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Why us
Choosing an estate agent in Tunbridge Wells isn't simply about choosing a company — it's about choosing a service model. Sellers today generally have three options: a corporate chain, an online agency, or a local independent. Even within the independent sector, there's another important distinction: traditional volume-led agencies or a director-led, relationship-driven service. This page explains where Kings Estates sits and, more importantly, what that means for you as a seller.
Our office adjacent to Tunbridge Wells railway station.
What sets us apart
01
Mike Heath, Gemma Collins and Tom Snowdon — three directors — personally handle every valuation, every premium instruction, and every sales-progression conversation through to last completion. No handover to a junior negotiator, no rolling cast of phone-back voices. The named person who values your home is the named person who negotiates your offer and completes the transaction.
02
PRIME by Kings Estates is the senior-led marketing service for distinctive homes — architectural photography, cinematic film, editorial copy, premium portal placement and managed launch events. Standard portal upload sells homes at standard prices; premium presentation sells distinctive homes at the prices they deserve. The compounding effect on the sale price typically pays back the marketing investment 8-12 times over.
03
Independent and owner-led: roots in Grahame King & Partners, the Kings name since 1985 (Est. 85), and an independent business since the Heath family management buyout in 1992. ARLA Propertymark accredited on the lettings side; Mike Heath holds MARLA and FNAEA personally; Property Ombudsman member; Tenancy Deposit Scheme registered. The accreditations matter less than what they signal — the agency is owner-led and the directors are personally accountable for every instruction.
Who actually does the work
By the numbers
Every figure below is pulled directly from our own client records — pre-registered tenants on the lettings register, landlords and vendors we've worked with, viewings conducted and valuations completed across the patch. Rounded down to a conservative number; the actual figure is always higher.
350+
Pre-registered tenants
currently on our lettings register
1,900+
Landlords
represented across our patch
2,700+
Vendors
served on the sales side
5,500+
Viewings
conducted across TN1–TN18
1,200+
Valuations
completed in person
41+
Years trading
the Kings name · Est. 85
Source: Kings Estates client records · Last refreshed 13 May 2026
The marketing
Every home we launch is photographed to this standard — commissioned photography, twilight where it earns its place, film for the homes that deserve it. Not our best-ever one-offs: the ordinary standard of a Kings Estates instruction.
How we sell
01
A director visits, walks the home with you, and gives you an honest, evidence-based figure — never inflated to win the instruction.
Director-led from the first visit
02
Professional photography, film and staging prepared before a single buyer sees your home.
03
Every major portal at once, plus direct contact with our qualified buyer database.
04
Senior team only at viewings, honest feedback reported promptly — then we hold value and negotiate hard.
05
Active management through solicitors, surveys and chain — we never disappear once a sale is agreed.
The same three directors, start to finish
Presented like this, a home sells for what it's worth.
Comparison
Brand recognition, deep marketing budgets, multi-branch reach — but the person you meet at valuation is rarely the person who handles your sale.
| Dimension | Typical national corporate chains | Kings Estates |
|---|---|---|
| Who values your home | Branch manager or senior negotiator | A named director — Mike, Gemma or Tom personally |
| Who handles viewings | Rotating cast of negotiators | Senior team member, named at instruction |
| Sales progression | Dedicated progression desk handling 50+ files | Same director from offer to completion |
| Marketing spend | Standardised package | Tailored — PRIME for distinctive homes, standard for the rest |
| Local market knowledge | Postcode-level averages | Street-level — we've sold on every road in TN1–TN4 multiple times |
Comparison
Lower headline fee, app-led process, scale of choice — but no local agent walks through your home, no premium marketing assets, no sales progression team.
| Dimension | Typical online and hybrid agents | Kings Estates |
|---|---|---|
| Fee structure | Fixed fee, payable on listing (typically £999-£1,999) | Percentage on sale (no sale, no fee — risk is ours) |
| In-person valuation | Self-input plus algorithmic estimate | Director attendance at the property, 60-90 minutes |
| Property photography | Self-supplied or basic agency photos | Architectural photography and (on PRIME) cinematic video |
| Buyer database | Algorithmic match across UK postcodes | Pre-registered local buyer register, senior-led match |
| Sales progression | Tenant-side admin desk, telephone-led | Senior director handling every chain conversation |
Comparison
Local presence and family ownership — the right starting register. The differentiator is whether the agency has invested in premium marketing infrastructure, director-led service and editorial brand-building, or operates at the more traditional volume-led independent register.
| Dimension | Typical generic local independents | Kings Estates |
|---|---|---|
| Premium marketing service | Standard portal-upload, agency photography | PRIME — director-led, architectural, editorial-grade |
| Pre-registered buyer database | Email-list of past enquirers | Qualified buyer register matched to brief, senior-led intros |
| Off-market channel | Ad-hoc, informal | Dedicated /buyers/off-market service, senior-led discreet sales |
| Editorial content / area authority | Limited — homepage + property listings | 30 area guides, 10 pillar journal articles, quarterly market context |
| Director-led model | Owner often present but daily work delegated | All three directors active on instructions, every week |
“I have dealt with a few Estate Agents in my time and always felt that they did very little to earn their fee. What a pleasant and refreshing change it was dealing with the team at Kings.”
Independent signals
Brand claims are weightless without verification. The signals below are externally checkable in under five minutes — Google reviews, Propertymark register, Companies House.
A 30-minute conversation
In-person, by Mike, Gemma or Tom — typically 45–60 minutes. We walk the property, talk through comparable sales on your street, the realistic launch window, presentation recommendations, and what we'd do differently. No obligation, no follow-up pressure if it's not the right fit.
