Why Use Us?

Most people look for a home online. Williams and Donovan post your property on the industry's leading property portals as well as social media.

• Rightmove
• Zoopla

With a focus on quality and a dedication to our customers, we have been helping people buy, sell, rent and let homes throughout South-East Essex since 1999.

Williams and Donovan have been independently identified as one of the top estate agents in the country, and feature in The Best Estate Agent Guide.

Previously winning top awards at 'The ESTAS', 'The Negotiator', and most recently EA Masters, where we won 'Gold' in sales, and 'Excellent' in the Lettings categories.

Our aim is to be the agent of choice by providing exceptional customer service, honest advice and creative marketing.

Williams and Donovan are repeatedly ranked number one on Rightmove for SS5 and SS7 postcodes.

Pie Chart 1 below illustrates the number of properties we have sold in SS5 and SS4 during the period 01/12/2022 to 31/12/2022. We have sold 172 and the next closest agent sold 77.

We consistently out perform the other 72 Estate agents that sell properties in Benfleet and the whole of SS7.

Pie chart 2 below illustrates the number we have sold in SS7 during the period 01/01/2022 to 31/12/2022. We have sold 130 and the next closest agent sold 103.

Source Rightmove Intel 09/02/2023

At Williams and Donovan, we pride ourselves on being professional, but we also understand the importance of being human.

Buying, selling or renting a property is a life changing experience. That's why trust sits at the heart of everything we do.

You can trust us to work with you, guide you without leading you, and advise you without drowning you in jargon.

We'll never assume, we'll always act with empathy, but most of all, we'll work tirelessly to achieve our shared goal... your move to your new home.

Trust us to manage the hard part, so you can concentrate on the joy it will bring.

With over 3,000 followers (and growing) on both our Facebook and Instagram sites, your property will reach our unique audience of serious buyers

With a dedicated social media team, we are constantly finding innovative ways to stay relevant and increase our following.

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for sneak peeks of new properties coming onto the market.

First meeting
For the best service, if it is convenient to you, our valuation experts will meet you in person at the property to listen to your needs and discuss appropriate options.

We perform in-depth market appraisals
Pricing your property correctly is key to ensuring a successful sale, therefore our service includes an extensive appraisal, involving and in-depth analysis of local market conditions.

Pricing your property
The team at Williams and Donovan know how to value your home; achieve the best price and obtain early market interest.

We ensure our commission rates are competitive, without compromising on our high quality full service.

A picture really is worth a thousand words.

We take the time to give your home the attention it deserves.

There's no limit to the amount of photos we take and we carefully select the best photos to use when marketing your property.

We then enhance each photo by professionally editing the exposure, lighting, saturation, colours, straightening, shadows and object removal to show your home at its very best.

Finding a home is about more than matching buyers to properties. It is about matching people to environments.

In our business, we believe it is essential to be an expert in property, an expert in the local area and, most importantly of all, an expert in people.

Our people are local people, who understand the area. Our staff have over 200 years collective experience operating in the South-East Essex area, which means they know the local market like the backs of their hands.

Our success is built on this combination and, as such, it is reflected in everything we do.

We will organise all viewings around you using our bespoke software and will endeavour to provide feedback within 24-48 hours.

Our After Sales Specialists will chase solicitors, brokers, buyers and the whole 'chain' to effect a smooth transaction. They will keep you informed and updated. Our experience and expertise helps us identify potential problems before they occur, making sure everything runs as smoothly as possible. The best people to look after the sale are those in the office, who know the client and the property.

Property transactions can easily lose momentum, that's why we pride ourselves on our tenacity when chasing all parties involved, keeping you informed every step of the way.

Our offices have been recently modernised and refurbished and are situated on prominent corner positions within Benfleet and Hockley where we trade, ensuring prospective buyers can find us easily.

Window displays showing your property further increases the chances of finding the right buyer for you.

We keep in regular contact with our database of potential buyers to check they are still actively looking and showcase any new opportunities.

In addition to the property portals, our social media, alternative marketing, texts, and our telephone call out lists, your potential buyer will be sent an email as soon as your property is available.

Furthermore, with a large team covering each office, our phones are well manned, ensuring that no opportunities for viewings are missed.

We have spent years perfecting our approach to ensure every step of your journey with us is as smooth as it can be.

Sound communication lies at the heart of great customer service, so from your initial enquiry right through to handing over your keys, our friendly team will be in regular touch to offer guidance, answer questions and solve problems.

The experience of the whole team enables us to navigate through the tough negotiations to arrive at the best outcome, even in the most challenging of markets.

Through the combination of all that we have learned, and all that we do, we are confident that we will achieve the best price possible for your home.

We understand that selling a house in not a 9 am – 5 pm process, which is why we are one of only a handful of agents who have an office that is open seven days a week (Benfleet office open Sundays). We do not miss any opportunity to sell our clients’ properties.

Using social media, email, Whatsapp, and messaging, ensures that we are contactable seven days a week.

Many of our properties are displayed on Rightmove as Premium Listings or Featured Properties. These are designed to stand out from the normal listings, and Rightmove’s own statistics prove that properties displayed in this way secure higher levels of enquiries from potential buyers.

We use a selected and qualified Energy Assessor who also produces professionally drawn floor plans. He has worked with us for many years, and we're sure you will feel at ease with him.

As well as high profile approaches, we offer a more bespoke service should it be required. This service is totally tailored to your individual needs.

This service can include any combination of 3D property tours, property videos (four times more likely to attract buyers), drone aerial photography, or 'staging' (where we can, for instance, digitally furnish an empty room).

Being prominent on websites searches increases the chances of people seeing your property.

Through tireless work with our website provider, Social Media team, independent website specialists, and all overseen by our designated website team, we ensure our site remains on the top of Google searches and other search engines.

Understanding Google algorithms is vital. Our expertise ensures that our website remains relevant, and our clients' properties are found by prospective buyers and tenants alike.

Our website has been designed to be 'mobile-first', meaning that it is as smooth on mobile phones as it is on PCs and laptops, adapting to the modern world of mobile technology and instand access.

In the unlikely event of a problem arising with a sale or purchase, which is conducted via us, that we are unable to resolve to your complete satisfaction, you will have access to the Ombudsman Scheme, an independent arbitration service.

We were one of the first licensed Estate Agents in Hockley and remain one of the few agents that are licensed in Hockley and Benfleet.

This licence guarantees that we are covered by the right amount of professional indemnity insurance that is considered essential for consumer protection.

We are also members of ARLA Property mark which Protects Landlords and Tenants and their money by holding their members accountable and is also part of a government redress scheme ARLA demands.