Meet our Colchester team

Team spotlight

We catch up with our branch team in the historic town to learn more about their jobs and how they can help you whether you are looking to sell, let or for Block Management services.

boydens.co.uk Natalie Abrahams Sales Manager, Colchester Branch natalie. abrahams@

Natalie leads our Colchester Sales team and has extensive experience in the estate agency industry stretching back many years. She has been part of the Boydens family for more than 20 years. Natalie is extremely approachable and always ready to lend a listening ear.

About me I started with Boydens as a Saturday trainee and progressed to become Colchester Sales Manager. Over my 20 plus years with Boydens, I have grown to know the Colchester area exceptionally well. My family built a third-generation carpentry business in the North of England and so from an early age I was educated in building and property. Before coming to Colchester, I spent seven years working overseas in the property market. My partner and his family are long established Colchestrians and I myself have been involved in many community events including Colchester’s Half Marathon.

My day to day My day is always varied, which I enjoy as it makes my job more fun and less predictable. I will begin with emails, reviewing any overnight requests for valuations and organising my team for the day ahead before moving on to my main focus, which involves attending valuations of properties for sale (including probate) and meeting new clients. In addition, a typical day will see time spent preparing properties ready for sale, including taking photos and preparing write-ups.

What I love about my job I love meeting people and seeing new places, and my job is always extremely varied. In my time working for Boydens, I have been fortunate to sell homes several times over! I have also seen clients who bought their fi rst home from me, and then gone on to move further up the property ladder as they have gone on to have families. It is always rewarding to see what people do to their homes once they have bought them and I get a great deal of satisfaction from being able to genuinely help someone. The feeling of intense satisfaction when handing over the keys to a happy buyer at the end of the process is something which I still genuinely love, even after all this time.

I can help you with… If you are considering selling your home, I can advise on the best way to do this to achieve the best possible price. I am always happy to chat and give advice on how to make your home as attractive as possible to buyers, so don’t hesitate to call.

Lettings Manager, Colchester Branch brian.purvis@ boydens.co.uk

Brian is hugely respected and extremely well known in Colchester for his knowledge of the area and of the lettings industry, given that he has been

Team spotlight

in the estate agency business for over 30 years and was born and bred in the town. He oversees the day-to-day running of Boydens Colchester lettings operation.

About Me I joined Boydens in 2015, having always worked in and around Colchester. I am a keen rugby and football fan and enjoy supporting both Saracens and Ipswich Town. Outside work, I am a keen family man who lives locally with my wife and children. I am also a proud grandfather.

My day to day A typical day will see me carrying out my team meeting in the morning in order to set out the priorities for the day before moving on to carry out viewings, valuations and attending properties to advise on revamping them for reletting. I also take new properties onto the market and so some time is always spent in preparing those for promotion with new photographs and write-ups. Colchester is a busy lettings market. Properties are in high demand and so I am constantly monitoring market conditions and advising landlords on the best returns.

What I love about my job Even after so many years in the business, I still enjoy taking on a new property, helping and advising the landlord before handing over the keys to a happy tenant. Keeping tenants and landlords happy is what I am here to do, and it still fills me with great satisfaction when we have matched up tenant and landlord perfectly, which is our aim each time. I take pride in customer care and so, if I can keep clients happy and reduce stress, I consider that a job well done.

I can help you with… If you are a landlord or are looking at investing in the property market in Colchester and the surrounding area, I can advise you on the best rates for the best return. I am also happy to assist you if you are considering a property purchase and would appreciate some advice on where to purchase and how to best prepare your property for letting.

Head of Leasehold & Estate Management, Colchester Branch alex.kane@boydens.co.uk

Alex leads a team of eight, managing a varied portfolio consisting of a wide range of properties across Essex and Suffolk including:

• A number of converted historical buildings, including mills, hotels, school buildings, malt houses, and a brewery

• Many purpose-built modern blocks of flats ranging in size from 6 to 56 units

• Several modern private estates consisting of a mix of luxury houses and apartments

• Properties and developments located in town centres, villages and many coastal sites

I was born in Colchester, raised in Coggeshall and educated at Felsted. Therefore, familiarity with the local area helps me relate to our clients and their needs. I joined Boydens in 2014, shortly after graduating with a BSc Building Surveying degree from Brighton, working as a Property Manager before being promoted to Head of Leasehold & Estate Management in 2020.

My day to day My day to day role is extremely varied. I spend the majority of my time supporting my team and dealing with new business enquiries. Our portfolio and reputation continue to grow, and I spend an increasingly large amount of my time writing proposals for the management of new sites and clients. I also continue to manage a small portfolio of properties.

What I love about my job I thoroughly enjoy working for Boydens. The best part of my job is working alongside my team who are a friendly and lively bunch, all knowledgeable in their field and able to work on their own initiative. We care about offering a good quality service and ensuring that all in our team are supported, which brings me great satisfaction.

I can help you with… I can help if you are looking for a unique, professional and local approach to Block Management. We offer a single main point of contact and tailored service. Boydens is a niche Leasehold & Estate Managing Agent offering different levels of service to suit our many satisfied clients’ needs, as demonstrated by the fact that 75% of recent new business contracts have been as a result of existing client recommendations.