Bien Media Blog

Houso, the off-market property app, hires Bien Media to boost its profile

Mon, 03 Feb 2020 18:07:37 GMT

Houso, a revolutionary new property app which allows vendors to gain pre-market exposure for their home in order to gauge interest before committing to selling for free, has hired property PR agency Bien Media to raise its profile in the press.

Ben Johnston, founder and director of Houso, says: ‘Anyone who’s experienced the torturous home-buying and selling process knows the current system is simply not working. With so little stock for sale, and far more demand than supply, vendors won’t seriously entertain an offer from a buyer unless the buyer’s own home is under offer. But if you haven’t found a dream home to buy, why risk marketing your own property? If you receive an offer, the pressure is on to find your next home and you may end up buying something which is ok, not brilliant, just for the sake of it. This is where wrong decisions are made.’

Houso aims to solve these problems and remove uncertainty by enabling vendors to list their home, for free, in order to gauge buyer interest. This pre-market exposure enables vendors to build a waiting list of people keen to buy their home. It gives the vendor the confidence to go house-hunting themselves, safe in the knowledge that there are interested parties in their own home. Then when the vendor finds their perfect next home, the transactional time could be greatly reduced.

Melanie Bien, director of property PR agency Bien Media, says : ‘We are delighted to be working with Houso to raise awareness of what they are trying to do, which is to resolve what are real issues with the whole process of buying and selling property. Anyone who has sold a home has been there – trying to find an interested and qualified buyer at the same time as finding the dream home that you wish to buy, and having an offer accepted on it. That’s a lot of pressure on things happening at the right time and in this market with such low levels of stock available, it’s increasingly difficult to achieve.’

www.houso.co.uk

Eight years of Bien Media

183:702689939 (Melanie Bien) — Thu, 30 Jan 2020 14:02:17 GMT

It is eight years since property and mortgage PR consultancy Bien Media opened its doors to our first clients and incredibly, one of those early joiners - mortgage broker SPF Private Clients - is still with us today. Another mortgage broker, Anderson Harris, was also a client from day one until this month. Within our first six months, removals firms Anthony Ward Thomas and Aussie Man & Van signed up - and have stuck with us ever since. Some clients have come and gone but thankfully most have stayed - buying agency Prime Purchase (celebrating six years as a client next month); estate agent Jeremy Leaf (a client for four years).

There is a lot to be said for longevity and working with a brand over time. As a PR, you really get to know and understand the people within a company and effectively become a member of the team (this, to me, is PR working at its best). If you are working with a start-up, you have the honour of seeing them develop and grow over time, and it's rewarding when some of your hard work has helped them achieve that growth.

I set up Bien Media when my middle child was three months old. I had been a financial journalist for a decade, working on publications including The European , The Times , various FT publications, and as personal finance editor on the Independent on Sunday . I then worked in-house as head of media relations at Savills Private Finance, as it was then known, for five years before joining another mortgage broker to do their PR. Savills Private Finance was hiring a freelance PR consultant and my old boss asked whether I could do it. 'Yes', was the resounding answer, even though I'd not long had a baby and already had a two-year-old. Perhaps it was lucky that at that point I didn't know there would be a third child along in another two years' time. But the appeal of setting up Bien Media meant I could branch out on my own, offering a specialist PR function to property and mortgage companies.

I believe that part of Bien Media's appeal to long-standing clients, in particular, is that they get dedicated service from an ex-financial journalist who knows the type of thing journalists are looking for. I am not afraid to say when I believe a press release on a particular subject would not be of interest to a journalist. I don't take on every client who comes through our doors looking for PR either.

And so on we go. New client Houso , the off-market property app which allows vendors to sell their homes for free, launched with Bien Media this month and I am excited about two new clients joining next month. Bien Media can only ever be a certain size because my clients desire, and deserve, a dedicated service and I am keen to avoid conflicts of interest. But there is more than enough scope for a varied array of clients to promote.

Here's to the next eight years - and beyond....

