How Arden Estates Stands Out With RoomSketcher
“There were at least two cases where we won clients because we let them use RoomSketcher to design their new house or extension.”
Jon Whitehead is careful not to credit the success of his real estate agency Arden Estates to a single factor. Presentation does play a major role though, and he's confident RoomSketcher has directly helped him to win clients.
When Jon launched Arden Estates in 2010, he was entering a property market where presentation standards were surprisingly low. Floor plans were often forgotten, photography was hit or miss, and marketing felt like an afterthought.
More than fifteen years later, Arden Estates has grown into a market leader across the UK’s West Midlands. From the beginning, Jon credits that success to one thing above all else: putting marketing quality first.
We sat down with Jon to understand how his agency uses floor plans and RoomSketcher as a core part of its strategy.
Standing Out in a Crowded Market
Today, Arden Estates has six branches focused on selling medium-high-end residential properties, with listings regularly exceeding £1 million ($1.4 million).
Back in 2010, however, Jon saw a clear gap in the market.
“When we started in 2010, property marketing was poor,” Jon explains. Most listings lacked floor plans, had poor quality photos, and no videos.”
“I’d never been an agent before starting Arden Estates, so I researched what ‘good’ looked like and set that as our baseline,” he said.
A Marketing-First Approach
Jon focused on delivering better presentations for a better customer experience. He trained in professional property photography and prioritized clear floor plans and high-quality visuals.
“We offered both 2D and 3D floor plans, and professional photography without extra charges. That made us stand out.”
Their strategy extended to the way their offices were set up. Unlike traditional high-street agencies, Arden Estates didn’t have window displays and felt more like a small, welcoming café. Moving offices away from high-streets also meant that they became a destination for clients, rather than one of ten agents in a row.
Why Arden Estates Chose RoomSketcher
Arden Estates initially used Metropix for floor plans, but around ten years ago Jon made the decision to switch to RoomSketcher as “Metropix felt dated.”
RoomSketcher won out because it was “cleaner, more modern, and we could colour-code to our brand.”
RoomSketcher makes it easy to make branded floor plans. You can set up customer profiles and styles for consistent and professional results, each time.
Jon’s decision was part of a broader commitment to upgrading marketing quality rather than solving a single problem. Since then, RoomSketcher has been used on every property across all branches.
Using RoomSketcher Daily
At Arden Estates, floor plans are created in-house by the photography team, which includes four to five trained staff members. Every listing includes a RoomSketcher floor plan, used consistently across the website, property portals, and printed brochures.
RoomSketcher’s intuitiveness made adoption easy.
“Occasionally I’ve given a client a login so they can experiment with an extension layout,” Jon said. “Just to add extra value,” by helping clients visualize possibilities.
Some plans are hard to read; RoomSketcher’s are clean and clear.”
Winning Clients and Building Trust
With RoomSketcher’s features in his agency’s toolkit, Jon can create compelling listings that stand out and win clients.
Floor plans created in RoomSketcher play a key part in Arden Estates' larger service package. The plans communicate the space effectively, setting expectations early and building trust.
“Lots of positive feedback over the years,” Jon said. “Clear listings with no missing information.”
Arden Estates' range of services also includes home-finding, mortgage advice through a sister business, and professional property staging.
Looking Ahead
Jon sees the property market continuing to evolve, with growing emphasis on video, social media, and AI-driven tools. He’s keen to stay ahead of those changes and is open to testing new technology where it adds real value.
He said Arden Estates wants to be at the forefront, and was excited to try RoomSketcher’s AI tools.
With RoomSketcher's AI Convert, you can convert digital or printed floor plans into editable RoomSketcher projects in seconds. RoomSketcher also recently beta-released FloorCapture. The new feature lets you scan rooms with your phone and turn them into editable floor plans using AI.
Advice for Other Agents
For agents considering upgrading their floor plans or property marketing, Jon’s advice is straightforward:
“Give it a go. We’ve been happily using RoomSketcher for eight to ten years. I’d recommend a demo.”
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