There are always Estate Agents in every town, and of course, they may not always be preferable to a sweet shop or boutique, however they are absolutely essential for all residents who buy, sell or rent within the town or beyond. But what makes an Estate Agent stand out? We caught up with Jonathon, Partner at jdm, which is not just an Estate Agent but also an integral part of our Chislehurst Community.
Who is Jonathon de Maid?
Where to start? I suppose first and foremost I am a Champion for Chislehurst. My connection with Chislehurst began when my grandparents moved here from Bow, East London. I have never for any significant period left BR7! Second of all I am an estate agent through and through having inherited the agency gene from my father. One of the most rewarding things in life is helping people and I am so incredibly privileged to be able to do this for a career and I will never tire of it. One final facet of ‘who I am’, and probably the most important, is my family and my friends who are always at the heart of what I do and I am grateful for them every day. Or nearly every day….(!)
How did the business begin?
In 1979, I was twenty and took my first job in estate agency working closely with my father at Colin Gray & Co. This was a subsidiary of my father’s business, Alan de Maid & Co. I took to the business immediately, enjoying the diversity of property and, more importantly, of people. I made good friends and met some fascinating people. Whilst at Colin Gray & Co. I met my wife, Margaret. She has been at my side ever since and an enormous strength to me both personally and in business. I think one of our first dates was at Foxes (now Cote), next door to our jdm office today.
In 1988 my father sold Alan de Maid & Co. (name and all) to TSB. My family all worked out their contracts at Alan de Maid and had left the company by 1995. The following September my brother Jeremy and I established jdm at 41 High Street, Chislehurst. Our aim was to emulate my father’s high standards and offer the fullest service possible to our clients, which is an ethos we still work to today.
With so many Estate Agents available, what is jdm’s USP?
jdm has always been a family business and at the heart of that is helping and genuinely caring for the people we advise. We uphold high standards of professional service and really pride ourselves on our work. All of our staff are experienced local agents who enjoy guiding and advising people through the tricky business of moving. Over our some 26 years in business we have successfully helped tens of thousands of people move home with many, many past customers using us time and again, or referring us to family and friends, which I hope is testament to the service they have received.
If jdm could change one thing about the buying and selling process, what would it be or alternatively how could house buying/selling be less stressful?
If there were one thing I could change it would be the timeframes within which we can arrange the legal sale of properties. I would love for us to be able to offer our buyers and sellers more certainty and security around the home they have agreed to buy or sell. When people make the decision to move, they want to look forward to it. Unfortunately the conveyancing system in this country and the infrastructure supporting it can often be slow and fraught with challenges. So often therefore, the process is stressful and difficult. At jdm we do what we can to take away the worry and progress sales quickly but small changes to the process would make it less challenging and a lot less unpleasant for our clients.
What does community mean to jdm?
People choose to come and live in Chislehurst for a variety of reasons: the Commons; high quality schooling; convenience for commuting to London; the rural atmosphere; the mixed age housing stock (the estate agent in me never dies!) and my business is entirely focussed on our village as a community and a place to live. At jdm we support the active bodies that care for our local environment and its residents in a variety of ways. We want to support the fabric of Chislehurst, which makes our village such an attractive place to live and will always be at our very core.
Jonathon de Maid
Visit Chislehurst : Jdm are extremely active in local community events, sponsoring local causes, events and Chislehurst life as and where they can. It is company’s like this that ensure that local residents can enjoy this fabulous town in which they live. Our heartfelt thanks to them for their everyday involvement in our community.
