Building Briefs – September 20th

Three new graduates are taking the first steps of their real estate careers with Cushman & Wakefield in Scotland.

Miranda Clappison, Kathryn Cockburn and Tara Morrow will join the rest of the 45 graduates appointed by the agency across the UK spending the next two years working towards a professional qualification through the RICS, CIBSE and RTPI.

They will be joined by 14 apprentices who have a structured five-year programme, including studying part-time for a BSc undergraduate degree, and will also work towards their APC in their final two years.

Selected from around 1,000 applicants, the new joiners have a packed induction week including talks, workshops and activities. This includes meeting current graduates and apprentices, and mentors who will provide support and guidance across the programmes. They are also welcomed to the firm by George Roberts, head of UK & Ireland, and James Maddock, head of global occupier services EMEA.

Miranda, from Leeds, studied French with Italian at the University of Exeter before completing an MSc in Real Estate at Oxford Brookes University. She will initially be working in the Capital Markets Team under the guidance of Partner Calum Cowe.

Kathryn has been appointed as graduate planner in the Development and Planning Team in Glasgow. She has a First Class Honours Degree in Geography from the University of Glasgow and is close to completing an MSc in City Planning and Regeneration.

Also based in Glasgow, Tara joins the Valuation team there. She has a Master’s Degree in Real Estate from the University of Glasgow and gained work experience with Gerald Eve, Knight Frank and Lambert Smith Hampton. She was also a property manager with Andrew Craig Estate Agents.

New cladding planned for Dundee homes

Almost 40 houses in Dundee could have new external cladding if councillors approve a £598,000 tender.

The work at 38 cottages in Murrayfield Gardens will see the existing timber weatherboard cladding replaced with low maintenance PVC.

Kevin Cordell, convener of Dundee City Council’s neighbourhood services committee, said: “If this tender is approved work should start on site in October and be completed by March next year.

“It will mean that on-going maintenance costs drop dramatically and is another prudent investment in our housing stock.”

The neighbourhood services committee meets on September 24.

Average price of property in Scotland up 3.2% on previous year

The latest publication of Registers of Scotland’s monthly UK House Price Index shows that the average price of a property in Scotland in July 2018 was £152,245 – an increase of 3.2% on July in the previous year and an increase of 1.4% when compared to the previous month.

This compares to a UK average of £231,422, which was an increase of 3.1% on July in the previous year and an increase of 1.2% when compared to the previous month. The average price of a property in Scotland has increased each month since March 2016, when compared with the same month of the previous year.

The volume of residential sales in Scotland in May 2018 was 7,993 – a decrease of 6.3% on May 2017. This compares with annual decreases in sales volumes of 16.1% in England and 14.4% in Wales in May 2018, and 13.0% in Northern Ireland in Quarter 2 - 2018. The cumulative volume of sales for Scotland for the calendar year to date – from January 2018 to May 2018 – was 34,711. This is a decrease of 9.2% on the equivalent year to date position in the previous calendar year (2017).

Average price increases were recorded in the vast majority (29) of local authorities in July 2018, when comparing prices with the previous year. The biggest price increases were in West Dunbartonshire and West Lothian, where average prices increased by 12.7% to £109,076 and 10.8% to £160,075 respectively. The decreases were recorded in City of Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and East Ayrshire, where average prices fell by 4.4% to £159,328, 3.7% to £188,835 and 2.3% to £95,325 respectively.

Increases in sales volumes were recorded in eight local authorities in May 2018, when comparing volumes with the previous year. The biggest increases were in Stirling and Inverclyde, where volumes increased by 24.6% to 157 sales and 7.4% to 101 sales respectively. The biggest decreases were in City of Edinburgh and East Ayrshire, where volumes fell by 21.7% to 881 sales and 19.5% to 173 sales respectively.

Across Scotland, all property types showed an increase in average price in July 2018 when compared with the same month in the previous year. Terraced properties showed the biggest increase, rising by 4.1% to £126,061, while semi-detached properties and flatted properties increased by 3.1% to £156,903 and £111,344 respectively, and detached properties increased by 2.6% to £260,221.

The average price in July 2018 for a property purchased by a first-time buyer was £123,859 – an increase of 3.5% compared to the same month in the previous year. The average price for a property purchased by a former owner-occupier was £181,149 – an increase of 2.8% on the previous year.

The average price for a cash sale was £140,862 – an increase of 2.9% on the previous year – while the average price for property purchased with a mortgage was £157,509 – an increase of 3.3% on the previous year.

Two more young apprentices hired at Queens Cross

Two more young people have kick-started their career thanks to Queens Cross Housing Association.

The north west Glasgow association was on the lookout for two apprentices aged 16-19 and, following a successful social media campaign which reached almost 300,000 people, the organisation has now hired a trainee plumber and an apprentice electrician.

Eighteen-year-old Lee Campbell will be trained in all aspects of plumbing, from installing central heating to maintaining drainage works. Liam Boyle, 17, will be repairing electrical services such as lighting, sockets and fire alarms.

The association is also working with local schools to offer short-term placements to give pupils a taste of what working for a social landlord is like.

It’s all part of the association’s support for the Scottish Government’s ‘Year of Young People’ initiative - which aims to champion young people aged 8-26.

Orkney Care & Repair completes 9000th small repair

The Orkney Care & Repair team based at Orkney Housing Association has this week completed its 9000th small repair or adaptation.

Small repairs officer Alan Gray fitted a grab-rail and then helped Mike Cooper, Care and Repair manager, in presenting 98 year-old Hamish Flett with a hamper of goodies to mark the occasion.

The Care & Repair service has been operating in Orkney for 30 years and has been delivering small repairs and adaptations since 2003. The team provide advice and assistance to private home owners and tenants, and also project manage larger works such as installing stair lifts and converting bathrooms to wet rooms.