A South Wales estate agency, which has recently merged with a business from the South West of England, is reporting an upsurge in the number of prospective buyers coming to the area from Bristol.

Newland Rennie merged with David James & Partners creating a group of nine offices on both sides of the Severn and now employing 70 staff.

Gary Plumley, of Newland Rennie, said: “We are already finding that the majority of people who come through our doors, particularly at our Chepstow branch, are coming over from Bristol. People have been moving over here from there for years but we have seen an increase in recent times and prices are rising quite significantly.”

He said that someone moving into the area from Bristol will find they can get a lot more for their money, and still be able to commute into the city for work either by road or train.

Houses are selling quickly, which is creating a shortage of properties as not enough are coming to market, he said.

Newland Rennie has also been awarded exclusive membership of The Guild of Property Professionals for Newport, which further enhances its offering.

Being a member of the guild means Newland Rennie joins a group of around 800 estate agents across the UK which have met its exacting criteria of professionalism and customer service. Guild membership is usually only granted to one agent in a given area.

Members also have access to the widest possible pool of buyers across the whole of the UK including the London market, where its properties are marketed through the guild’s head office in Park Lane.

Gary Plumley said: “Being chosen to represent the guild in Newport is a great honour. It is a tribute to all the hard work we have invested into building our reputation for exceptional service, and underlines our position as a leading estate agent in the area.

“Estate agency is all about people which is why we remain committed to the principles of good old-fashioned, honest, personal service and this has always been our trademark.”

The estate agency is also keen to be seen as part of the community and is currently aiming to raise about £11,000 for Ty Hafan. So far about half of that target has been reached through a series of fund-raising efforts by staff including taking part in the Cardiff Half Marathon. One member of the team is also set to tackle a volcano in Bali to help reach the target.

The merger with David James & Partners will help both firms in other ways than just selling houses.

It offers a full ‘plot to key’ service, which is especially useful with rural property sales.

Mr Plumley said that someone might buy a plot of land or barn to convert at auction through Newland Rennie. In the past, they would have had to look elsewhere for planning advice and for an architect. But now that Newland Rennie has merged with David James & Partners, all of this can be done in house.

The group also now offers valuations, building surveying, land compensation, expert witness and rural AMC finance.

Both firms are well respected and longstanding firms of chartered surveyors and estate agents and they can cover all aspects of property agency.