Agency Surveyor Oscar Heap discusses how his first six months as part of the team at BB&J have gone.
Firstly, how have you found your first six months?
My first six months have been great, upon starting in mid-September the Prime Minister reimposed restrictions which meant adapting to a new role and new rules. However, it didn’t take long for me to settle in, and the team made me feel at ease right away, this was made even easier when I managed to get a property under offer within the first week. It was clear early on that the team’s approach to dealing with properties and client was different and that the personal side was as important as the professional.
In terms of a highlight, it has to have been the move from Iron Gate to the new offices on the Wyvern Business Park, for anyone that still hasn’t seen the countless photos we have posted it really is an amazing space and a fantastic place to work. I think that after a year like 2020 it gave everyone a massive lift, and it’s now a great representation of the way the business is headed going forwards.
What is your role for those who do not know?
My role is as an Agency Surveyor, so on a day-to-day basis I deal purely with the sales and lettings of the commercial properties that we have on the market. Whilst this is very similar to what I have done previously, I now have an increased level of responsibility as I am no longer a graduate which I am really enjoying. As the business has put a lot of trust in me to act independently, I am now starting to see properties that I appraised and listed complete which is a great feeling. The completion of any deal is marked with the ringing of the bell, so hopefully it will continue to ring out through the office!
How is the property market right now?
It is certainly one of the fortunate industries that has not been stopped by Covid, in fact that could be an argument that demand is higher than ever in some sectors. From what I have seen industrial space is in very high demand in both primary and secondary locations throughout Derby and the East Midlands.
We have also seen strong demand for freehold stock particularly those buildings which have the opportunity to be converted from commercial to residential under the new permitted development laws. An example of which being my most recent listing in Aston-On-Trent which I was able to get under offer in just two weeks at a price in excess of the asking.
I think we will see this trend continue throughout 2021, with perhaps an increase in office demand as people return to work. Locally, I think both our arrival to the Wyvern and Derby County’s certain promotion to the Premier League in 2022 will see the Pride Park area continue to do well!
What do you hope to achieve going forward?
In the immediate future, there are a couple of deals that I am working on that I hope to complete on in quarter two. Then as things start to get back to normal post Covid I am really looking forward to getting back to the networking side of things and getting some face-to-face time with some of our clients.
All things being well towards the back end of the year I will be eligible to sit my APC, although it is a bit daunting my hope is to sit this in the final session of this year or first session of 2022.
