Succeed with LonRes: 10 Questions with
Elizabeth Adams

30 March 2022

1. Tell us about Anderson Wilde & Harris

We’re a medium-sized firm of Chartered Surveyors, working around London and the Home Counties on valuation, building surveying, rights of light and property management work.

2. The last couple of years have been challenging in many ways. How has the property market adapted to the restrictions that have been in place at different times?

The last couple of years has been an extraordinary time to be working in property. Like a lot of other industries, work fell off during the first lockdown, however, following the government’s initiatives, we’ve seen the months since become our busiest ever.

The stamp duty holiday, in particular, government-backed mortgages and people’s own savings have helped many buy their first and next homes.

One big change has been the acceleration of the use of videos and 3D imagery in selling property.

3. Do you think the use of virtual media spells the end of in-person property viewing?

No, people will always want to physically look at a prospective house, so the in-person viewings are not leaving anytime soon. Virtual viewings in a way supplement in-person visits.

4. Has the way you work changed in light of the adjustments the property market has made?

We’ve adapted to the market largely by bringing in our own covid requirements, with included opening doors and windows, PPE, hand sanitiser etc. to ensure that both our staff and our clients were protected. We’re pleased to say that we have had no covid incidents following these processes, so they do work!

5. How long have you been a LonRes subscriber and why did you decide to join?

AWH has been a LonRes subscribed for over 15 years now! LonRes provides the absolute best data for Central London, so it’s been a no-brainer from the start.

6. How has being a subscriber helped AWH?

Being a subscriber has allowed our team of 20+ surveyors to consistently access valuable information on the London and country home market. Specific deal data on country homes and prime central London can be hard to come by, and LonRes makes it incredibly easy to collate and use this.

7. What impact has LonRes had on the overall performance of your business?

As a firm of chartered surveyors, LonRes data has helped us in both our market research and as comparable evidence in deriving valuations. The quality of the data has undoubtedly assisted us in gaining and keeping new clients, contributing to our company growth.

8. What is your most valued feature of the LonRes network?

The ability to clearly search and see deal data for a particular area. This is invaluable when looking for comparable evidence.

9. AWH is well known for encouraging and actively promoting networking opportunities within the property and lender communities. How has being part of the LonRes network helped you achieve that?

As LonRes is renowned for leading the industry in property data, lenders definitely feel confident in our values knowing that we use the database.

10. With Governmental measures having eased as we move towards being post-pandemic, what do you foresee within the property market this year, compared to the last couple of years?

We foresee a steady market over the summer. However, it may lose steam coming into winter, when inflation and rising costs of living have an increased impact on the ability for people to save.  A likely outcome of this will be that the residential market will flatten as mortgages become more expensive. The stamp duty holiday added a boost to the market and since that ended, mortgage lending has fallen and if the interest rate is raised further this is likely to slow more significantly.

Find out more about:

• Anderson Wilde & Harris

• Joining the LonRes property data network