about blake & co
Property advice structured around your interests, not our commission.
Blake & Co exists because the standard estate agency model creates an obvious conflict: the agent earns on volume and speed. Genuinely good advice sometimes slows both down. We built the practice around advisory first; execution, where we’re the right fit.
why we exist
The consultancy model, and why it matters.
Most residential property decisions are among the largest a person will make. Yet the advice available is almost always provided by people with a direct financial interest in a particular outcome, typically a quick sale or a tenancy signed as fast as possible.
The result is an industry that has trained clients to expect less: less rigour, less transparency, less accountability when outcomes fall short. That’s the gap Blake & Co was built to fill.
Every engagement begins with a written situation review. We assess the options, including options that don’t involve us. If the honest answer is to wait six months, we say so. If a straight sale would serve you better than an assisted one, we say that too. The quality of advice is what earns the next instruction.
“The quality of advice is what earns the next instruction — not the commission on this one.”
what we believe
Three principles we design every engagement around.
01
Advice should be independent
We tell you what we’d do if it were our property. That sometimes means recommending a course of action that earns us nothing in the short term. Our view is that a client who receives honest advice and comes back for the next decision is worth far more than one who doesn’t.
02
Outcomes should be measurable
We write down what success looks like before we start, and we measure it when we finish. Not “we marketed your property across all portals” but “we achieved £432,000 against a valuation of £385,000 in 23 days.” Activities are not outcomes.
03
Relationships should outlast transactions
Property ownership is not a one-off event. Most of our clients have engaged us more than once, across different situations and service lines. We work to the standard that earns the second conversation, not just the first instruction.
Founder & Director
Austin Blake
Most residential property decisions are among the largest a person will make. Yet the advice available is almost always provided by people with a direct financial interest in a particular outcome, typically a quick sale or a tenancy signed as fast as possible.
The result is an industry that has trained clients to expect less: less rigour, less transparency, less accountability when outcomes fall short. That’s the gap Blake & Co was built to fill.
Every engagement begins with a written situation review. We assess the options, including options that don’t involve us. If the honest answer is to wait six months, we say so. If a straight sale would serve you better than an assisted one, we say that too. The quality of advice is what earns the next instruction.
Qualifications & memberships
- Member, Propertymark (ARLA Propertymark & NAEA Propertymark)
- Member, The Property Ombudsman scheme
- Client Money Protection scheme — [scheme name]
- NFoPP Technical Award in Residential Lettings & Property Management
- [Additional qualification or membership]
Probate property — assisted sale
How clients are protected when working with us.
We operate within the full regulatory framework that applies to residential property advisory and agency work in England and Wales. The registrations below are not decorative, each carries meaningful client protection obligations that we are legally required to uphold.
Propertymark Licensed
Client Money Protection
The Property Ombudsman
ICO
Registered
If you’re working out your next move, let’s talk.
A 20-minute call costs nothing and leaves you better informed, even if we turn out not to be the right fit. We’ll tell you honestly what we’d do in your situation, and what we wouldn’t.