National  SchoolTransfer

Seminars: "Sunday 29 June 2008; Sunday 21 September 2008; Sunday 16 November 2008; Sunday 8 March 2009; Sunday 3 May 2009; Sunday 14 June 2009"    A buyers' comment: "A big plus was the seminar on the buying process ... I would definitely recommend it to others"    A seller and buyers' comment: "We would not hesitate to call National SchoolTransfer first"    A sellers' comment: "We recommend their excellent service to all potential buyers and sellers of independent schools"   

FAQs about National SchoolTransfer

Below are some of the questions that clients, both buyers and sellers, have most frequently put to us. We have attempted to answer them here but you are always welcome to speak to us directly if you have further queries.

Q. Why must buyers provide a copy of their CV?
A. In order that when a buyer wishes to visit a school or nursery we can tell the seller something about the background and suitability of the potential buyer.

Q. Why must buyers provide the names and addresses of two character referees?
A. To ensure that there are people who are prepared to vouch for the character and qualification of buyers. Our sellers expect this.

Q. Why do buyers need to register before being told any details regarding schools or nurseries?
A. Sellers are not willing for members of the public, who have not been vetted, to be in possession of the details of their school or nursery. Confidentiality is an essential part of the service that we offer.

Q. Is there any charge for attending one of the seminars?
A. Services to buyers are free. The only exception to this is a charge of 1% to buyers who successfully purchase empty premises through NST.

Q. Who will I be dealing with?
A. Patrick Carter, Bill Brown, Andrew McEwen and Steve Chinn mainly. You may also talk to Sara Roberts, Tracy Green or Richard Essberger.

Q. Can sellers be guaranteed anonymity?
A. Guarantees are difficult but, in over 15 years of trading, we have not had a serious confidentiality problem.

Q. How long will it take me to sell my school?
A. As long as it takes!! Some are snapped up quickly, others take longer. It can be a few months or can take several years. We will not give up on you.

Q. How do I know how much my business/school is worth?
A. Normally it is the ‘Bricks and Mortar’ value, plus a sum for the stock and goodwill. The goodwill figure will be a function of the operating profit of the business. Patrick will show you how to calculate your operating profit.

Q. Are sellers restricted to sole agency?
A. No. You can opt for either ‘Open Market’ or ‘Sole Agency’ arrangements. We appreciate that the key issue to you, as a seller, is to find a buyer for your school or nursery, so even our Sole Agency arrangement only ties you to us for 3 months.

Q. How long will it take for a buyer’s registration to be completed?
A. As quickly as you or your referees respond to us. We will inform you when you are fully registered.

Q. How do you match buyers to my school or nursery?
A. We have about 350 active buyers registered with us at any time and manually matching them would be very time consuming. We use a sophisticated computer program, developed in-house, that matches a fully-registered buyer's wishes with a school or nursery profile.

Q. Is it worth registering as a buyer even though NST doesn't currently have any schools or nurseries in the area I am looking for?
A. Yes definitely - sellers come onto our books all the time from all over the country worldwide.

Q. Will I receive regular updates of the ‘Outline List’?
A. We do not send every update of the Outline List to all the buyers who are fully-registered with us. We will always send one on request, however, and all fully registered buyers are automatically notified of any new school or nursery that comes onto our books that matches their requirements.

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