Estate Agent Daniel sees opportunity in the tough cha...

There’s never a perfect time to set up in business, but many might think now is exactly the wrong time to launch a new estate agency.

What with the cost of living crisis and high inflation, many property forecasters are filling the media with gloom and despondency as far as the housing market goes.

But Daniel James disagrees. He looked at the market and decided to set up Daniel James Residential, anyway.

Originally from North West London, Daniel moved to Shropshire and opened his new business in Oswestry earlier this month.

“I worked in the Ruislip and Uxbridge areas for around 16 years, met my wife and she wanted to move to this part of the world,” he says.

Shock to the system

“So, when we arrived, I started with a self-employed model and used that as a platform to eventually get me to where I am now – a prominent High Street branch in the centre of Oswestry.”

Daniel, a big Arsenal fan and father of two boys, isn’t deterred by the bleak economic outlook.

“I tend to not worry about the things we can’t control.,” he explains.

“I’m lucky enough to have worked through a recession previously and I know how tough it can be.

“As far as interest rates are concerned, I think we’ve become used to low-cost borrowing for a long time and there needs to be a bit of an adjustment – it’s probably a shock to the system for a lot of buyers and a lot of sellers.

“But there’s still huge amounts of business to be done. There are lots of motivations for moving - I’m part of that - and now I’m focussing on the people who are looking to move. I think it’s a great time to create a brand in an area and because it’s a little bit tougher, there’s more opportunity.”

Daniel spoke more about his plans for his new business when he sat down with Angels Media chief executive, Nat Daniels.

Click ‘Play’ to listen in on their conversation.