Diary of an estate agent: Islington

Monday

We start the day with a meeting to discuss activity from the weekend. We had some very encouraging viewings and the team are hopeful of a busy day for offers. We have the results of sealed bids on a beautiful apartment on Highbury Crescent overlooking Highbury Fields. However, my colleague Maria is unusually quiet at the meeting.

It transpires that the seller of a lovely duplex apartment in De Beauvoir failed to pick up the numerous messages advising of a viewing on Saturday afternoon. The sight of him coming out of the shower as Maria and co walked into the bathroom didn’t appear to put the buyer off. I’ve no doubt the memory will be a lasting one for Maria, though. At the end of today, after a busy weekend, we’ve agreed sales on four houses as well as the Highbury Crescent apartment — though not on the De Beauvoir flat as yet.

Tuesday

Two calls come in confirming instructions. One concerns an attractive two-bedroom apartment close to Highbury and Islington Tube, and the other a wonderful four-bedroom Victorian semi in Grange Grove, Canonbury, that I valued some time ago. Contracts are exchanged on a superb conversion in Caledonian Road. The seller is a delight to work for.

Meanwhile, the sales team start calling buyers about the Highbury apartment instructed this morning. The flat has been on the market for some time with a competitor, so it’s encouraging when we manage to book eight viewings for next week by close of play.

Wednesday

A busy day for valuations, with five booked in. Two are certainly looking to market this side of Christmas. After a number of weeks of marketing and no end of viewings it is a relief to finally get offers on a Georgian conversion in Cloudesley Road, Barnsbury, in fact not one but three, bringing to mind the analogy of buses — so often the case.

A productive day with regards to valuations, with two instructing us to begin marketing immediately; an immaculate apartment in Holloway and a super apartment in Highbury.

Thursday

I take formal instructions to market the Victorian home in Canonbury at £2.1 million. We organise the photographers and floor planners and arranged a launch day for later this month. My client has lived in this house for more than 50 years, so this is a very poignant time for him. This afternoon I get busy phoning buyers and booking viewings for Saturday. Vendors are called updating them with progress. We agree the sale in Cloudesley Road.

Friday

A useful morning spent with a developer client looking at and pricing potential sites by Regent’s Canal and in Highbury. I am excited by the amount of development around Islington, particularly Hoxton, Shoreditch and City Road. Talking of Hoxton, at 2pm Roz has a number of potential buyers viewing a three-bedroom apartment we are marketing there. She returns and confirms that as usual, the tenants were all in bed — testimony that the local nightlife really is as good as we are led to believe.

No sign of a drop in activity this week — this could turn out to be one of our best sales months all year.

Guy Williamson is a branch partner at Felicity J Lord in Islington (020 7288 1681).