Bring On The Expert
Meet William McClintock, an international real-estate expert adding his influence to the market here on Samui.
The use of the term expert is very subjective. What’s it based on? Knowledge, experience, qualifications or application? Well, to qualify for this title, you generally need to have a combination of all of these things.
With almost 50 years of working in the industry, numerous successful ventures and profitable applications of his extensive experience and knowledge, Bill McClintock certainly fulfils the criterion.
Bill has had a varied career within the real-estate field and has a respected reputation in the UK and the Far East. But his current role signifies his expertise and standing amongst his peers.
As Chairman of the Board, and Chief Operating Officer, for the Ombudsman for Estate Agents (OEA) in the UK, Bill is responsible for its day-to-day running. He nurtures relationships within the industry and with the 12,500 UK estate agencies affiliated to the scheme, the member agencies of the OEA represent 85% of all residential UK sales offices.
He’s in constant negotiations with the Office of Fair Trading, the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform andthe Department of Communities and Local Government. In addition to this he’s also a fellow of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RCIS), the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) and is a committee member of the International Real-Estate Federation (FIABCI).
Following an illustrious real-estate background Bill was appointed as Chief Operating Officer of the OEA in 2003, and the following year was made Chairman of the Board. The OEA Scheme became effective on 1 January 1998 and is open to all those firms of estate agents with a principal, director or partner who’s a member of the National Association of Estate Agents or Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors; to all corporate estate agents; and to other estate agents who are sponsored and seconded by existing Members Agents.
The organization was formed in 1990 so that consumers in dispute with their agent could have their dispute resolved, free of charge, without having to resort to the courts. It offers an independent service for dealing with disputes between Member Agencies and consumers who are actual or potential buyers or sellers of residential property in the UK.
Prior to this current role Bill has held significant positions with prestigious agencies, such as: Cluttons London Residential Agency, for whom he headed the Hong Kong and Singapore offices, and Hamptons International, where he was the International Director.
To have held such positions during his career Bill has consistently shown his ability to apply the extensive knowledge and experience he has, to make his appointment a profitable one for his employers.
All of this background is very impressive but you may be wondering about Bill’s connection with real-estate here on Samui. Well, whilst he was working in Singapore and Hong Kong his personal interest in the Far East grew and, after holidaying here, he was taken with the island’s beauty, the attractive climate and the friendly people. In fact, he enjoyed his visit so much that he ended up buying some land in Choeng Mon and a new home built by resident developer, Alex Armitage.
This meeting with Alex soon developed into something of a business venture and resulted in the forming of Horizon Homes. Horizon Homes is now one of Samui’s leading agents and developers, and Bill’s influence has played a major role in building its reputation.
Horizon Homes is known for operating in a professional, honest and transparent way; this is hardly surprising, considering Bill’s position with OEA. The company, now headed by Alex Armitage has set new developing standards on Samui by obtaining a developers’ license for its flagship project, Horizon Villas. This project is actually being built on the land acquired by Bill as part of his initial investment.
It’s undeniable that having someone like Bill involved in the company is an advantage when it comes to credibility, professionalism and customer confidence.
As you can imagine, Bill is constantly in demand and therefore kept very busy by his directorships, memberships and affiliations with real-estate related organisations around the world. For example, as an operating director of the Guild of Professional Estate Agents,which works as an affinity group to independent agents, he’s been involved in the creation of the Fine & Country chain of agents. This is a high-end agency that has seen phenomenal growth during the last four years with 300 branches in the UK, 60 in South Africa and recently opening in Dubai.
Despite all of this, Bill tries to visit Samui as often as possible. This is one location where he can definitely mix business with pleasure. The slower pace of life on the island provides him with a valuable respite from his hectic business schedule and an opportunity to relax and re-charge his batteries. In the future you can expect to see more of Bill on the island, especially as the Horizon Villas project nears its completion.
Samui has a thriving real-estate industry. In the face of adversity during the uncertainties in Thailand’s property sector last year, Samui has continued to see an influx of new agencies. Many of which are internationally renowned and arriving in anticipation of the market gaining fresh impetus.
By having people of Bill’s calibre involved in real-estate on Samui, it can only be positive for the industry and, if customer confidence is in doubt, his continued commitment to real-estate on the island can surely be seen a sign of better things to come.
|
