Thurman Rye opened Bitterne Park’s only estate agency office in September. Here Michael Rye tells bitternepark.info why the firm decided to open up shop in a tricky economic climate. Pic: Messrs Rye and Thurman outside their new Bitterne Park branch. “Right now our biggest enemy is the media,” says Michael Rye, sitting in his new Bitterne Park office opposite the Triangle clock tower. “The media tells us it's all doom and gloom: ‘double-dip recession; everything's going to go horribly horribly wrong, very very soon’, etc. But we've got faith in the property sales market, and I think the public should have as much faith as we've got.
“Where other agents have decided to consolidate and close and fall by the wayside, I think we're the only agent that's decided to open new branches — certainly within this area.”
The firm has two other branches: its Netley Abbey office opened six years ago, while its city centre Oxford Street branch has now been open for four years. So what drew Thurman Rye to Bitterne Park?
Bitterne Park: lovely spread of properties
“Bitterne Park is almost a village on its own,” explains Michael. “It's
got good catchment for schools, and its got a lovely spread of
properties: everything from one-bed apartments to six-bed houses. It
goes right across the price range. And the river's a fantastic bonus;
the park's a wonderful amenity. And of course we can cross the river and
also offer our service in St Denys, Portswood, and Highfield, where
there aren't any other agents.”www.thurmanrye.co.uk
