Since I finished university for the first time, my mother had been developing a property portfolio and I knew I would eventually be taking over management of them. Working as a Support Worker at the time, I had realised that I wanted to search for a career with more potential for personal development and growth. A career that allowed me to understand property therefore fit my present and future needs quite well and so I wound up going back to university, studying Building Surveying and getting into my current career from there.
What is the most inspiring part of your job?
A decent portion of my work involves valuations for disputes. During expert witness work when I am helping a client make a claim of some sort, I know that I’m helping to remedy problems that otherwise might not be addressed.
What do you see to be the biggest challenge facing your industry at the moment?
Adjusting to new demands. Technology is appearing more and more in the Surveying Industry with many different companies offering new products that could or might shorten our workloads. At first glance this sounds like a good thing, but in adjusting to this newly growing tech environment I feel may result in more competition amongst Surveyors for work and potentially greater market power for larger firms that can make use this new technology to the fullest. Fortunately I doubt they are anywhere close to making software that can climb into roof voids, so the dirtiest part of my job is at least safe.
What makes the perfect property project for you?
Something simple! Speaking as a valuer there’s nothing more satisfying than measuring a property that is uniform in shape without any funny angles I have to agonise over measuring properly…
After a long working week, can you describe your perfect weekend?
A bit of relaxation and the opportunity to decompress, whether it’s going out to catch a movie, or indulging in my writing hobby, a bit of peace and quiet is ideal. Unfortunately we recently got a puppy, so you can imagine that right now peace and quiet is in short supply!
What is your property prediction for the coming year?
With the government promising more building in the near future in theory house prices around Cheshire West might be affected negatively. But looking at the nationwide indicators, it feels to me that Cheshire West has bucked market trends at every opportunity with higher growth in prices. So my expectation is for a strong year of growth that will out compete surrounding counties/local authorities.