Diary of an estate agent: north Soho

Monday

Off to Warwick for a board meeting for Propertymark. I represent more than a thousand agents in London and act as a conduit between its board and member agents, keeping the people at the top aware of what’s happening from day to day. They’ve just launched a nationwide TV campaign to raise awareness and offer better protection to consumers (landlords, tenants, sellers and buyers) from bad practice.

Back in London I’ve had an enquiry from a film production company looking for space in Fitzrovia, as they want a more discreet setting than the bustle of Soho. I send them some options in “Noho” — North of Soho as some are calling Fitzrovia — and I set up some viewings.

Tuesday

I feel a good day is coming. I sit in on the morning sales meeting. September has seen a steady flow of enquiries but not quite at the level of previous years. That said, the quality of those looking is very good. Buyers are taking their time, wanting to know and measure every detail before committing to an offer. This is a change from when multiple buyers outbid one another in haste in busier markets.

The team has just agreed a sale of a top-floor apartment in Covent Garden to a financial director of a large company. He is delighted with his purchase but has been to see it four times and measured every angle before finally making an offer. The seller is happy as our buyer doesn’t need a mortgage. While finance is cheaper than it’s ever been, we have found mortgages are taking longer to process, slowing down the buying process further.

Wednesday

My production company is out viewing with me first thing today. We look at a lovely first-floor unit on Rathbone Place, opposite the new Rathbone Square development on the site of the old post office.

My unit has a wonderful oval window overlooking the new scheme and a roof terrace at the back that would make a great break-out area for staff. We then head off to a self-contained office on Middleton Place, a quiet pedestrian walkway near the BBC. It’s very different from the last place with lots of little rooms. My client likes them both for different reasons and as we finish our tour we grab a coffee to discuss the pros and cons of each.

Thursday

I bump into Simon and Spencer from the sales team and they are chuckling with one another. They both had viewings at the same building with buyers at the same time. One was viewing a one-bedroom apartment and the other a one-bedroom duplex. After checking her name, Spencer whisked his buyer to the studio shortly after Simon’s appointment showed up, so he headed to the one-bedroom flat.

Almost simultaneously it seems one said she was looking for something bigger while the other said she was looking for something smaller — not only were they viewing in the same building but it turns out the buyers’ names were very similar too. Confusion reigned until they swapped keys and headed to the right apartments!

Friday

Breakfast meeting today with a new property tech company. It’s always good to keep tabs on what’s changing in our industry. Some have real potential to help us innovate as a company, whereas some just add more processes, so you have to be careful.

I’m off to a meeting with a big local landowner who has instructed us on 22 units in Fitzrovia that are under construction. We are finalising the show suite and agreeing the video that will help promote these carefully crafted spaces which are on a corner position, some of them having dual aspects. It’s very exciting and another project we have handled for the client, the last one selling very well due to its high specification of finish and attention to detail for the demanding modern buyer.

Back to the office, a final catch-up on the day’s emails and a well-earned glass of wine for everyone.

Jonathan Hudson is a director at Hudsons in Charlotte Street, Fitzrovia (020 7323 2277).