Elland estate agency firm welcomes lockdown lift for property market

Estate Agent Dacre, Son & Hartley, has welcomed the Government's plans to re-start the housing market and will be re-opening its offices from Monday (May 18).
Patrick McCutcheon, head of residential at Dacre, Son & HartleyPatrick McCutcheon, head of residential at Dacre, Son & Hartley
Patrick McCutcheon, head of residential at Dacre, Son & Hartley

Patrick McCutcheon, head of residential at Dacre, Son & Hartley, which has an office in Elland, said: “The Government’s plan to re-start the housing market is very good news.

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"The whole sphere of buying and selling a property is very personal, and it can be a worrying time as well as a joyous one. However, it’s important to note that the market doesn’t simply turn on and off like a switch, and it will need a few days to re-boot.

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“We will be re-opening our offices as soon as the final deep cleans have taken place and relevant signage and health and safety measures are properly in place. In the meantime, we are continuing to successfully work remotely by phone, email and video and are readily accessible to our clients. We agreed our first sale at 09.15am on Wednesday 13th May, the morning after the housing minister’s announcement, so things are looking positive.”

During the lockdown, tens of thousands of people have visited the company’s website, with approximately 47,000 people clicking into www.dacres.co.uk in a six week period, spanning March and April, viewing more than 230,000 of the site’s pages. A good proportion of people were visiting the website for the first time, with 10.5% of web traffic coming from London.

Patrick added: “We adapted quickly and have made sure we kept ongoing sales moving forward. We have plenty of evidence of good levels of demand and over the last few weeks, we have had lots of calls from buyers wanting to arrange viewings and potential sellers requiring sales and marketing advice. Our virtual viewings and valuations have been very popular and we will continue with these alongside a return to physical valuations and viewings.

“We will of course be operating safely and within the new guidelines issued by the Government on home moving during the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic to ensure our staff and clients remain safe.

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“In terms of market conditions, unlike the last market jolt in 2007/08, funding remains readily available and that can only help the liquidity of the marketplace, which in turn will support buyer confidence.”

Anyone wanting to arrange a virtual valuation should contact their local office or visit www.dacres.co.uk

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