Interview: Stephanie Goldstone and Jenny Forshaw of Move Angels

Stephanie Goldstone and Jenny Forshaw are the founders of Move Angels, a relocation service provider based in Altrincham.

The firm works to allay some or all of the stresses we associate with moving home, from finding a new property to packing up belongings and relocating family members and pets.

Stephanie told me that she and Jenny have been firm friends for more than 15 years. Move Angels, she said, sprang from their shared passion for fashion, interior styling and moving house.

“We have both had careers in retail, design and project management and thought about working together for a while,” said Stephanie. “But our careers were going in different directions.

“When I sold my fashion retail business and Jenny was looking for another move, the time seemed right to join forces.”

Jenny added: “Both of us love the property market and home moving, and our skills naturally meant that this was an area we could be successful in.

“From that we formed our company which helps its clients relocate across the UK and beyond.”

“Our biggest obstacle is the fact that the best properties get snapped up so quickly.”

As partners in business, the pair believe they both bring a completely different skill set to the table when it comes to running Move Angels. Stephanie insisted it’s what makes the arrangement work.

“Plus, we get on very well, which is essential in a partnership,” she continued. “We can have differences of opinion, debate it and find a way forward. We’ve been very lucky in that we both work hard, love meeting new clients, sourcing properties, helping people move house and providing a shoulder to cry on, as some of our clients really do get upset about moving house. It is such an emotional time for some people.”

In September, we reported that Move Angels was planning to expand by targeting new clients in Liverpool, Manchester and across Lancashire.

When I asked about the growth drive, Jenny said the firm’s client base is building rapidly, particularly across Lancashire and Manchester.

Jenny continued: “ We’ve secured some fantastic new clients in both areas and are currently in the middle of a number of relocation moves from London to Manchester, which is great news, and a series of home staging projects for a developer.

“Liverpool is going well as it’s such a buoyant market. We’re finding our clients are coming from the Wirral and there’s quite a few city centre moves in the pipeline for next year.”

As with companies in any sector, a business working to relocate families and individuals is bound to hit snags. I was curious to know more about the hurdles that Move Angels had to overcome in 2015.

“It’s such a fast-moving industry.”

“Our biggest obstacle,” Stephanie said, “is the fact that the best properties get snapped up so quickly that we literally have to be networking with and speaking to estate agents across the whole of the North West every single day, to find out about properties they have on their books.

“We want to know about them before they have the ‘for sale’ sign outside. The market is so busy that many properties don’t even make it to the estate agent website before they are snapped up.

“It’s such a fast moving industry. It helps that we literally know all the best estate agents and have developed great friendships with them.”

Making Move Angels successful and maintaining that success, Stephanie explained, is a matter of endless networking and developing new leads with developers and sellers.

At Bdaily, we’ve previously reported on Move Angels’ expansion across the Atlanticwith the launch of a new service to help Brits who are seeking to move to America.

I asked Jenny and Stephanie if they could update our readers on the progress of that service, and Move Angels’ partnership with Elissa Lithman of Florida-based SoBe British Realty.

“Whether clients move around the corner or across the world, we have to understand their motivation and lifestyle.”

Jenny said: “We’re working with two new clients who want to move over to enjoy a sunnier outlook in the USA, which is great news for us. We love Florida as it has so much to offer, and Miami is one of our favourite places!

“Moving house in America is a completely different ball game to over here though and that’s why we formed the partnership with SoBe Realty. We deal with the UK side of the move - working with the client in terms of selling their UK home and helping them decide what they need from a stateside property, and Elissa then deals with the USA property search and purchase.”

Stephanie said that having an overseas partner who know the market inside out is “hugely beneficial”.

She said it “cuts down on the amount of time it takes to find a property and for a deal to go through.”

I’ve moved house several times myself, but I’ve never bought a home abroad. So I wondered how the process of moving to a new home in the UK differs from moving to the US. I asked Stephanie and Jenny about the biggest considerations for customers wanting to live in America.

“This all depends on the client and whether the move is a holiday home, to emigrate or for retirement,” Stephanie explained. “Whether clients move around the corner or across the world, we have to understand their motivation and lifestyle in order to help them make good property decisions. The process of buying a home is a little different in the USA, but the thought processes behind the decisions are largely the same.”

According to Jenny, generally speaking, moves from the UK to Florida are often climate related, so that typically determines a customer’s choice of property.

“They often have factors such as whether there is a pool,” Jenny said, “or where the sun is, air-conditioning, screened porches, covered parking, proximity to the beaches etc. to bear in mind. [All of this is] not so important in Manchester!

“Important also, many US states have zones where it is purely for residential or long-let, not holiday rental, so these are always property finding factors to bear in mind when choosing a location.

“For many, important considerations can also be around their families. For retirees and people emigrating, they like to be near a good international airport so family can visit. Those offering direct flights to the UK are popular. They also like properties with additional bedroom and living space, to accommodate visitors.”

Looking ahead to the next 12 months, Jenny and Stephanie said they plan on continuing to drive growth in the North West, strengthening their regional position. But she also said the firm wants to expand into Yorkshire.

“We know the Leeds area very well,” Jenny said, “so we want to test the water over the Pennines. We will also continue to work with clients looking to move to London, as there’s so much movement between the North West and the capital.”

Stephanie added: “We love home styling too, so are working now to grow the home staging and decluttering parts of the business - which are often a great introduction for clients to see what Move Angels can offer them.”