Subscribe to trusted local news

In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever. By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.

Subscription costs less than £1 a week with an annual plan.

Already a subscriber? Log in here.

May 2023

Last Updated: 24/05/2023

From work experience to directorship at Myrings

by John Grainger

| 12 May, 2023

Colin Bonham started at Myrings as a school pupil and is now on the board at Yorkshire's 'Estate Agent of the Year'.

This story is sponsored by Myrings Estate Agents .

When Colin Bonham was promoted recently to Senior Associate Director at Harrogate estate agent Myrings, it was the latest step in a rapid rise up the career ladder to the top of the district’s property industry.

The promotion has given him a seat on the board at family firm Myrings, which is run by brother and sister Simon and Gemma Myring, but Colin's first brush with estate agency was when he was still a pupil at Ashville College. He told The Stray Ferret:

“I was already interested in property, so I asked to do my work experience placement with an estate agent. I spent the week at Myring & Heward, as it was then, and really enjoyed it.

“Later, during my gap year, I bumped into Gemma and she offered me a job. I was 18 then and I’ve never looked back.”

That was in 2010, and since then Colin reckons he’s sold well over 1,000 properties. But he has also seen a seismic change in customer behaviour as the industry has increasingly gone online. He said:

“One of the biggest changes is how much things have gone digital. We used to have a huge rush on Thursdays after the local paper came out and people scoured the property pages, but these days more people search for properties online, so every day’s a rush now.”

Now 32 and a father-of-two, Colin is currently working towards becoming an Associate Member (AssocRICS) of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and is ambitious for his future. But that’s not to say he intends to move onwards and upwards – he's happy where he is. He said:

“I’ve always been very well looked after here. Because it’s a family business, its ethos is independent – it's not like a big corporate, with 28 layers of management. I’ve always worked very closely with Simon and Gemma, which has made it very easy to learn.

“I’m still relatively young, and one day I fully intend to run the business – but only when Simon and Gemma are ready to hand over the keys!”

Until then, he intends to help Myrings grow its footprint – it currently has the second-highest stock level in Harrogate – and its rental portfolio, while protecting the firm’s good name. He said:

“At the latest Estate Agent of the Year Awards (the ESTAS) we were named the best estate agent in Yorkshire, as well as winning gold awards for both sales and rentals and being named the best for sales in North Yorkshire. It was a phenomenal achievement for a family firm with just one office, but it didn’t surprise me at all.

“Reputation is everything to us – what people think of us is of utmost importance to us. The name above the door isn’t the name of some historic founder – it's who is here every day. And people like the fact that it’s a family firm, because they’re often buying or selling a family home, and it’s very personal to them. That’s why word has spread about how good we are, and why I’m proud to work here.”

Find out more:

If you’re a Harrogate homeowner or involved in the local property market in any way, call Myrings on 01423 566400 for a free no-obligation chat about its residential sales and lettings services, or visit the website: myringsestateagents.com.