Bethnal Greeners Series – EastHaus Estate Agents
With a direct focus on the east end, EastHaus does estate agency with a twist. Jenna Buck and Patrick Brady had both been in the property industry for a considerable amount of time before creating EastHaus. This Bethnal Greeners feature explores their journey and passion for the east end, so read on!
Your history
We’ve both lived in East London on and off for most of our lives. In fact, Patrick spent much of his youth growing up around Bethnal Green. We got together about 10 years ago, whilst working for a local East End property developer and since then continued to work in the property industry for both large and small East and Central London property consultancies and developers.
It was actually Patrick’s mum who inspired us to go into business together. In 2016, she decided to sell her house in Homerton and was really struggling to find an estate agent she felt comfortable with. We stepped in to help and were genuinely quite shocked at the level of service being offered from some of the agents in the area.
Then we had an idea…… if we could combine the quality of service offered in the West End with our knowledge of living in East End, then we would be able to offer something that was clearly in short supply in the East London property market. And so EastHaus was born.
Your business
We are a residential sales and lettings agency specialising solely in East London property.
It is not that we necessarily do things differently, we simply do them properly. We have a genuine passion for East London property and for ensuring we provide the best possible service to all parties involved. We are really trying to bring the personal attention and consideration which defined our experiences in the West London property market and apply it to every East London client.
We are based in the Pill Box, a former pharmaceutical factory in Bethnal Green – now a workspace of studios and offices home to a really diverse mix of independent businesses from shoe makers to forensic scientists and of course, an Estate Agent!
Clients can still come and see us and the added benefit is that not having an expensive high street shop fronted office means we can be more competitive on the fees we offer.
We also have really flexible working hours to facilitate the busy lives of East Londoners. We are happy to carry out viewings at any time of day and any day of the week so long as it suits all parties involved. We tend to find that when people don’t have to squeeze in a house viewing because of time constraints, the viewing experience is enhanced, both for us and them! And it is precisely because we are independent that we are able to be this flexible. Not just with our time, but with our approach to every client and what might suit them best.
Having sold a number of new developments over the years, and having worked with several boutique developers in that time, we recognise the importance interior design plays in marketing and selling properties in East London. That’s why we also recommend a local interior architect to assist clients in maximising the appeal of their property, whether to help in something as simple as picking the right curtains or something as complex as a full refurbishment project.
Your passion for the area, likes or dislikes
East London is a fantastically diverse part of the capital. It is fiercely independent, wonderfully creative and offers an eclectic mix of people, businesses, sights and sounds. We have a genuine passion and love for this part of London and are committed to championing other local independent businesses helping to promote the face of the East End.
Patrick: My absolute favourite area is Homerton. I grew up around there so it’s been amazing to have watch its transformation. It’s still much rawer than some of the other Hackney districts but there are some great bars, coffee shops and independent retailers to explore. A lot of people see Homerton as being on the edge of Hackney and slightly detached as it borders Hackney Marshes, but I would argue the opposite is true. From Homerton High Street you can walk to Central Hackney and the fashion hub of Hackney Walk, as well as Hackney Marshes, Hackney Wick and even Westfield in Stratford. Not to mention that you can get from Homerton Station to Oxford Circus in just over 20 mins.
Jenna: If I’m honest, I tend to navigate my favourite areas by coffee shops! The Common E2 on Old Bethnal Green Road is an East London treasure, their food is so good and I would argue they have the best coffee in East London – I absolutely love it in there and I love the area around it. Just a few minutes’ walk away you come across the eclectic shops of Columbia Road (Nelly Duff and Milagros are particular favourites) as well the picturesque Victorian terraces and brightly painted front doors of the Jesus Hospital Estate Conservation Area.