Bien Media client list:

Mortgage broker SPF Private Clients

Removals firms Anthony Ward Thomas and Aussie Man & Van

Buying agency Prime Purchase

Estate agency Jeremy Leaf & Co

Property lender MT Finance

Knightsbridge estate agency Nicolas Van Patrick

Off-market property app Houso

Jeremy Leaf celebrates four years as Bien Media client with 5,500 press mentions

Thu, 14 Nov 2019 14:46:09 GMT

It is four years since former RICS chairman and north London estate agent Jeremy Leaf ( www.jeremyleaf.co.uk ) hired Bien Media to raise his profile in the press.

During that time, Bien Media has worked with Jeremy to position him as the 'go to' commentator on all manner of subjects related to the housing market. Jeremy is now a regular commentator in most national titles, as well as many trade and regional publications. Indeed, in the four years we have worked together, Jeremy has appeared in more than five and a half thousand press articles.

Jeremy Leaf, principal of Jeremy Leaf & Co, commented : 'I like to think we make a great team.'

Melanie Bien, director of Bien Media, said : 'Jeremy is a dream client - always keen to respond to a press request, vastly knowledgeable and hugely enthusiastic. A four-year working relationship has enabled us to get to know each other really well, which makes my role as a PR much more effective.

'With two clients - mortgage brokers SPF Private Clients and Anderson Harris - with me for nearly eight years from when I first set up, and removals firms Anthony Ward Thomas and Aussie Man & Van becoming clients seven years ago, along with buying agency Prime Purchase joining the fold nearly five years ago, I am very lucky to work with clients over many years.'

MT Finance hires Bien Media to raise profile

Mon, 25 Mar 2019 15:19:26 GMT

Specialist lender MT Finance has hired PR agency Bien Media to raise its profile in the press.

The lender, which was established in 2008 and specialises in short-term loans, including auction finance and bridging loans on both a first and second-charge basis, is recognised throughout the industry for its speed and service. It has established a good profile in the trade press but felt that it would like to consolidate this and build more of a presence in the national press.

Gareth Lewis, commercial director of MT Finance, says : 'We find ourselves in a time of economic uncertainty. As Brexit remains unresolved, consumers are unsure of their next steps when it comes to property transactions. Are values at the bottom, are there opportunities to make good purchases or add value to a portfolio?

'However, where there is uncertainty there is often opportunity and we are seeing an increasing number of investors looking to make the most of this, purchasing and developing their portfolios further with shrewd investment.'

Vesper Homes hires Bien Media to raise profile

183:702689939 (Melanie Bien) — Wed, 17 Jan 2018 15:18:55 GMT

Vesper Homes, the pioneering proptech London estate agent, has hired PR agency Bien Media to raise its profile in the press.

Vesper Homes is at the forefront of the rental revolution, harnessing technological developments to make life easier for landlords and tenants. London-focused, with primarily an international client base, the company offers all the services of a traditional high-street agent but at a reduced rate.

Landlords typically pay agents upwards of 11 per cent for a full management service, a charge likely to increase when tenant fees are abolished, but Vesper Homes charges half this amount.

James Cameron, director of Vesper Homes, says : ‘Estate agency is changing and we are launching some exciting new digital products in coming weeks to assist landlords in making the most of their property portfolios, as well as considering future investments. Many agents use outdated and inefficient procedures: our strategy is to deploy a leading-edge technology to improve the lettings and property management service for both landlords and tenants.

‘Although the rental sector has come under siege recently with changes to mortgage interest tax relief and the stamp duty surcharge for landlords, the year has got off to a good start with no lack of enquiries from prospective tenants. However, some of the rents which were achievable 12 months ago won’t be this year, so landlords need to be realistic on pricing and take the advice of a knowledgeable agent.’

Tedworth Property Group becomes latest Bien Media client

183:702689939 (Melanie Bien) — Wed, 20 Sep 2017 11:20:00 GMT

Property consultancy Tedworth Property Group has started working with PR firm Bien Media

Bien Media is delighted to be working with Tedworth Property Group, a new property consultancy focused on prime central London.

Tedworth has been set up by Christian Warman, formerly of Savills, and Simon Tollit, formerly of Knight Frank and Sotheby’s International Realty. Both feel that after years of working in big corporate agencies there is a gap in the market for a first class, personalised and bespoke service. With over 30 years’ combined experience, transacting in excess of £1 billion-worth of property in central London, the pair have also built a far-reaching global network.

