Week Commencing 10th May 2021
MONDAY
I get into the office at about 8.15am as usual after the school drop off. “Alexa, play some music” and a press of the Nespresso machine as it gurgles out a short black coffee to kickstart the day.
Busy day today, sales viewings at a beautiful Victorian terrace in Sowerby. Plenty of interest on this one, no offers yet. The property has been on the market 3 days so there’s no major panic but I want offers!!
Two sales valuations this morning at some great, older properties on St James’ Green. The houses aren’t straight forward, older houses rarely are. Lots of potential for them both, also, some great land out the back which will always be interesting to investors. There was some great photos of the house from the early 1900s. It’s surreal to see the house barely change whilst it’s environment looks completely different.
A move in for one of our rental properties. This family have returned from UAE to ‘sunny’ North Yorkshire!
Another valuation next for my hairdressers apartment. it’s a great, stylish appt with bags of character close to town. It’s sure to attract interest, I’m looking forward to photographing it! It reminds me though, I need to find time for a haircut. I feel like peak 90’s David Beckham!
A viewing at an ex rental property in Back Lane. It’s crying out for some TLC and the viewer is an investor looking to flip the property. These are never ideal buyers from the vendors point of view. They need to guarantee profit so offers tend to be lower. Still, they’re normally fairly straightforward transactions so let’s see what they say!
Finish the day off with a couple more viewings on my Melbourne Place property and back to the office to gather some feedback from the earlier viewers… still no offer!
TUESDAY
An asking price offer on Melbourne Place, BOOM! It’s a great property and a good offer, time to get that deal wrapped up!
Offer received from yesterday’s viewing on Back Lane. It’s low, in truth, it’s too low but everything needs submitting to the vendors. Some admin to do first and then we will see what they say.
We do have another viewing there today so news of the offer is always helpful. These viewers are buying for their son so that means they appreciate the value. ‘Dad’ is a surveyor, he’s going to be taking a close look at this one for sure!
We’ve got a full structural survey at a property that is sold, subject to contracts. All seems fine but the property is Grade II Listed so let’s see what the surveyor says… fingers crossed.Keys have been dropped off for a new property to list. I visited to measure up, write the description, create the floor plan and take the photographs. Just enough time to get back to the office, edit the photos, create the advert and send it out to the vendor for approval.
WEDNESDAY
It’s our youngest sons 4th birthday today, what a boy! Early start to make sure we have time for presents and croissants for breakfast before we all have to go to school and work! I drop the eldest at school, (well, at Tesco, he’s too cool for me to be seen getting a lift from me!)
8.15am and I’m off to Rowan Court, the appt I photographed yesterday, to create the virtual tour. Inside the appt, I set up the 360 camera, this is such a great tool. This has been the best investment we made since the pandemic. It allows people to view the houses using Matterport. They can walk through the property as if they’re actually there. The app can also create 3D models of the property and they can use it to measure surfaces and spaces. It takes about 45 minutes to take all the scans, the rest of the work to create the tour is done back at the office.
I pop back into the office to let our decorators in. They’re giving the branch a makeover with some exterior painting this week. Hope the rain holds off for them!
I’ve got a 9.30am appt to list a 4 bed house in Norby. I valued it last week and they want it listing (and selling) ASAP… no pressure!
I take Emily with me, this is going to be a joint effort to save some time. I’ll take all the photos, create a floor plan and scan the images for the virtual tour. Emily can go round with the vendor, measuring up and talking through the details of each room to help create the listing. About an hour later and we are done. Like Batman and Robin, back to the bat cave (office) and we can edit everything and send it over to the vendor for approval.
Just enough time before lunch to edit the Virtual Tours for both new properties and both sets of vendors love their adverts. Time to launch across the property portals. 3 hours ago I was taking the photos, now the first enquiries from Rightmove etc start coming in. Three viewings booked already for this week on the Norby house.
Time for some lunch!
After lunch, and more coffee, I’ve got some admin to do for sales that were agreed last week. Time to get all the info out to solicitors which allows the actual transaction to start. I hate admin!
It’s an early finish for us today. Time to get the Birthday boy from school and have our party tea!! In between cupcakes and games, I need to sneakily return some calls to solicitors who are stressing out over missing contracts on a transaction that has been dragging on for some time. Turns out, the contracts aren’t missing, they were in fact sent 4 weeks ago and I’m able to re submit the link, panic over, thank goodness for emails! Luckily the birthday boy is too distracted to notice. After bedtime, I have enough time to respond to some online viewing requests for some sales properties before dinner.
THURSDAY
Some admin to start the day, dealing with enquiries that have come in overnight and preparing for this mornings viewings at Norby.
10.00am is the first of today’s viewings and an opportunity to get the initial feedback from the property. Both sets of viewers seem very complimentary and I have a good feeling.
