Gemma Maclaran: I guess I’m mirroring one of the real property trends of 2020 – moving from London, back to the country. While the Cotswolds is very different from the London market, the same principles of trust, independence and diligence underpin all aspects of the business. We’re known primarily for buying and search, but we’ve successfully extended our services to a full ‘family office’ service in the last couple of years.
We’ve seen the trend for private, off-market sales increase recently. This year, up to 80% of our transactions have been for private sales, and we are assuming that proportion may even go up further still.
And, of course, the well-documented trend of people looking to move from the city to the country is only going to increase. That puts a lot of pressure on a market where demand has for quite some time outstripped supply, but it also ensures that we will be kept busy looking for good country properties. We’re seeing quite a few people settling on a ‘bolthole’ in the country as a way to gain a foothold or get to know an area better, before selling in London, and so that has expanded the range of properties that we are looking for.
I think you need to have a really broad grounding in service businesses to be a good property advisor. Like many others, I was always interested in the opportunity that the prime market offers, to focus on a smaller number of bespoke acquisitions or sales, and stay with clients for the whole journey. Middleton’s commitment to meticulous service and attention to detail suits my approach.
And, of course, the Cotswolds is one of the perennial hot-spots, where demand for prime property will always outstrip supply, and buyers inevitably need the inside knowledge, contacts and diligence of an advisor.
Middleton director Tom Hudson, says, “Gemma has proved her worth to Middleton and her understanding of our values and commitment to client service over the past two years, so we’re delighted to entrust one of our key areas to her.”