Simon Tollit, director of Tedworth Property Group, says : ‘We know the prime central London market inside out and have always provided a best-in-class offering, with advice and expertise that ensures clients receive a personal, discreet service. For us, listening and providing bespoke customer service is key to our success.’

Tedworth is based close to Sloane Square and covers all of central London, including Mayfair, Marylebone, Chelsea, Kensington, Knightsbridge and Belgravia.

Christian Warman, director of Tedworth Property Group, says : ‘It may be a tough, uncertain housing market but that makes it a great time to launch, with off-market sales in particular as buoyant as ever.

‘As experienced agents with a network of buyers and sellers, this discreet, privately available market will better suit Tedworth clients – rather than a mass of openly-marketed properties.’

Front page coverage for Bien Media client in The Times

183:702689939 (Melanie Bien) — Thu, 27 Apr 2017 11:09:00 GMT

Bien Media Client SPF Private Clients quoted on the front page of The Times on the cheapest ever mortgage rate

With interest rates at all-time lows, lenders continue to cut mortgage rates. But what caught the imagination of journalists was Yorkshire Building Society’s decision to launch the cheapest mortgage rate ever – a two-year discounted rate at just 0.89 per cent. While mortgage rates are cheap, a rate this low was unheard of and The Times reported it as the lead story or ‘splash’ on its front page.

Bien Media client Mark Harris, chief executive of mortgage broker SPF Private Clients, was subsequently quoted on the front page of The Times , providing insight as to why the lender was launching this rate at this particular time: ‘The debt market is oversupplied and when supply outstrips demand the simple economics is that mortgages become cheaper. If the [general] election means people put decisions to buy on hold then we could see even more competitive deals in an effort to attract borrowers,’ he said.

He added that this may not be the last we have seen of the cheapest rates: ‘The message is the same from all lenders – none of them are overly happy with the volume of business they are doing and want to do more. It’s great news for borrowers.’

To read the article in full, click on the link (subscription required): https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/lenders-square-up-for-mortgage-price-war-as-rates-hit-record-low-l62vz8bk0

Jeremy Leaf, former RICS chairman, discusses the housing White Paper

183:702689939 (Melanie Bien) — Tue, 07 Feb 2017 14:23:00 GMT

Bien Media client Jeremy Leaf, a former RICS residential chairman and north London estate agent, discusses the Government's housing White Paper

Bien Media client Jeremy Leaf, a former RICS residential chairman and a north London estate agent with 25-plus years experience in land and new homes , discusses the housing White Paper which was released today:

‘The proposals in the White Paper sound great but we have heard it all before. Talking is all well and good but what about action – what will it actually mean for the builders, the planners, the architects, the local authorities and of course the buyers in the near future?

‘The first issue when dealing with any problem is to recognise it – and we welcome the fact that the government has done that. But we now want to see a strict, verifiable timetable for delivery on all fronts. Whether it is the issues with lettings or supply or infrastructure, delivery or planning – we want to see what is going to make a difference.

‘What would be refreshing and of immense value would be to see a cross-party political agreement so we don’t see the booms and busts and stops and starts that have dogged housing policy in the past. A measure of agreement across the political divide would be welcome so that we can move forward not just in this parliament but in future parliaments. A coherent, respected, long-term policy which involves building more houses and keeping prices in check would go a long way to solving the broken housing market.’

Housing forecasts for 2017

183:702689939 (Melanie Bien) — Tue, 03 Jan 2017 12:22:00 GMT

Seven property experts give their views as to what will happen with the property market in 2017

There is much speculation flying about as to what 2017 has in store for the housing market. Zoopla asked Melanie for her opinion on the market as an independent commentator:

Melanie Bien, property expert and commentator
House prices: up 2%
Rents: up 2%

“The housing market is likely to be largely flat. All the indicators suggest that Brexit negotiations will drag on which will have an impact on people’s confidence. The shortage of properties for sale will support prices to an extent but we are a long way off the double-digit house price growth seen in the past.

“With people on the whole choosing not to move, rental property is likely to continue to be in strong demand. With changes to mortgage interest tax relief coming in from April, putting a squeeze on landlords’ profits, and letting agents forced at some point to stop charging tenants fees, it looks as though the only way for rents is upwards.”