Searching specialist help in an age of social restrictions

Industry veteran Phiddy Robertson explains how the constraints brought about by the coronavirus pandemic have led to the return of the property search agent

In the late-1990s/early-2000s life in the UK was pretty good for most: the economy was booming, many enjoyed a high standard of living and – for those of a certain age – it was the heyday of pop music. Everything, including the property market, had a momentum to it, a headiness that everyone wanted to be part of.

But if you were in search of a main residence or second home, and cash-rich but time-poor, how could you possibly compete when prices were rising at an extraordinary rate and demand far outstripped supply?

Where there is a void and a need there will always be someone or something to step in to fill it, and in this case it was the property search agent. This specialist could allay a buyer’s worries and remove the pressure. For a commission, these agents would do all the slog, hear about suitable properties before they hit the market and – crucially – get the very best deal. And I should know, because I was one of those agents.

At the time, the Highland property market was extremely fast moving, with the best properties going under offer in a matter of days. Buyers had to offer more than the asking price to secure a house – often about 10 to 20 per cent above – to outbid other interested parties. Sealed bids and closing dates were the norm. Purchasers were often really frustrated, having missed out on house after house, either because they were too slow or were outbid.

Many of my clients were looking for the perfect second home, while others were Scots who had been living abroad who wanted to return home, but didn’t have sufficient time to devote to house hunting from a distance in a red-hot market. I spent a lot of time in my car, checking out properties with potential all the way from the Black Isle to Ullapool and beyond.

For someone like me, it was a dream job. I have always been interested in property and the role involved building up a good relationship with the client, understanding their priorities and lifestyle. Success relied on me having good connections and detailed local knowledge. Also, the capacity to keep my eyes and ears open to learn of new properties about to come to market, as well as those being sold privately. The ability to act quickly and identify the ideal property for a particular client made each quest hugely enjoyable.

Roll on 25 years, many peaks and troughs later, and we find ourselves in a very different world. I am now an estate agent and the property search agent is a rarer animal, operating mainly at the top end of the market having been thrown into obsolescence by the internet and a tightening of belts.

However, in this different world do we find ourselves with another void, another gap in the market? Following the coronavirus outbreak, there is certainly anxiety but underlying it is a desire and a need in many of us to move on, to seek reassurance by doing the sort of things we did before – albeit in a different way.

The property search agent may have a new and quite specific role to play here. Not driven by the speed of the market this time, but by the uncertainty caused by the Covid-19 constraints.

Buying a property is one of the most significant and expensive purchases one will ever make, yet the majority of us, while taking legal advice, fail to call upon independent or strategic advice. Buyers often rely on the selling agent, who is acting for and – of course – being paid by the seller.

A house purchase can be stressful but it should bring with it joy and expectation; the hope you experience when you view a property. Unfortunately, it seems that the handshake, the smile, the “do take your time” are a thing of the past until further notice. For now it will be the wearing of masks, “please don’t touch anything” and “I’ll wait outside while you look around”. Add to that the many miles you may have travelled and the disappointment if you don’t even like what you see.

This is where a property search agent can step in and do all the leg work for you – prepare a list of perfect fits, send you videos, take you on a virtual viewing – so you only need travel when you know your search agent has hopefully found the right one.

Following Covid-19, it is expected by many that we will see an exodus from towns and cities and a retreat to the countryside in search of greater space, privacy, tranquil surroundings and the appeal of rural life. And these qualities are all shared by the three properties featured on these pages, being marketed now by my current firm, Galbraith.

As long as there is good internet connectivity in the locale, many of us can now consider living outwith recognised commuter belt areas. If we are spending the majority of the week working from home, the commute is no longer a primary factor in deciding where to buy.

A decent new-style property search agent will be able to inform and reassure a househunter seeking a rural escape route on all of these points.

The property search agent, it seems, is dead – long live the property search agent.

Phiddy Robertson is a senior associate with Galbraith, based in Inverness

The ability to act quickly and identify the ideal property for a particular client made each quest hugely enjoyable