The Property Franchise Group (TPFG) has acquired an 85% stake in Smart Advice Financial Solutions (SAFS), continuing its push to deepen financial services across its estate agency franchise network.
SAFS is an appointed representative of Mortgage Advice Bureau (MAB), the wholly owned subsidiary of AIM-listed Mortgage Advice Bureau (Holdings) plc, one of the UK’s largest mortgage intermediary networks.
The business provides mortgage and related financial advice through 34 advisers, increasing TPFG’s financial services network to 315 advisers nationwide.
TPFG said the acquisition supports its wider growth strategy by expanding its client base and strengthening its ability to generate mortgage, remortgage and protection activity from within its property brands.
INTEGRATED MODEL
The group has steadily increased its focus on financial services as part of a more integrated model, aimed at improving conversion, adviser productivity and recurring income.
The move comes as estate agency groups look to diversify revenues amid fluctuating transaction volumes and ongoing pressure on traditional sales and lettings margins.
Mortgage and protection advice has become an increasingly important area of growth.
Mortgage and protection advice has become an increasingly important area of growth for larger networks, particularly those with national franchise footprints and access to large pipelines of buyers and landlords.
Mortgage Advice Bureau, through its appointed representative structure, supports thousands of advisers across the UK, providing compliance, technology and lender access.
The relationship allows firms such as SAFS to scale while operating within a well-established intermediary framework.
BIG OPPORTUNITY
Michelle Brook (main picture), Financial Services Director at TPFG, says: “We’re very pleased to welcome Smart Advice Financial Solutions to the Group, further expanding our team of professional advisers.
“We see significant opportunity to scale the division across a broader footprint, and we remain focused on increasing advisor productivity alongside recruitment to support our ambitions.”
ADDED VALUE
TPFG has made no secret of its intention to grow both organically and through acquisition, with financial services playing a central role alongside its estate agency brands.
The group believes closer alignment between property transactions and advice services will help franchisees capture more value from each client relationship while improving customer outcomes.
The acquisition of SAFS follows a period of continued consolidation in the UK property and mortgage sectors, as larger groups seek scale, resilience and greater control over the end-to-end home-moving process.
