After 15 years of running his own residential property portfolio, Teddington-based David Hallas and his wife, Malar, decided to start their own real estate business.

"I've been the client, not just the agent," Hallas told Nub News.

Hallas, who is originally from Winchester and spent his career in education, explained that he chose the property industry to "help people".

He added: " When you're in education, you're there helping people, helping children, and property is not so different in that respect because you're helping people achieve their dreams, just as you're helping children achieve their dreams in the classroom.

"You're helping people achieve their dreams of moving where they want to go, starting that new job which they need to move to do, getting that dream home, etc., and I think that to do that with honesty and kindness just makes the process so much better for everyone.

"I'm 46 in a couple of weeks, and I've had bad experiences with buying and selling properties much like many people in the UK. I think just bringing that honesty and kindness back to the estate agency makes a happier and less stressful experience for everyone."

He continued: "Estate agency doesn't always have the best reputation.

"My wife and I want to do things differently with our business because, if you just carry on doing the same as every other company, then nothing gets better in the world.

"But if you make changes and you try to do it better, then you make the world a little better for everyone."

The couple, who have lived in Teddington for around four and a half years, started soft launching David Hallas Keller Williams in July after advertising their business at Teddington Fair.

They moved to Teddington because, after living abroad in places like Japan and China, and working in senior leadership at London independent schools, Hallas said he and his wife wanted to "go a little bit more countryside."

He added: "So, Teddington's that nice hybrid of not feeling like you're in London, but the city is in touching distance. You get all the good bits of London, but not really feeling as though you're in London."

Speaking about starting his own business, Hallas told Nub News: "I've managed my own portfolio over the last 15 years or so, so I've been on the other side of real estate as well.

"I think that UK real estate these days doesn't offer that in-person interaction - it's still set in its old ways.

"So, my wife and I were looking around for the ideal company to partner with, and we came across Keller Williams, a global real estate company from the US.

Having spent time living abroad, I've perhaps got a different perspective on how real estate can be done better in the UK.

"For example, people often only really know real estate agents that are in their area, but Keller Williams is the world's largest real estate franchise by agent count.

"It's an American company that operates worldwide in 66 countries, with more than 180,000 agents across 1,100 offices, so they're actually a large company but still maintain a local footprint.

"We were looking to pair our personal service with the power of a large company, and Keller Williams gives us that perfect blend."

Hallas' partnership with Keller Williams enables him to receive collaboration from a large company in terms of progressing sales and compliance.

He said: "They're fantastic at getting a sale over the line, and they're really good at dealing with the solicitors, the banks, the mortgage companies, everyone with a finger in the pie basically whenever there's a sale going through.

"They make sure that everything that is happening is legal and above board, and of course, they provide a lot of support for the technical side of things."

Hallas added: "So the way it works is that we're the agents for Teddington, and we have Keller Williams backing us.

"We can give that personal service, which is why we decided to partner with Keller Williams, because I'm a big believer that companies should be solving problems, not creating them, and I think the way that we can do it is through this partnership."

David Hallas works from a hub and from home rather than a high street office, keeping overheads low, which is exactly what allows the lower commission.

Clients can get in touch with Hallas via his website here, by calling and/or WhatsApping him on 07550016100 or emailing him at [email protected].

Speaking about this, he said: "We offer far better value for money because we don't have the same overheads as your traditional UK high street chain that is paying business rates and rent on the property, etc.

"They often pay tens of thousands of pounds a year for an old system even though no one goes into a shop anymore to look for a property. Instead, people go on Rightmove or Zoopla.

"So, we're more accessible, and we're always available - we don't communicate through a switchboard or get passed around; we're always there on whichever method is convenient.

"We also work outside of typical office hours. If you're working in the city and you can't get back till seven, but you still need to talk to your agent, or you still need someone to come around and value the property, we'll be there.

"We're community focused."

David Hallas lists and sells properties in the local area on behalf of clients as well as lettings.

Hallas works front-of-house, meaning he deals with all contacts, while Malar helps run the office and specialises in photography.

Hallas is the person who will show clients around properties, set up listings and put them online through Rightmove, Zoopla etc.

He said: "I'm the one that knows their property, and that's the key, so you're not getting passed around an office with more than one person doing one job and having to re-explain the whole story again to someone new.

"I know that property, I know everything about it, and I'm the person that would sell it, and we sell it on the same channels as everyone else, being Rightmove, Zoopla and OnTheMarket"

The estate agent is offering 0.7% + VAT commission to anyone who registers an interest in moving with the business before Christmas (Terms apply). This does not mean that you need to list by Christmas, just register your interest to lock in the rate.

Speaking about the offer, Hallas said: "I'm a great believer that businesses should solve problems; if you're not solving people's problems, you're never going to stay in business.

"One of the problems that we'd like to try and solve is value for money. So, because we don't have the overheads of a high street office with business rates and all the rent that is going to a high street shop landlord, we can pass that saving on to our customers.

"I think a lot of people struggle to move because of the cost of it, because it's not just the agent's fees - you've then got solicitor's fees, bank's fees, removal costs, stamp duty, etc..

"It becomes hugely expensive, and some people can then find themselves trapped.

"So, I like to do my own little bit and that's to offer the best value for money."

The company is also partnering with Teddington-based charity Ruils.

For every referral to David Hallas made through Ruils' newsletter, the person who made it receives £250, and £250 goes to Ruils. So a local introduction does something for you and something for the town.

As a member of the local Rotary Club, Hallas has frequently worked with Ruils.

"They're a fantastic charity in the area," he said.

The estate agent explained that Ruils is close to his heart because his uncle, who passed away when he was in his late 20s, had a life-limiting illness and had to be cared for by his parents throughout his life.

Hallas said: "So it's a bit close to my heart and it's nice to try and give back, especially to a charity that is so well-respected in Teddington.

He continued: "We think that an estate agency should be giving back to the community, not just taking; that's why we're partnering with Ruils."

More information about David Hallas can be found on his website here.

Contact David Hallas on 07550 016 100 or [email protected] to take advantage of the 0.7% + VAT offer.

David Hallas is a sponsor of Nub News.

Without their community-minded sponsorship, we wouldn't be able to bring you local news free from overly-intrusive ads, pop-ups and clickbait.