Corby estate agents Simpson West celebrate 20 years of helping buyers find their dream home

The team at Simpson West are celebrating 20 years of business, based in the same Corby office since they opened two decades ago.

Simpson West opened their Corporation Street doors for the very first time in May 2003.

They’re led by founder Chris West, who works closely alongside his team on a day-to-day basis.

Chris started working in estate agency in 1989, when he worked for an independent in Rushden, then moved to William H Brown to work as a local manager, during which time he worked his way up to regional director.

While at William H Brown he decided he did not want corporate life and instead opened Simpson West in Corby.

Having formed a partnership with Andrew Simpson, who Chris had worked with previously for many years, Simpson West work closely with their colleagues at Simpson & Partners and Simpson & Weekley, resulting in a powerful group network throughout Northamptonshire.

Chris said: “From day one we have gone from strength to strength, having established ourselves as market leaders within nine months of opening, maintaining this for the last 19 years.

“In 2007 our ongoing success enabled us to open the highly valued Simpson West Lettings and Property Management, who now manage over 450 properties in the local area.”

Throughout the 20 years that Simpson West has been running, Chris has seen Corby go through many changes.

Chris said: “When we opened at the beginning of May 2003, prices reflected where the town was at that time.

“In 2003 Corby was not necessarily where people were choosing at that time. House prices were very cheap. I know one of the first houses we sold, on the Beanfield estate, was £63,000 in 2003 and you’d now get somewhere in the region of £200,000/£210,000 for it.

“A lot of attention has moved to Corby in terms of it being favoured, probably more so than a lot of the neighbouring towns around it now, including Kettering in that as well.”

There has been considerable investment in Corby town centre’s development, considerable housing growth, logistic hubs and much improved transport and infrastructure.

This has attracted a considerable number of buyers from across the country, something not seen since people migrated to the area from Scotland to work at the Steel Works in the 1930s, according to Chris.

“The growth and people wanting to live in Corby I would say has over tripled in the time that we’ve been here.

“We’ve dealt with many families probably three to four times in that time, having sold houses to them and for them, so you become part of the community.

“We’re probably three generations on from when I first opened up but it’s still got solid roots of a Scottish background, you don’t have the same accents that you did, they're still there but you get a combination now of a lot of foreign buyers that have made it their home.”

Despite their very strong start and continued years of success, it has not always been plain sailing for the team at Simpson West.

Chris said: “Like many businesses we have faced unexpected challenges in the market, including the 2008 credit crunch, Brexit in 2019 and of course the pandemic of 2020, which resulted in the need to close our offices for the first time ever.

“However, we dealt with these huge challenges as I have been lucky to have worked with some wonderful people who are highly experienced and have taken it all in their stride, making sure that all our clients receive the high levels of service that are at the core of our business principles.

“Being an independent agent, we have demonstrated the flexibility required to meet the needs of our local market.

“Our team is made up of long serving local people who all have extensive knowledge of the areas they work in, along with a vast amount of experience within the property sector.

“Together, they form a friendly and hardworking team always willing to go the extra mile for our clients, this is demonstrated in the relationships we have built over the years and the endless positive reviews we receive from our loyal clients.”

Chris hopes that Simpsons West will continue on for many years to come, offering the same level of service that people have come to expect from them.

Chris said: “It’s been a bit of a roller-coaster but I have enjoyed every minute and wouldn’t have changed a thing or want to do anything else.

“I get the same excitement from attending the initial valuation with our highly valued homeowners to handing over the keys to the new owner that I have since starting out in agency in 1989.

“Over the last 20 years we have gone from registering applicants on hand-written cards, to embracing all aspects of the new technology now available to us to improve the service and quality of everything we do and produce to the highest level possible.

“We would like to thank the people of Corby and the surrounding villages for their incredible support over the last 20 years, here’s to more of the same in the future.”

Chris and his team would like to encourage anybody thinking of buying, renting, selling, letting or who needs a mortgage to contact them on 01536 202007. You can also visit their website: www.simpsonwest.co.uk