Lecture theatres to letting boards
I joined the Kinney Green City midtown office agency team as a Graduate Surveyor in September 2017 working under Neil Warwick and have been fully immersed in the bustling world of London and the office market ever since!
One of the biggest things I have noticed in that short time has been the impact of BREXIT (you cannot write this word without using block capitals!) and the word ‘uncertainty’ (italics for greater uncertainty!) which I have found has come all before any possible discussion on the market and its trends. It appears the ever-present “B-word” and ‘uncertainty’ walk hand in hand and this I believe has glossed over what was in the end a fairly successful 2017 for the London property market.
Keeping up to date with the market is obviously part of my day job and is also vital for my APC training and from what I can tell there seems plenty to be optimistic about! So here’s the couple of sentences I have plucked from various reports – the following two lines must be read without pause…….. “City office market take-up in 2017 exceeded that of 2016 by 26% which highlights the gradual increase of confidence throughout the market since BREXIT, such confidence has been further illustrated by the influx of foreign investors, particularly from Asia who wish to spend big in the City as London continues to be seen as a safe haven for their investments”…..and breath!!!
Keeping up with market movement is vital but so is of course networking which is key to the industry and I am developing my skills and building professional relationships all the time. Thursday evenings at The Loop in the West End have started to burn a hole in my pocket, but as a Reading alumni rendez-vous point, it’s been a great way of maintaining my relationship as a Graduate Surveyor and University friends alike – I have especially enjoyed finding out the latest gossip at the various property firms!
Christmas parties didn’t go amiss in December with the ever eventful Kinney Green Christmas Party at The Wilmington Arms in Farrington ending in strong solo recitals at the Piano Works later in the evening!
As we move in to 2018……I am looking forward to the coming year as I train towards completing my APC and becoming a qualified Chartered Surveyor.
Author Becky Huckstep (Graduate Surveyor)
