The Britannia Group Points Compass at Town and Country

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Britannia GroupWhen two Brits get together — each with impressive track records in the real estate market — you can rest assured that their combined market knowledge is a powerful force.

That is very much the case now that Mark Godson and Catherine Thorpe-Lambert have joined forces with Compass Real Estate to form The Britannia Group, combining their decades of experience with what they felt was Compass’ unparalleled Realtor support system.

“We each bring different things, different strengths, and together we are an encyclopedia of knowledge,” Godson said. “I know Dallas and I know the Park Cities  customers like the palm of my hand.”

“I’m up in Argyle, which is semi-rural, and I think people tend to move out here for a little bit more land, a little bit more space, and obviously it’s completely different from the high rises and the close quarters in Highland Park,” said Thorpe-Lambert. “But it’s a really exciting time in Argyle because, in addition to our famous estate and horse properties, we now do have several new subdivisions being developed.”

Together, The Britannia Group is focusing attention on what they call the “Town and Country” properties — properties in uptown, downtown, Turtle Creek and Park Cities, but also those estates and horse properties in Argyle and semi-rural Denton County.

In addition to a network that stretches from the U.K. to Palm Springs, the two agents cumulatively have years of design and remodeling experience as well, which means they can help sellers with every aspect of selling a home, including staging and marketing.

Originally from London, Godson is licensed in both California and in Dallas, where he’s had seven years and 26 years of experience, respectively. He’s worked with some of the top brokerage firms in Dallas, and has sold some of the best, and priciest,  dirt in the Park Cities: two mansions on Rheims Place, including the Worthington Estate, and one on University Boulevard he sold to a prominent Dallas family the first day he listed it. He has sold several homes in Greenway Parks, Uptown, Preston Hollow and even downtown Dallas.

He’s lived in the U.S. for almost 30 years, primarily in Palm Springs and Newport Beach, California, and in Dallas. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Interior Design from Chelsea School of Art, is a Grade II UK-approved remodeler in England, and the recipient of several awards, including a Restoration Award.

“My background is in interior design and restoration and that’s what got me to the U.S. many, many years ago,” Godson said. “I was brought in to consult on an estate in Highland Park.”

“I’ve done some amazing houses in the Park Cities — taken older homes and painstakingly and lovingly restored them. A lot of them are still standing, which is kind of cool that what we did probably kept them from being bulldozed down. Homes are the historical footprints of a society.”

Godson said that the duo’s background in restoration has been most attractive to sellers, too.

“I think also my knowledge of restoration and reviving older homes makes me a more in-demand agent. We’ve got a fantastic 1930s Spanish house coming up sometime this year which is incredible, by the way — that’s been restored to the max,” he says. ”I think that’s why owners choose to use us, because they know that we understand restoration. I think that gives them a better feel, our knowing what goes into restoring a home both from a pricing perspective as well as purchase. Because in England we don’t tear down houses, we restore them.”

That mutual love of restoration and real estate actually brought the two agents together in the first place.

“So my background is in restoration, and I used to buy a house, redo it, and then sell it. And that’s how we met — I built a house, and Catherine bought it,” he added.

Thorpe-Lambert has three decades of experience buying, selling, and renovating homes in Park Cities, Lakewood, Argyle, Bartonville, and even along the coast of Maine.  She decided to become a Realtor, and then partner with Godson.

Born in England, she was trained as a podiatrist, graduating from the University of Huddersfield, School of Podiatry. The U.S. has been home for almost 30 years now, and Thorpe-Lambert currently lives in Argyle with her family.

A lifetime equestrian who rides through Grand Prix Dressage, she is also well versed in what horse owners (or potential horse owners) are looking for when they desire equestrian-friendly properties.

“Well that’s primarily why I moved out there, because I’ve been around horses my entire life, and have ridden for years and years,” Thorpe-Lambert told us. “For a while, I owned my own boarding, training, and dressage facility.  And I did training as well. And with its sandy loam soil, Argyle was the perfect place to call home for my family and my horses.”

Sandy loam soil? Godson and Thorpe-Lambert know their inventory from the dirt up, quite literally. Both believe potential clients will see the combined British force as an asset when it comes to buying and selling homes.

“We have a great history together, we work well together, we bring a lot of knowledge to the table,” Godson said. “That’s why we’re the Britannia Group.”

Each partner has worked with numerous brokerages over the years, so why choose Compass for their new partnership?

“I’ve been I’ve been in this business 25 years, and I’ve worked for a lot of the other big competitors,” Godson said. “I have never seen anything like this company. Compass brings a ton of knowledge and a whole new perspective on real estate service.”

Thorpe-Lambert said that Compass’ support of both the Realtor and the client made it a great choice for them as well, since Godson is still active in the California market, where he frequently sells  Palm Springs homes to Dallasites, while she assists in finding clients’ perfect equestrian estates — both of which can require some long-distance moves.

“It is a full-service company, and we bring everything to the table,” Thorpe-Lambert added. “More than everything, in fact. We are a one-stop shop. And I think that’s incredibly important for people moving across the country.”

Compass’ unique ability to help sellers get their homes ready for showings also excites the two.

“You come to a company where, literally, we offer concierge services to assist people in putting the best face on their house before we sell it, ” she said. “What other company offers bridge loans? Compass.”

So when you’re looking for a Realtor, there are a lot of choices out there — why should people choose the Britannia Group,  we asked?

“Experience sells homes, period. I’ve been this business 30 years — I know a lot of people and a lot of people know me,” Godson says. “We also have a huge knowledge of market dynamics — a broad horizon from downtown to way north. So I think that, as Catherine has said, you’re not getting one Brit for your money, you’re getting two!”

Their international connections, as well as business experience across the U.S.also fuels, lead generation for sales, particularly with the massive migration of Californians to Texas.

“We understand the whole home-seeking process,” Thorpe-Lambert said. “It can be a business venture, it can be a home, or it can be both. We have done both, multiple times.”

How many homes have they personally bought and sold?

“At least 40 to 50 houses between us,” Godson said.

“I think so, in the time we’ve been here,” Thorpe-Lambert agreed. “With both of us having ourselves moved countries, across states, and cities, we really bring to the table an understanding of the stress involved, and ideally we remove as much of it as possible, because buying or selling a home should be an exciting time.”

And soon, the Britannia Group will be adding more agents to the team. A multi-million dollar producer from another local firm is crossing the pond soon — stay tuned for details.

Bethany Erickson lives in a 1961 Fox and Jacobs home with her husband, a second-grader, and Conrad Bain the dog. If she won the lottery, she'd by an E. Faye Jones home.
She's taken home a few awards for her writing, including a Gold award for Best Series at the 2018 National Association of Real Estate Editors journalism awards, a 2018 Hugh Aynesworth Award for Editorial Opinion from the Dallas Press Club, and a 2019 award from NAREE for a piece linking Medicaid expansion with housing insecurity.
She is a member of the Online News Association, the Education Writers Association, the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, and the Society of Professional Journalists.
She doesn't like lima beans or the word moist.

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