Local resident David Tall has worked in sales and marketing his whole life.

Sitting across from him in the corner of a quiet Hampton Wick café, it's intriguing why the ex-branch manager working in a high street estate agent chain ever downsized to his own 3-man operation in 2017.

David is the founder of Estate & Agent, who runs operations along with husband Adam Stephenson-Tall sat next to him, and Neema Patel, a friend and colleague of 10 years.

"I like to call us 'traditional full-service', or 'personal agents'," he says.

David Tall (right) with husband Adam Stephenson-Tall (left) (Photo: Oliver Monk)

Working with roughly 15 sellers at any given time, Estate & Agent is a far-cry from the numbers game of David's previous real-estate venture.

According to David, this is exactly why clients choose him and his team over the brick-and-mortar alternatives along the high street.

"It's bespoke, tailored, personal… when it's your own business you go the extra mile. You go the extra 10 miles."

Keeping a small clientbase is critical for Estate & Agent's business model: "It's how we can provide the level of service our clients expect," he says.

Adam describes how he took care of one client's dog so they could have house viewings without worrying about their pet's wellbeing.

"They're a part of your family, they're a part of your home".

Moby, one of the owners' two dogs (Photo: Oliver Monk)

Little details like having potential buyers take their shoes off around a client's home, helping move furniture to make the best first-impression, and providing personalised advice for each and every homeowner are just some of the ways the team tries to take the stress out of what is a significant life event for their clients.

David says "it's about communication and feeling cared for".

"People can knock on our door if they need us."

The couple are locals themselves, living in a nearby cottage with dogs Heidi and Moby.

David and Adam's Hampton Wick cottage (Photo: Oliver Monk)

Their love for the area is part of their charm when it comes to sales.

"We're very fortunate to live here," comments David.

When pressed on the greatest draw for buyers – and themselves – to the area, he replies simply: "It's the parks".

"Bushy Park is a real hidden gem… it's got the 'wow' factor."

Estate & Agent was launched in 2017, a year after the couple moved to the area (Photo: Oliver Monk)

The "villagey feel," in combination with proximity to both a large town centre in Kingston and London Waterloo only 35 minutes away, makes Hampton Wick more than just a beautiful commuter neighbourhood.

It's no surprise to David and Adam that neighbouring Teddington was crowned The Times' best place to live in London in 2021.

As a result, there is no shortage of estate agent windows along its High Street – but the two don't seem too worried.

David doesn't see the high street chains as competition, seeing his full-service approach as a different offering altogether.

Hampton Wick has roughly 1,000 addresses, while neighbouring Teddington boasts 8,000, making Estate & Agent's quality-over-quantity approach perfectly-suited to the area.

David likes to call Estate & Agent 'personal agents' owing to their focus on customer service (Photo: Oliver Monk)

Be it the professional photographers and 360-degree virtual tours used for every listing, or the client being notified in the 48 stages of selling a property – sellers come to David, Adam and Neema to get away from the impersonal experience of most chain agents.

"They're not just a number with us," says Adam.

The process doesn't end when a property is sold either: Neema, the missing piece of the Estate & Agent team, ensures a smooth after-sales process too.

"Clients will come to us saying, 'I need a Neema in every part of my life!'" laughs David.

At time of writing, Teddington Nub News is welcoming Estate & Agent as our new exclusive real estate sponsor, and with them a new Property of the Week feature.