A Fife property expert has come a long way since he was asked to leave school at 17 after being told by a teacher he wouldn’t amount to anything.
Jim Parker rose to be a financial director before becoming a highly-successful estate agent with several offices in the area.
After leaving school, Jim began work as a window cleaner before going to Fife College to study business and accountancy.
He then became a trainee accountant and then a financial director before he was 30.
Jim was also investing heavily in property. As a result, he decided to branch out by starting Fife Properties in 2006.
Fife property expert spotted a gap in the market
Jim said he has never wanted to be “just another estate agent” and wanted to have a community-focused business.
He explained why he launched the business.
“Most estate agency at that time was dominated by solicitors and big-brand corporates.
“Being a property investor and buying from them gave me a huge insight into how they worked.
“The service was really poor, and I really felt I could do better.
“I felt compelled to do it just to prove a point.”
Jim said he wanted his business to help promote the area and other businesses while also “giving back” to the community.
‘Best job in the world’ running Fife Properties
The firm now offers a range of services, including property sales, lettings, management, sourcing, project managing and also educating property investors.
Jim said his job is the best in the world.
“I get to take customers to where they want to be in the most efficient and stress-free manner possible while selling or letting their property and delivering a world-class service.”
He feels his biggest achievement with Fife Properties has been to build a successful team.
He added: “Rightmove rates us in the top 5% for customer service in the UK. Our customer satisfaction rating is over 98%.”
Time to ‘pivot and adapt’ to market changes
Jim said the cost-of-living tenant protection legislation has meant that a lot of landlords are now selling up and leaving the sector.
This, he said, means less properties to rent, increasing homelessness.
He said he is being overwhelmed with multiple tenant inquiries for properties.
Mr Parker added: “The increases in the Bank of England base rate has meant that buyer demand has dropped year on year.
“We need to pivot and adapt to the new market. I’ve seen all this before, so it will be a lot easier for us because of our experience.”
Jim feels that the secret of Fife Properties‘ success to date is making continuous improvement, always learning, never giving up and striving to be world class.
Conversation