Can you give us a potted history of Heathgate?  I noticed a gap in the market for an independent agency that cared about personal service and wanted an empathetic approach to selling, letting, buying and renting. With this in mind, I started Heathgate, from my home in 1990, moving to the ground floor of my office 18 months later. Over the years the office has expanded, and we now use the entire 3 storey building, for our designated departments handling sales, lettings, property management, project management, property management and more recently block management.

Tell us about your career to date . I have only ever had 2 jobs. My first was with a well- known North-West London agency. I started as a junior in the sales department making tea and doing all the jobs nobody else wanted to do and worked my way up the ranks until I was promoted to associate director level. I remained with that company for 12 years but decided as there was no further room to grow, it was time to branch out and set up Heathgate. I did this in September 1990 and have never looked back.

What does a typical day at work look like for you? One of things I love about my job is that each day is different. From going to meetings to bringing in new business, speaking to clients or applicants about arranging viewings, taking on new properties, discussing marketing strategy with clients, providing property advice when requested, meeting with my teams, appraising properties and generally running the office. This means that some days will be desk -based sorting out administration, writing emails and making calls, whereas others will be spent out of the office perhaps visiting blocks of flats to discuss management, carrying out market appraisals and viewings or attending various meetings.

What’s been your greatest achievement so far?  Heathgate is almost 34 years old and the team and I are still as enthusiastic and passionate about what we do, as the day we opened. Over time I have been able to expand the Company creating designated departments, without losing or ethos and quality of service. Most recently I opened a block management division that has gone from strength to strength and continues to grow.

What are your predictions for the second half of the year in London property market in 2024? The market has been somewhat patchy so far in 2024. With current economic and political uncertainties, it is likely to continue. Much of the market is UK based even though the majority of the buyers are from overseas and with the UK economy in better shape than anticipated there have been, and continue to be, a few high-level transactions taking place. It does appear that prices will probably flatline for a while due to lenders being over cautious and present interest rates.