What Preston Baker & Associates does

Preston Baker & Associates Ltd. is a privately held, full-service UK residential estate agency headquartered at 99 Walmgate, York, founded in 2008 by cousins Ian Preston and James Baker. The firm operates four physical branches across Yorkshire (York headquarters, Leeds, Selby, and Doncaster) and serves residential buyers and sellers, first-time buyers, investors, and property developers in the region. Its core offering is residential sales and purchases, executed through a self-employed Associate model in which each client is assigned a single dedicated local agent for the full transaction lifecycle.

The company's core differentiator is its trademarked Property Launch marketing methodology, which uses predictive modelling and intelligence to generate multiple viewings and offers, with the company claiming an average of 101.7% of asking price across 4,000+ tested launches. A complementary proprietary tool, SEARCH, indexes local on-market and off-market properties and enables agents to proactively contact homeowners on behalf of buyers via direct mail and postcards. Ancillary platforms include online valuation, mortgage, buy-to-let yield, and cost-of-moving calculators, plus integrations with Reapit (RPS), Moneypenny, Brief Your Market, and Google Analytics.

The business model is primarily transaction-fee based, with an estimated estate agent fee of approximately 1.42% of sale price (negotiated per client). The firm has built three adjacent revenue streams on top of the core: Preston Baker Financial Services (mortgages and protection, operating as an appointed representative of Mortgage Advice Bureau Derby), PBFS Commercial Limited (commercial mortgages, development finance, bridging finance, and business loans), and a Planning & Architecture division offering planning applications, design statements, and masterplanning for developers and landowners. The company is part of the 22 Group and reports no outside institutional investment; revenue and headcount are not publicly disclosed beyond the 101-250 employee band. Customer outcomes cited include 800+ Five Star Google reviews, award wins including Best Estate Agent in the UK (2018), Gold Award in the Best Estate Agent Guide 2023, and Best Innovation at the Estate Agency Masters Awards 2023.

Name

Preston Baker & Associates

Legal name

Preston Baker and Associates Ltd.

Website

https://prestonbaker.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Preston Baker & Associates is a privately held Yorkshire-based estate agency operating four branches across York, Leeds, Selby, and Doncaster, offering residential sales, mortgages, commercial finance, land transactions, and planning and architecture services via a self-employed Associate model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Residential Estate Agency Services

NAICS

Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers (53121)

SIC

Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531)

akta.pro primary industry

Buyer Representation Services (BPAJAAAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Land & Development Site Brokerage (BPAJABAG), Investment Sales Brokerage (BPAJABAI), Rural Residential & Acreage Homesites Brokerage (BPAJADAE), Real Estate Advisory & Consulting (Strategy, Portfolio & Location) (FSAEAJAH)

Keywords

• Residential estate agency
• Property sales services
• Mortgage advisory
• Commercial finance
• Planning and architecture

Headquarters

HQ city

York

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Estate Agency Commission: Preston Baker earns commission on residential property sales. The estimated estate agent fee referenced on their cost calculator is approximately 1.42% of the property sale price, though exact terms are negotiated individually with clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Preston Baker & Associates is a Yorkshire-based estate agency providing residential property sales and purchasing services through a network of self-employed Associate agents. The core offering is built around its trademarked Property Launch marketing methodology designed to achieve above-asking-price sales, supported by mortgage and protection advisory, commercial finance, new homes, land transactions, and planning and architecture services.

Product overview

Preston Baker & Associates is an award-winning Yorkshire estate agency offering a comprehensive property services platform. The core offering centres on residential property sales and purchases, supported by their trademarked Property Launch marketing methodology and innovative SEARCH tool for finding off-market properties. The platform extends through integrated modules including mortgage and financial services, commercial finance, new homes, land sales, and planning & architecture services. Additional tools include property valuation, mortgage calculators, investment calculators, and cost-of-moving calculators. The company operates a unique self-employed Associate model where each client works with one dedicated local agent throughout their property journey.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Preston Baker Financial Services: Mortgage advisory and protection services for home buyers and movers.
• PBFS Commercial Limited
• Preston Baker Planning & Architecture

