Sales talk: Ben Di Rollo is pleased with the first six months of trading (pic: Terry Murden / DB Media Services)
Ben Di Rollo speaks about his new property venture and growing demand from Americans, writes TERRY MURDEN
Ben Di Rollo is back in familiar surroundings, occupying an office of his former business, and satisfied that his ‘new model’ estate agency has made a solid start. He’s adopting a change of style for buying and selling homes that focuses less on volume and more on how the transaction is managed and, so far, results are encouraging.
He wants to go beyond helping customers through what he calls ‘the process” and teamed up with business owner and long-time family friend Ronnie Napier to launch Niksen, providing a more holistic approach to the sector.
The Niksen way is named after the Dutch concept of taking some of the stress out of the process by focusing more on clients’ wider needs, from pre-sale repairs and decoration, to managing their move. This, he says, doesn’t compromise on the selling part of the service.
“I wanted to get away from process and work with the clients, rather than just working for them,” says Di Rollo whose journey through the property sector has also included Savills, Braemore and HBJ.
The firm’s first branch occupies a prominent corner site on the main road through Stockbridge in Edinburgh, close to the Sunday market. It was formerly a branch of Coulters which he co-owned.
It’s now six months since the launch of Niksen and he’s pleased that the bespoke marketing approach presented to clients, including videos, digital marketing, social media and insight into the local community, has had some notable successes.
He says: “The first property we took on had been on the market for almost two years and was struggling to sell which was bizarre given that it was on Colinton Road. It took us just two weeks to get a sale.”
Whilst focusing on the Edinburgh market and the surrounding areas, Di Rollo is looking at routes to grow the business, such as providing the sales and marketing service for new-build developers to sell off-plan. Among a number of partnerships, Niksen is bringing buyers to Square and Crescent which is behind the transformation of the Edinburgh Sick Kids’ Hospital overlooking the Meadows.
Another part of the strategy is to expand beyond Edinburgh, even venturing into England. “We’re looking at prime areas of the UK which are benefiting from growing markets such as East Lothian and St Andrews, but also Manchester where there is a lot of new-build going on,” he says.
First base: Ben Di Rollo back in Stockbridge (pic: Terry Murden / DB Media Services)
There are other changes in the market that are stimulating new opportunities. Americans are applying for UK citizenship in record numbers, according to Home Office data released in the wake of Donald Trump’s re-election to the White House.
The figures show more than 6,100 US citizens applied to live in Britain in 2024, more than double the number of applications submitted in 2004. The last three months of 2024 were also a record of any quarter in the past 20 years, with 1,708 applications submitted between October and December, the period covering Trump’s 4 November re-election.
“We’ve had enquiries from Americans disillusioned with Trump and the way the US is going,” says Di Rollo. “They’re coming from New York, Seattle, Houston, California. We had 14 since the election.”
They’re likely to have a bit of money to spend and that will stimulate demand, and probably prices, in some of the more upmarket areas. They are likely to be joined by house-hunters from the south of the UK who are said to be looking north for good state schools after the imposition of VAT on private school fees.
Another changing facet of the market is the pull-back on the work-from-home trend that accelerated during the pandemic.
“With more people going back to the office there is now more demand for homes near population centres,” says Di Rollo, adding that this may prompt some fresh thinking by planners about allowing more housebuilding in these areas.
Di Rollo, 40, is of Italian descent. His relatives emigrated to Scotland after the world wars and opened a fish and chip shop in Edinburgh. Di Rollo’s father got a job as a rep selling tiles and later went on to set up his own business, but his son was more interested in property.
“From a young age I remember grabbing the property section out of the newspaper and became fascinated by it,” says Di Rollo.
He has a 50-50 partnership with Napier, who owns a group of property and recruitment businesses with a £25m turnover. Di Rollo is the hands-on managing partner while Napier is chairman. “Ronnie is a problem solver,” he says. “If there are any barriers he knows how to get over them.”
The pair are now joined by a couple of experienced assistants, one a valuation specialist and other focused on sales.
Together the new team are hoping interest rates remain low and that some of the cost pressures bearing down on housebuilders will ease to help open up the new-build sector.
Even as the business grows, Niksen will continue to take a quietly confident approach, one that doesn’t rely on noise or numbers, but on strong relationships and word of mouth.
“It’s not about filling a window with listings,” says Di Rollo. “It’s about doing good work, and letting our
clients do the talking.”
PERSONAL CHECKLIST
Occupation: Managing partner, Niksen Property
Birthplace: Edinburgh
Education: George Watsons’s Edinburgh; Heriot-Watt and Napier universities
Career journey: IME Property, Shapes, Property Auctions, Braemore Sales & Lettings, HBJ, Coulters, Savills, Niksen
Other activities
President of the Watsonian Club, playing golf and padel
What disappoints you?
When things are done poorly. And people who live behind their phone rather than experiencing things happening in front of them.
Who would you invite to a fantasy dinner party?
Barack Obama, Sir Chris Hoy and David Beckham, all three are genuine, good people
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