Moving house is claimed to be one of the most stressful events in a person’s life, so Spencer Turner and Leigh Brand work with vendors, buyers, solicitors and surveyors to make the whole experience go smoothly.

They opened the agency in 2004 and have experienced the good times and the bad, but the business has prospered because of the quality of service they provide.

Spencer said: “Over the years I have learned that a lot of business comes from recommendations from satisfied customers or is repeat business from clients who were impressed with the service they received in the past.

“We have many clients who have bought a house through us and then come back to us when they wanted to sell.”

Between them the two directors have 43 years of experience, and before teaming up to start their own business they ran some of the best performing estate agency branches in the region, but their roles meant they had little contact with customers, which was the side of the business they liked the best.

Starting with two directors and a secretary in 2004 the firm now has 14 employees working at the Old London Road offices and has become a market leader in both sales and lettings.

“Our office has just been refurbished and is a daily hub of activity. We have recently introduced a new software system to enable buyers and sellers easier access to our properties.”

When the agency started it concentrated mainly on the Patcham, Withdean and Westdene areas, but now it deals with sales and lettings in a much larger area that covers Peacehaven in the east, to Shoreham in the west and Lewes in the north.

Leigh added: “We sell all types of property from garages, apartments, houses and even a windmill which was recently marketed at £1,000,000 and quite quickly found a buyer.”

Both Spencer and Leigh have an active role in the day-to-day running of the office and they are always on hand to assist clients where necessary.

The company has a competitive fee structure for both selling and letting and offers free advice and valuations for potential clients.

The lettings division was established seven years ago and has a dedicated team headed by Nicola Greig. The team currently manages in excess of 275 rental properties.

Nicola said: “Our policy is traditional values with a modern approach, that’s what it was when we started and that’s what it is today.”

As the firm celebrates its 10th year in business, it looks like the economy is starting to pull out of recession and things are looking good for the future.

Spencer said: “We are proud of our sales team who have a pro-active approach and treat our clients as they would their friends. We promote from within and have signed up to the Government’s apprenticeship scheme. In fact, our sales manager James Morris started with us as a junior consultant seven years ago.”

Spencer & Leigh is a member of the National Estate Agents Association (Spencer is a Fellow member) and Brighton and Hove Estate Agents Association and the Ombudsman scheme.