Time for a cuppa? 5-Minutes with Stuart Walker

Stuart Walker is the Sales Manager at Beresfords’ branch in Brentwood. We spoke with Stuart to learn more about his role, his journey into estate agency, and his advice for anyone considering a move to the Brentwood area.

Due to being a people person, my late mother persuaded me to apply for an estate agency job when I was 18 after completing my A-Levels.

A typical desk job would not have suited my personality, therefore I’m grateful that my role allows me the flexibility to go out and build relationships with different people as no two days are the same. This is testament to my role as the Brentwood Sales Manager, as I have been working at Beresfords since 1998.

Be the best you can be and believe in yourself. 

Helping people move into their dream home. Being with Beresford’s for a long time, I have moved the same people 3 or 4 times over that period, which is a very rewarding experience. I also get to work alongside some fantastic people, which makes coming to work enjoyable. I still get a buzz when I have agreed a sale on a property.

Every day is different, with many highs and lows, as with any industry, which makes it an exciting career. We also get to see some lovely properties and meet interesting people with whom we get to build great business relationships. 

As Brentwood is a very popular and commutable area, it is very Buoyant, but the main factor is a lack of rental properties in the area. It’s a supply and demand market. We have a lot of registered tenants wanting to find rental accommodation and not enough properties.

Currently, it has slowed down. I think with the changes for investors and landlords, we are finding they are more likely to offload their properties rather than buy more for investment. However, when we do have investors buying, they tend to buy them in a company name for greater tax efficiency. Monthly rental potential is high at the moment, so investors are getting an increased yield for their property, especially in Brentwood, thanks to the Elizabeth Line and excellent schooling.

The Hartswood and Homesteads areas in Brentwood are always popular and in particular, family homes with kitchen/family rooms.

You can read about the best places to live in Brentwood here.

Estate agents are all the same, and we all just advertise online to sell a property. Obviously, we need to advertise online, but there is so much more that we do to find a suitable buyer and sell a property. Beresford’s staff are very different from other agents and are very approachable, friendly, knowledgeable, but also very hard-working.

Speak to Flagstone, our independent mortgage and protection advisors, to get the best advice possible, where they can then provide you with an agreement in principle. This will help fast-track your home-buying journey as it improves your credibility with vendors and shows an estate agent you've done your research and have proof of affordability. Buying a home is the biggest purchase you will ever make, so take time to shop around and get the right advice.

First impressions make such a difference, so it’s important to make the property as inviting as possible, so a potential buyer can envision themselves living there.

Try to declutter and decorate your home where necessary to make the property feel as welcoming and spacious as possible. People get a feel for a property and can decide very quickly on entering whether it could be right for them.

Here at Beresfords, we pride ourselves on always providing advice at any stage of your buying journey to help make the process as smooth as possible.