The Distinct Team

Sarka WildeDistinct Founder & Property Consultant

Property and Sarka; it’s an eat-breathe-sleep-property thing…

Sarka founded Distinct in 2013, having gathered nearly twenty years’ experience in the property industry. She cut her teeth investing personally in property when she was in her twenties, has been landlord herself and since then has worked with a number of prominent investment companies in the UK. She is a member of the highly respected industry body, ARLA Propertymark (Association of Residential Letting Agents).

Clients working with Sarka quickly discover that her passion for the property market translates into meaningful action. She makes it her priority to understand what a client is looking to achieve, and why, and then implements a strategy, full steam ahead, to make it a reality. And it’s this determination, coupled with attention to detail, that has fed into the Distinct ethos for business. As Sarka says, “Good is not good enough for us. We always strive for Excellence!”

In her spare time…

The same energy and drive that Sarka throws into her work life she throws into her love of the outdoors in her spare time. She pursues many sports, but particularly enjoys running, cycling, open water swimming, trekking, and tackling mountains… Actually, she LOVES tackling mountains and has trekked Kilimanjaro, Everest Base Camp, and Mount Toubkal, to name just a few. But that’s not to say that Sarka is miles away from home every spare minute of her free time. She also adores walking her Labrador, Hudson (see his biog below…), yoga, and pool swimming.

Helen ThompsonLettings Coordinator

Property and Helen; it’s not about letting, it’s about creating homes…

Helen is our ‘organiser’; our landlords and tenants couldn’t do without her. But that’s not just because she’s an expert at pulling things together. It’s also because her top priority is to ensure everyone is happy. She’s big on win/win all round.

However Helen’s attention to detail actually also feeds her love of properties themselves. To her, each one has a story to tell and a unique offering, and because of this she’s turned matching tenants to properties into an art form. As Helen says, “A door is an opening not just to a home, but a new beginning; an adventure…”

In her spare time…

Having read the above, you won’t be surprised to learn that Helen is very creative out of work. When she’s not keeping Distinct’s tenants and landlords happy, she loves baking, crocheting, making greetings cards, decorating wood and glass, and painting old furniture. There’s quite a homely feel to everything Helen does, in truth, which is probably why she’s so brilliant at her job.

Maria LucasProperty Consultant

Property and Maria; we call her our wise owl…

Maria’s middle name is ‘Results’; for her homeowners, for her landlords, and for her tenants. In her own words, her speciality is, “selling and letting properties where others struggle to bring a fresh approach” . She sees with the eyes of a wise owl, and always focuses on getting the right buyers or tenants for the best price or rental in as short a time period as possible. Maria is most definitely proactive, but she cares about doing things well and prides herself on being thorough, responsive, reliable and very approachable.

Maria also runs her own property portfolio, so she properly understands the challenges both landlords and tenants face. Finding the right pairing each time is her quest, and it is one she pursues with energy and a huge smile.

Anne ThompsonProperty Assistant

Property and Anne; it’s making memories thing…

Anne loves making a difference. It’s her quest to properly understand what an individual, couple, or family need so she can then match them with the right property. For Anne, it’s about meeting a tenant’s personal expectations, a landlord’s requirements, and doing Distinct justice every day. She loves learning about new properties and extending her knowledge of the local surroundings.

As Anne says, “I genuinely love to change peoples’ lives by offering the best property to them. I know it’s going to have such an impact on their world… It’s where memories start!” She takes tremendous pride in being professional, friendly, and approachable, and puts all those skills into practice every working day.

In her spare time…

Knowing now how keen Anne is to meet and help people, it won’t surprise you to learn that one of her favourite activities outside of work is socialising! Friends, family, new contacts, wherever she is, she’ll be chatting and smiling. But on the rare occasion when she’s enjoying a bit of solitude, Anne also loves to read or conjure up tasty creations in the kitchen. We reckon she’s the hostess with the mostest!

Agata BelcherBookkeeper

Property and Agata; keeping our clients happy…

Agata is a self-employed external member of the Distinct team; and we couldn’t operate without her. She is a member of the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers (ICB), and has over 10 years of experience as a freelance bookkeeper.

Agata has been working with Distinct since 2016, having come in to help us implement an efficient system for our financial operation, and now keeps on top of the books on a day-to-day basis. It is definitely Agata who helps us to manage the flow of rents etc. in and out of the business, which in turn keeps our landlords very happy and us in a buoyant cash position. As Agata says, “I really enjoy helping businesses like Distinct. They manage their accounts and business processes extremely well, and the significant benefits of this are passed straight onto their customers.”

In her spare time…

When Agata isn’t chained to her desk, she’ll leap at the chance to head for the Oxfordshire countryside and into the Cotswolds for a bit of walking and cycling. And when she’s not filling her lungs with fresh air, she’ll have her feet propped up on the sofa as she reads a book. Agata firmly believes in balancing the work/life books too…

David BurrAccountant

Property and David; it’s about growing the beans, not just counting them

David is our accountant and an external member of the Distinct team. His commercial experience spans over 30 years and ranges from board role involvement in various industries, to writing business plans to raise finance, to guiding small businesses through incorporation and beyond. Domestic and foreign tax and compliance is also his ‘thing’, so his expertise is second to none.

However, with respect to property and helping landlords get the most from their investment, David is our man! With significant experience in supporting clients with property portfolios, he’s dedicated to providing landlords with the best advice they can get on how to plan for tax and the future of their property business.

In his spare time…

David’s passionate about keeping up to date and learning new skills, so he somehow always seems to be researching or studying something new. In the last three years alone he’s passed several exams in topics ranging from inheritance tax to auditing. What’s he got next in his sights? Employment law.

But David really isn’t all work and no play. He’s a grandad too… and that’s enough to keep anyone busy. As he says, it’s that aspect of his life that “keeps him focused on what’s important…”