A NEW estate agency has been launched in York.

Louise Hirst and Clare Coidan have set up Prime Residential at York Science Park, with a focus on properties in the £400K to £1m range.

The duo who sold four properties within their first 10 days have more than 20 years experience between them.

They once shared an office while working at Carter Jonas before Louise became sales director for NuSpace Homes.

“Covid then happened, which made people re-evaluate a lot of what they were doing in their lives and contemplate a change in direction. We met up for a catch-up in the summer and Prime Resi was born,” said Clare.

“We want to do things a little differently and by concentrating on what we feel is important - good, old-fashioned values like taking the time with vendors and buyers to understand their hopes and aspirations, clever marketing and photography, engaging with social media and really talking and listening to people.

“We feel there’s definitely room for us in the market – we are small enough to be agile and react quickly to the market, without the constraints of being in a large corporate, to the best advantage of our clients.”

She added: “What are we doing differently? Everything! We think selling houses is about promoting the lifestyle not just the address. All of our photography and details will be design led.

“We want to bring a magazine feel to our marketing; promoting the essence of the house and what makes it a home.

“In terms of the market, (global pandemic aside) all the signs are positive for continued growth and demand still outstrips supply.

“The stamp duty holiday has focused everyone’s mindset on making the move and we anticipate a strong trend for upsizing amongst those who have discovered they can work from home and will continue to do so.

“Homeowners now see their home as both a refuge and an office; having the space and versatility to balance both is what many buyers are now looking for.

"In addition to the obvious ‘needs and wants’ of making the move; there is a pretty savvy argument financially too. With savings rates so very low, and whispers of a potential ‘wealth tax’ what better place to put any extra cash?

"We’ve seen an enormous amount of interest from buyers who live outside the area wishing to re-locate, most notably London. When asked ‘why York?’ we are told 'the connectivity – road/rail/air, and the lifestyle."