Products and services

• Preston Baker Estate Agency Services Full-service estate agency offering residential property sales and purchases across Yorkshire, with dedicated local Associate agents providing undivided attention to each client throughout the buying or selling process.
• Property Launch Trademarked marketing methodology designed to help homeowners sell for more money in less time, using predictive modelling and intelligence to achieve an average of 101.7% of asking price per home.
• SEARCH Tool Innovative property search tool that finds both on-market and off-market properties by scouring listed properties and hidden gems not yet on the market. Agents proactively reach out to homeowners on behalf of buyers and send personalised postcards and direct mail.
• Preston Baker Financial Services Mortgage and financial advisory services including home-mover mortgages, first-time buyer mortgages, remortgaging, buy-to-let mortgages, green mortgages, later life mortgages, and protection products.
• Commercial Finance Commercial finance solutions including commercial mortgages, development finance, business loans, cash flow loans, invoice finance, bridging finance, and peer-to-peer lending.
• New Homes Dedicated specialist team selling new build properties across Yorkshire, working with developers of all sizes during any stage of the build process.
• Land Specialist service for selling and sourcing development land in Yorkshire villages and small towns, with focus on housing schemes and renewable energy projects.
• Planning & Architecture Expert planning and architectural services including planning applications, design and access statements, masterplanning, and residential scheme design for developers and landowners.

Quantifiable outcome

• 101.7% of asking price achieved on average per home via Property Launch
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Bairstow Eves (former franchise)minorOthersPreston Baker was originally established as a Bairstow Eves franchise in York in 2008. When the franchised arm was sold to a national agency in 2011, the founders went independent and rebranded as Preston Baker.
• Google AnalyticscoreTechnology or IntegrationPreston Baker uses Google Analytics, a third-party web analytics service provided by Google, to collect standard internet log information and visitor behaviour patterns on its websites. Used to monitor site traffic, analyse customer paths, and improve the service.
• 22 GroupminorOthers22 Group is identified as the parent company of Preston Baker in the website footer.
• Brief Your MarketcoreTechnology or IntegrationPreston Baker uses Brief Your Market, a third-party provider, to deliver its monthly e-newsletter. Statistics around email opening and clicks are gathered to help monitor and improve the e-newsletter.
• Reapit (RPS)coreTechnology or IntegrationPreston Baker stores all customer data on Reapit's RPS property management software system, which is licensed and used under a GDPR-compliant arrangement. The system is password protected and holds customer data owned by Preston Baker.
• Mortgage Advice Bureau (Derby) LimitedcoreOthersPreston Baker Financial Services (trading as Feel Good Financial) is an appointed representative of Mortgage Advice Bureau (Derby) Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) for mortgage and protection products.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Chestertons: UK estate and lettings agency operating across London and the South East with international reach. Comparable as a direct peer in residential sales and lettings with similar focus on professional, agent-led service.
• Carter Jonas: UK-wide property consultancy offering residential sales, commercial, planning and rural services. Closely comparable to Preston Baker in offering an integrated residential-plus-planning/rural platform with a strong regional branch model.
• Foxtons: UK estate agency with a strong regional branch model and heavy investment in marketing/technology. Comparable as a direct competitor in residential sales with similar emphasis on brand, agent productivity and digital lead capture.
• Hunters: National UK estate agency franchise network with regional branches. Comparable to Preston Baker's Associate model as a hybrid between local-agent empowerment and shared brand/technology infrastructure.
• Linley & Simpson: Yorkshire-headquartered estate agency covering residential sales, lettings and new homes. Comparable regional specialist with similar product set and customer base in overlapping Yorkshire postcodes.
• Manning Stainton: Major Yorkshire estate agency with multiple branches across Leeds and surrounding areas. Direct competitor for residential sales and lettings, with overlapping local brand strength.
• Dacre Son & Hartley: Long-established Yorkshire estate agency offering residential sales, lettings and professional services across the same regional footprint. Direct competitor for sellers, buyers and land transactions in Preston Baker's core market.

Broad incumbents

• Connells Group: Largest UK estate agency group encompassing multiple high-street brands and financial services. Comparable as a broad incumbent operating across the same UK residential sales and mortgage markets that Preston Baker serves.
• Savills: Global property advisor with extensive UK residential, commercial and rural offerings. Comparable as a broad incumbent in UK estate agency with overlapping planning and advisory capabilities, though at materially larger scale.
• Knight Frank: Global premium residential and commercial property agency with broad UK coverage. Comparable as a larger, established brand operating in the same UK residential market, though focused on higher-value segments than Preston Baker.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PrestonBakerUK
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCNR98eva9Hr4KH99akWoyqA
• Facebookfacebook.com/PrestonBakerYork
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/preston-baker
• Instagraminstagram.com/prestonbaker

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Preston Baker & Associates