to join the M A S O N S team?
A: The role at M A S O N S appealed to me on many levels. I already had a love for property and an interest in the industry. I was keen to find a varied role, that involved socialising with people from all walks of life. I also enjoy giving honest advice to help both landlords and tenants get the best outcomes. The more I discovered about M A S O N S, the more I liked its core values, flexible business model and opportunities to grow new ideas and initiatives. I had also admired the quality of M A S O N S’ marketing while working for a competitor agent!
Q: Now you’re six months in, what has been the highlight?
A: The most rewarding part has been welcoming new tenants to Hitchin and the surrounding areas. Sharing my knowledge of the local community – restaurants, facilities and things to do – while also finding them a home they love has been great. A new tenant recently called me to say they’ve visited places I recommended, and made new friends locally, including with their neighbours. That was nice to hear.
Q: What has been the most surprising part of the job?
A: The most surprising part has been just how positive the lettings experience can be for landlord, tenant, and agent when everyone’s best interests are put at the heart of the process. The M A S O N S team really do treat every property like their own. Unfortunately, this doesn’t seem to be the case with most agencies.
Q: Looking ahead, what are your hopes for the coming six months and beyond?
A: For M A S O N S, we’re expecting to see our managed property portfolio grow even further, building on significant growth over the last six months. We’re also planning to expand into other areas of the property industry, but we’re starting slowly to prevent any dilution of our core business. There are also exciting plans in the pipeline – which I am looking forward to being a key part of. This includes further extending our social media presence, innovating how we market properties, expanding our referral partnerships and developing new solutions for topical issues facing landlords.
Q: What has been particularly rewarding for you?
A: A few things stand out. Firstly, it’s so rewarding to be welcoming more landlords, especially the impressive growth of our managed properties portfolio. I’ve been involved in all stages of supporting landlords, and we have also expanded and streamlined internal processes to ensure that as we grow, service levels remain exceptional. That’s really important to us.
It’s been great to see many tenant-finding only landlords return to us when they need a new tenant. That tells us we’re getting that element of the business right. Plus, a number of these landlords have opted to switch to our full property management service.
I’ve also led the expansion of our social media presence. On Instagram, we’ve seen a 2.8K% rise in reach and a 5.9K% increase in content interactions. Over on Facebook, we’ve seen a 10.4K% increase in reach and a 206.3% increase in content interactions. This work is all about engaging with landlords and tenants in a way that’s easy for them, to share relevant, interesting content. Our top posts were our Hertfordshire rental market update and our reveal of Hitchin’s most and least expensive properties.
Q: What other new initiatives have you been involved in?
A: I’ve worked on expanding our direct and email marketing campaigns, including a new Landlord’s Newsletter, which has been well received. Landlords have contacted us to say how helpful the articles are.
We’ve also added a handy instant valuation tool on our website and created enhanced property video tours, which give us the edge when marketing properties.
Q: It sounds like a busy six months! What have you done to chill out?
A: We’re encouraged to strike a healthy work/life balance! I’ve found time to explore a hobby of mine. My brother has just qualified as a boxing instructor, running classes at No Mercy in Hitchin – so I’ve been training with him and I intend to continue working on my sparring skills over the coming months!
A little word from Luke…
“Welcoming Connor to the team has been brilliant! Together with Trupti, our Property Manager, I feel proud to have built an experienced and capable team who reflect and understand what M A S O N S stands for. I trust them to deliver the exceptional customer service we are committed to, in every landlord and tenant interaction.” Luke Mason, Director
And finally… a few words from our landlords and tenants:
“Connor made setting up a managed property service easy. Great service, transparent communication, and great value for money. I feel confident that we’re in safe hands!”
“Connor made sure that me and my friend had a smooth and easy transition into securing our flat! Would 100% recommend when looking to rent in Hitchin! Thanks again!”
“5 Stars! Best Estate Agents I’ve ever come across. Luke and Connor were thoughtful, showed genuine humanity and caring for their customers and the neighbourhoods. Thank You!”
If you’re a landlord or a tenant in Hertfordshire and would like to keep Connor busy for the next six months. You know where to find him: [email protected]
M A S O N S is a leading letting agent in Hitchin, covering rental and buy-to-let properties in Hertfordshire. Founded on award-winning lettings experience, we specialise in property management, buy-to-let in Hitchin, and residential lettings – drop us a line at [email protected] or call us on 01462 557477.
