Diary of an estate agent: Stoke Newington

Monday

The morning meeting starts at 8.30 prompt, and we recap on Saturday’s viewings. A property in Green Lanes showed particularly well, with light streaming in from both aspects. Pellerin Road viewings went well, with 10 couples turning up. I expect that we’ll get three to four bidders on the place.

I take a frantic call from a vendor, complaining that her current agent hasn’t returned her calls in three months! Can we help to sell her house? I make an appointment to value it immediately and promise I will always call her back — it’s not a hard promise to keep.

Later I value a beautiful two-bedroom garden property in a small gated lane. The vendor tells me they’ve applied for a Blue Plaque, as Anna Sewell, the Black Beauty writer, once lived here. This conjures up images of black horses running into the wind for the rest of the meeting.

Tuesday

Three bids come in for Pellerin Road. They’re all in good buying positions and we put them to the vendor, so he can decide what he wants to do. He is delighted to have so much interest in the house, especially as one agent valued it £50,000 less than we recommended.

I go to value a flat in Listria Park. The tenants did warn me about the rabbits, but I’m still surprised to see them hopping about the reception room as if they own the place. I can’t resist staying on a bit longer to play with them.

Maria, from the Islington branch, sends over details of a land and new homes site off Church Street. I pass all the information to Jonathan, our land dealer, as it’s still at the architect stage. Hopefully the site will come back to us to sell in a year’s time. It’s great when the offices work together.

Wednesday

It’s vendor care day, and we have to be prepared for the cross-examination by the Latitude apartments vendor. He’s nice, but I’d hate to be a witness in a case he was prosecuting, if the grilling he gives me is anything to go by.

There’s a call in from Alan, the new homes manager — we’ve just been instructed on a massive site in Mildmay. Twenty new instructions in one day! We need to update our Facebook and Twitter pages and see how many first-time buyers we get phoning in about them. Finally, offers have come in for Pellerin Road, with the highest at £35,000 above asking price. The vendor is ecstatic.

Thursday

The term-time calendar leaflets have arrived. On the back they promote the Jubilee drawing competition that we organised with Grazebrook Primary School. It was really heart-warming giving the winners their prizes. It’s nice to do something with the community.

I organise distribution of the leaflets, and as it’s summer the team volunteer to do it themselves. I suspect it’s because it’s sunny and everyone wants to get trim for their holidays.

Friday

There’s completion on a buy-to-let investment property, which is great news as our lettings team already has viewers lined up. Bernardine, our top negotiator, a born and bred Hackney girl, lists her largest property yet, a huge house in Alkham Road. It’s a great way to end the week.

Laarni Tharby is a partner at the Stoke Newington branch of Felicity J Lord (020 7923 0158)