Three members of staff from a Portsmouth estate agency have become members of the Portsmouth Property Association.

The acceptance of Hilary Landey, from Fine and Country at Drayton, Claire Ray of Town and Country Southern at Drayton, and Sarah Banks of Fine and Country at Emsworth, puts them alongside their boss, Colin Shairp, and colleague, Albert Zarb-Cousin, as members of PPA.

“I have been in Portsmouth estate agency for almost 30 years and a member of PPA for more than 20 of those and have become a keen supporter by attending its events, promoting it wherever possible – and nearly always wearing my kilt at its annual dinner!” says Colin.

“It’s an organisation that represents all the professions involved in property and not just estate agents so it gives a chance for staff to meet with colleagues such as solicitors, conveyancers, and surveyors and keep informed of industry trends.

“I take a strong line on joining professional bodies, so Town and Country Southern is the Portsmouth member of the Guild of Professional Estate Agents and I am also a Fellow of both the National Association of Estate Agents and the Association of Residential Lettings Agents.

“These bodies provide ongoing training, qualifications, and professional development for their members and staff. While a recent survey by the Property Academy found that only around one per cent of vendors looked for membership of a professional body in fact vastly more want it in reality because the seek out an estate agent with a good reputation and that’s something that only comes about through staff having excellent training and real knowledge of the industry.

“In fact both Rightmove and Zoopla now show the logos for both NAEA and ARLA because they are regarded as so important.”<