Property People Q&A: Dawn Carroll

How did you end up in property? It was pure luck. I was working at British Gas when I met someone who worked as a sales consultant on a new-build development. Their role sounded great, so I decided to apply for a similar job at Redrow Homes and, luckily, I got it. I’m really glad I did as it’s definitely been the right career for me.

How is the housing market faring in Leeds and the surrounding area? We are lucky to live and work in Leeds as the housing market in the city and the surrounding area is strong. This is due to high demand and a lack of housing stock, which means prices are buoyant. There’s also a real buzz in the city at the moment, thanks to Channel 4 choosing the city as its new base, which will create lots of new employment opportunities. It’s a huge boost for Leeds and everybody I’ve spoken to is really excited about it. It heralds the start of something new, and I think we’ll see lots of other big organisations following suit and deciding to re-locate to the city over the next few years too, which will create further jobs and attract people to relocate here from all over the country – all of which will help boost the housing market further.

Are there any up-and-coming places?

In my experience, places with new-build developments are ones to watch. New developments attract new demographics. As well as local buyers, they also attract those from further afield, which has a positive effect on the local economy. The east-side of Leeds is a current hot spot with a new shopping centre, plans for a major new orbital road and various new homes developments, which will help to meet the huge demand for housing.

If you were the housing minister what would you do? I would make the planning and services process much simpler and more transparent in order

to speed up the process and provide a much larger numbers of new homes in much shorter timescales. Everything takes too long at the moment and it has a negative impact on the market. If the government is serious about building more homes, then this should be a priority.

What are the best and worst things about working in the property industry? The best thing for me is meeting lots of different people from all walks of life and the general variety – no two days are ever the same. The worst is the lengthy legal process between agreeing a sale to legal completion.

What is your ideal home? It would have a huge, fabulous kitchen with a big kitchen island and full wall of bi-fold doors.