Your offers
We are very happy to offer readers of this article a 20% discount off our standard sales and lettings fees should they decided to sell or rent through us. (Just quote ‘LOVEBETHNALGREEN’ when you get in touch). We would also love people to shout about our business so if you know of someone looking to sell or rent out their home anywhere in East London put them in touch with us and if they decide to use our services, we’ll drop you over one of our fab hampers packed full of East End goodies from all our favourite independent retailers.
Your future
We have been up and running for almost two and half years now and are really pleased with the impact we have made so far in terms of people starting to recognise our name and also the amazing feedback we have had from our clients so far (have a look at our reviews on Google, All Agents and Trustpilot to see what people think of us). Our goal is to become the number one agent of choice for residents of Hackney, Tower Hamlets and the surrounding areas – but possibly more importantly for us, is to be recognised and remembered for the service we provide. We genuinely care about what we do and hopefully, in time, we can help to change the face of estate agency to a much friendlier and trusted one.
You can find out more about EastHaus on their website https://www.easthaus.co.uk/
Bethnal Greeners Series – Red Sun Crossfit
Red Sun CrossFit, a truly welcomed new addition on the Bethnal Green health and fitness front! I recently spoke with Wassim Tawil, the studio manager at Red Sun CrossFit to find out more about what this new venture means to him, what’s on offer and on their exciting partnership with the NHS. As always, keep reading and following our Love Bethnal Green ‘Bethnal Greeners’ series to gain a unique insight into some fantastic businesses and organisations!
Your history
I’m the manager here at Red Sun CrossFit which recently opened in March 2018. The owners are based in Switzerland, which is where I was first introduced to this amazingly effective and accessible form of training and exercise. The head coach of Red Sun CrossFit whom I trained under has also come across from Switzerland to head up our teaching thus offering his expertise on a wide range of programmes catered to all skill levels. Our coaching staff have specialist degrees in adaptive training, and have extensive experience training athletes with physical, intellectual, and developmental impairment.
Your business
We want to be an accessible, open space for people of all levels, ages and backgrounds not just the experienced athlete. We are true believers of the benefits of CrossFit having experienced the positive changes it has brought us in our own lives. We hope to instil positive habits, discipline and a drive to achieve one’s goals! Our mission is to pass down the knoweldge and benefits that we’ve acquired from CrossFit onto others and help improve their mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing. We also hope to become embedded into the fabric of our community and thus were delighted when we were recently approached by the NHS East London Foundation Trust to pilot a custom programme for people with lifelong learning disabilities. Most of these people have been leading a very sedentary and unhealthy lifestyle, putting them at high risk of chronic and heart diseases. Alongside the help of a certified dietitian issuing bespoke nutrition plan to the clients, we achieved a great success amongst our first cohort, and are soon to be starting with a new cohort of people.
Your passion for the area
Familiar with the area, Tower Hamlets has a big demographic of people with health problems such as obesity, diabetes etc. In London it’s difficult finding a space big enough to run group classes so we were quite fortunate to get something spacious and convenient. Bethnal Green still feels real, the people the high street; close by to Shoreditch which has its edge.
Your offers
We’re currently doing 50% off the first month’s membership as a new year’s promotion. We always provide the first class as a free taster, and students and members of the armed forces receive 10% off monthly memberships. We just introduced a new Burner class this year which has the same effectiveness as a CrossFit workout but is less technical and more accessible, making it ideal for beginners.
Your future
We want to be a truly comprehensive health provider, adding more elements to the services we already provide. We want to branch into the recovery, psychology and nutritional pillars that tend to a person’s overall wellbeing. In light of our recent partnership with the NHS, we are working to co-author a research paper demonstrating the benefits CrossFit has on a person, and push towards making exercise a prescriptive tool and an alternative to just issuing medication. We hope to provide the full service, encouraging sustainable wellbeing through emotional, physical and nutritional advice and guidance.
If you would like to find out more about Red Sun CrossFit, then please visit their website here. You can also find them on Instagram @redsuncf
Red Sun CrossFit is based in the arches at the following address – 195 Bancroft Road, London, E1 4ET