THE signs are perfect. Reuben Barrett echoes his own design for the new profile of Otisdale, an estate agency in Micklegate, York.

Mr Barrett, a former University of York graduate, went on to make a small fortune as a salesman for top American investment banks in London, before graduating from Isead in Paris, one of Europe's top business schools.

He was determined to return to York to set up his own agency in the city. Instead, after his own market research, he offered to buy into Otisdale as a partner.

The firm was started last June by brothers Colin and Michael Cain who both agreed a no-strings deal with Mr Barrett in which they worked together for a month to get to know each other.

"That's now happened and I've made a sizeable investment," said Mr Barrett.

Apart from redesigning the company logo to reflect excellence, he and his partners are formulating plans to expand geographically.

"My ambition is to grow this company aggressively. The challenge is to make Otisdale the premier estate agents in Yorkshire," he said.

Updated: 09:23 Monday, April 18, 2005