Who are you?
Daniel James McGowran MNAEA, originally from London, now living in Shropshire.
What does it say on your business card?
“Love where you live” is cheesy maybe, but I believe love where you live provides positivity in all areas of your life.
How do you help landlords and property investors?
Well, it can be a minefield, especially for a first-time landlord.
As their buying agent, I am able to attend viewings with potential landlords, whilst being in possession of all the facts in regards to sold prices, up to date regulations, PCM rental figures, demand in certain areas and also we supply a guide to being a landlord for first-time landlords.
What services do you provide?
We offer pre-marketing advice, valuations for sales & lettings, social media exposure, buying (sourcing) property and service, off-market homes, sales progression, property management.
What makes you different from other estate agents?
Firstly, the client benefits from working with one sole point of contact with 18 years of experience for the whole duration of the transaction. From valuation, viewings, sales progression, to completion, it’s an extremely personal service. We cap our stock level to maintain service standards, more relationship-based as opposed to transactional.
Why is it important for tenants to have rental payments contribute towards their credit score?
Payments should officially be recognised in their credit ratings and rightly so.
There are solutions for tenants to have recognition on their credit score for payments made on time (rental exchange), but it should be compulsory.
Transparency is also key also for Landlords, as presumably they may not take on new tenants with a bad record.
Existing tenants would possibly think twice about making a late payment or missing the payment and in turn this would save a lot of wasted money on eviction proceedings and of course lost profit for the landlord.
This could actually lead to a healthy competitive market with lower rents for the responsible tenant. The market would split. Those that report and are above board and those that don’t invariably are not adhering to LL responsibilities or taxes.
What is your greatest achievement in your current role and what made it so special?
Exchanging my first home for the company and driving past a sold board with my branding, I had worked for the previous 16 years promoting over brands boards, so it is a fulfilling moment seeing your own name on a sold board.
What is the most satisfying part of your job?
I love that I have a great degree of control and freedom within my job being a business owner, it allows me to focus on the customer experience as opposed to the traditional KPI driven estate agency.
I also love meeting new people, providing an unrivalled service and receiving a great review at the end of the clients journey.
What do you see as the biggest challenge facing landlords at the moment?
It’s fair to say, landlords have successfully navigated their way through one of the most challenging periods in recent history.
A consideration especially around the topic of sustainability. I believe there will be a shift towards greener homes and It’s likely that in future, assets will be less valuable if they do not align with government regulations.
What are your property predictions for the remainder of 2021 and the beginning of 2022?
After such an intense year for the industry fueled by the stamp duty saving, the market will see less urgency in 2022, and no doubt, housing transactions are expected to fall back to more typical levels.
In the Rental sector with the return of some office workers and oversea students returning, this will hopefully give the lettings sector some short term recovery. We have particularly noticed the “Escape to the country” buyer opting for short term lets in order to place themselves in the best buying position in this competitive sales market.