Diary of an agent: Lucy Haynes and Sophie Major

Lucy Haynes (pictured left) started at Knight Frank as an administrator in Fulham. She currently runs the South Kensington lettings team.

Sophie Mayor (pictured right) is a senior negotiator in Weybridge, Surrey and is approaching a year’s service with Knight Frank.

Prospective buyers outside London registering with Knight Frank were up 95% in the week ending 22 August versus the five-year average, while prospective tenants were up 59% in the same period.

How has the change in people’s requirements after lockdown affected you?

Lucy Haynes (LH) - The areas surrounding us, such as Kensington and Belgravia, that are ‘house heavy’ are phenomenally busy. We are dominated by flats and we’ve seen a shift away from lateral living for the moment. It will level out in time, and we’ve built a large property book in anticipation of when demand gets stronger.

Sophie Mayor (SM) – We’ve seen local people looking to upsize and Londoners seeking to escape the capital. I have one client who is moving from Wimbledon to get more for their money. I’ve also been out to value properties in Weybridge where the owners, mostly older, have decided they don’t need to be in a town and plan to move further out into the Surrey Hills.

What impact has this had on the market?

LH - Properties that are not looking their best, or are highly priced, are not faring well in competition. Property with outdoor space, or flats with a balcony, are being rented very quickly.

SM – I thought that buyers would consider living further away from a railway station with the rise of home working but that hasn’t been the case. There’s still an urgency to be near one, although gardens and office space are most definitely at the top of buyers’ wish lists.

The general market is busy, but what is happening locally?

LH - We have Imperial College on our doorstep, so traditionally we serve a large student population. With the uncertainty about when the academic term would resume, the usual summer market was delayed. We also arrange tenancies for a lot of corporate firms’ mid-level management coming to work in London, and that market simply adapted. Relocation agents are doing FaceTime tours for their clients instead, who are then moving in after their two-weeks of quarantine. The process took months before but is almost instantaneous now.

SM – Weybridge has a great mix of private and state schools from St George’s to Heathside, and the fast-approaching start of the new academic term has really driven activity among families keen to move into the area.

What challenges have you faced since the market re-opened?

LH - It was hard for us all to shift how we worked at first. We are a fast-paced, high-volume office, and April, May and June were quiet. But we readjusted, strengthened our relationships with clients and are on a roll, and set to achieve a record August.

SM – Something that has affected us is the delay in getting surveys completed to satisfy mortgage requirements. Before lockdown they would have taken two weeks to get done but we recently waited for eight weeks on one. It’s improving but it has been an issue.

What are your thoughts on the months ahead?

LH - I’m positive. You can’t know what the future holds, each week is different. We’ve gone from low levels of activity to a flurry of deals in recent weeks. It’s a case of taking each day as it comes.

SM – We were quieter a couple of weeks back and then last week it picked up again. The recession and the end of furlough is playing on some people’s minds. However, at the same time I was talking to a client who is considering putting their house on the market as they think they’ll net a London buyer and a good price, so there’s no uniform attitude.