From glue sticks to the internet: Inside 30 years of property in Yorkshire
From film rolls and photo stickers to online portals and nationwide buyers, estate agency has been transformed over the past 30 years.
This shift has been charted closely by Nick Alcock, who is celebrating over three decades with one Yorkshire estate agents.
Nick, who heads up Dacre Son & Hartley’s Knaresborough office, is celebrating 30 years with the business this month. A quarter of a century of that time has been spent in the market town, where the firm has now operated for 47 years.
Under his leadership, the Knaresborough office was recently named the top-selling estate agent in and around the town, according to the latest sales data published by property portal Rightmove.
Nick joined Dacre Son & Hartley after graduating from university with a degree in geology and geography. Keen to find a role that would not see him stuck at a desk all day, he was encouraged to apply for a job by his mother-in-law, who was working at the firm at the time.
He began his career in the Wetherby office before moving to Harrogate. After five years, he transferred to Knaresborough, where he has remained ever since. During his time with the business, Nick has also completed a postgraduate diploma in property valuation and management.
Reflecting on his early days in the industry, Nick says: “It was a very different working environment in the Nineties and one of my first jobs involved physically sticking photographs onto property brochures.
"We took the pictures ourselves and sent the film off to be developed and the return proof strip would come back for us to tick what we wanted, before being returned to us with the final images as stickers – a process that could take over a week.
“Technology has completely changed estate agency. The advent of the internet means we can easily reach buyers throughout the UK and beyond. I’ve been lucky that the market continued to rise steadily for many years, with strong demand and increasing prices, until the financial crisis of 2008 brought my first experience of a recession and price falls.”
While digital tools have sped up marketing and widened audiences, Nick believes other elements of the process have become more complex. He says the conveyancing process has become slower due to the growing complexity of transactions and regulation. Nick adds: “I’ve also witnessed significant legislative change, including the introduction of anti-money laundering rules, HMRC checks and ‘know your client’ requirements, all of which are welcome safeguards.”
Among the more memorable properties Nick has sold was a house on Otley Road where the power had to be switched off at the mains after viewings. Nick says: “I won’t ever forget having to enter the dark basement in winter armed only with a torch to deal with the fizzing fuse box after each viewing, but luckily safety procedures are now far more robust.”
Over the years, Nick has enjoyed working with generations of the same families, at one point selling homes simultaneously for grandparents, parents and their daughter. He has also sold some houses as many as five times. The most expensive property he has handled was marketed for £1.25m in Goldsborough.
He has also seen clear demographic shifts, with more buyers relocating from the South, as well as people who grew up locally, moved to London for work, and later returning to North Yorkshire to raise families near strong local schools.
Nick says: “People can sell a two-bedroom flat in London and buy a five-bedroom detached house here with many choosing to be closer to family and take advantage of the good local schools.”
Nick became a shareholder in Dacre, Son & Hartley 18 years ago. “I never wanted to work for a corporate agency, and I really value the autonomy of running the Knaresborough office,” he says.
“There really is no better agency to work for. I’m incredibly proud of my team – Anita, Harriet, Sue and Amelia – and of being part of the Knaresborough community. You can’t walk down the High Street without stopping to chat to someone you’ve worked with or sold a house for and that’s very special.”
Looking ahead, Nick believes the local market is entering a more active period. He says: “This December was the busiest I’ve known for years. Many people had been waiting to see what the budget had in store, so held back moving last autumn and we expect there will be a wide choice of properties coming onto the market this spring.”
Founded more than 200 years ago, Dacre, Son & Hartley is Yorkshire’s largest independent estate agent, with 18 offices across North and West Yorkshire and it also owns the Lister Haigh estate agency brand. The firm’s Knaresborough office is open six days a week.