Rush around to my next appointment at a bungalow that’s nearing the completion of the build. Lots of tools and activity on site as the block paved driveway is being laid and the kitchen being fitted but the viewers can see past all that and they’re back at the office 30 minutes making some requests ahead of submitting their offer.
The emails are busy today and an offer has come in at the asking price for Norby. They do have a property that needs selling so we will need to make sure that happens ASAP before we could accept that offer!
Lunch time and the phone rings to advise that we’ve just completed on the sale of a beautiful, period property on Carlton Terrace. The owners have done a great job on the house and I know the new buyer will be thrilled. Time to run out with some gifts and most importantly, the keys!
2pm and it’s valuation time. A fairly unique, three bed property, I need of some updating but with a lot of potential. Previous valuation came in at £150,000 which is strange. I run my reports and notice that for some reason, the data online is listed as being a two bed house. Whoever valued that last has not been paying attention and just fine with the figure on the report without qualifying it. A great lesson in lying attention! £185,000 is the price, at least in a very buoyant market!
Driving back to the office and I’m talking to my grandad on hands free. My grandmother is suffering from dementia and it’s not looking good. My heart brakes for him as he talks me through the latest information, he’s hoping to have her home from hospital ASAP. It resonates massively that I spend so much time working, when there’s often places I’d rather be!
Stop off in town from a coop meal deal which is pushed in whilst catching up on messages at the office. 3.30pm, out to take photos at a house we will be listing tomorrow. The cleaners are finished, time to take the images. I’ll edit them tomorrow morning as my next appt is a sales viewing at Back Lane. This house has stuck for a while and now there’s a flurry of interest all of a sudden. Strange when that happens. It will make a great first time home or investment. I set a mini target to get that under offer this week!
FRIDAY
8.15am is a quick run to Caffè Nero for a black coffee to take with me whilst I create the 360 tour for a new property hitting the market today. It takes around 45 minutes to get round the three bed house. Back to the office to edit the photos from yesterday. It’s important to me to present every house as well as I can. I see some estate agents using shoddy photos and it makes no sense. It’s a sales advert, any brand spends a fortune on its identity… why would you want any less for the sale of what is probably your biggest tax free asset!?
Images are edited, virtual tour is stitched together and checked, floorplans on, now it’s time to get the listing up on to the websites and over to the vendor for approval.
10.30am and *ping* “It looks great, let’s go ASAP”
I have some time to tidy up some admin now, I have a cancelled appointment at 12 so that gives me some extra time to try and get through the to do list.
This afternoon I’m taking three hours out my diary. This is unheard of but my grandmother has dementia and she’s now on end of life support. The feeling is that we’re maybe in the last days so it’s some much needed time to check in, make sure she’s ok, make sure my grandad is coping. The guilt is heavy as I persistently check my watch to make sure I’m leaving in time to make this afternoons viewings.
Back to Thirsk now for some sales viewings. The last two appointments in the diary today are both at the same house in Norby.
SATURDAY
8.00am still at home but firing out emails for feedback on viewings. There’s been many viewings this week so it’s good to just check in with everyone, see if they’ve made any offers elsewhere or if they’re still actively looking for a property.
9.00am and the first of two viewings at Norby. Both positive viewings, both seem interested.
10.30am and I’ve got a viewing elsewhere, a new build house. Within the first 30 seconds it was quite clear that this was not the property for this couple. It’s a difficult thing to do, to maintain enthusiasm and continue the viewing however, by learning what they don’t like about this house, we should be better placed to find out what they would need in a property.
We have an honest chat and I dig a bit more about what would be their dream home. As it happens, I was out to value a property last week that I think will offer them everything they want.
I make a note to call that owner on Monday and see if they’re happy with the valuations. I’ll try and get this couple a pre market viewing. It’s something I enjoy doing. From a vendors point of view, they will know I’m proactive. From a buyers point of view, they know they’ve been listened to and from my point of view, it’s good market research. Getting some feedback ahead of listing it live can give me an opportunity to tweak prices, photos etc.
As I get back in the car, I see a message in my emails. “Could you call me back, I’d like to make an offer on Norby”.
Excellent news, an acceptable offer in after a few days on the market. Makes Saturday morning viewings seem a bit more acceptable.
I then take a call from one of our landlords, he’s looking to expand his portfolio and he likes the look of a house we’ve just listed at Bellingham Close. We book in for Monday to view and I run him through the costs and potential rental returns. That would be a solid investment!
I’m officially clocking off for the weekend now but as lost self employed people know, you’re never really off. In between playing with the kids and a spot of shop, we need to qualify this offer, get it across to the vendor and sort out all the admin to make sure it’s logged and accepted.
At 8pm as I lay on my 4 year olds bedroom floor after seeing him off to sleep, my (hopefully) final emails of the night go out. “I just wanted to let you know so you weren’t wondering all night, your offer on Norby has been accepted by the vendor. I’ll catch up with you Monday but congratulations, hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend!”
