One-on-one interview: Helen Griffin-Booth, Bluerow Homes

This week’s exclusive interview with a senior figure from the housing poses the questions to Helen Griffin-Booth, director of Bluerow Homes, a Liverpool-based agency that operates across the residential market in that city and the surrounding region.

Hi, please tell us a little about yourself and Bluerow.

Based in Liverpool city centre, Bluerow Homes specialises in the sale and rental of quality residential properties across the North West and beyond. Established in 2008, Bluerow Homes was born out of the need for a quality property service for working professionals in Liverpool, and has since gone on to become one of Liverpool’s leading sales and lettings agencies.

2016 has been a memorable and successful year for us. We have expanded to become Bluerow Homes in support of our new sales division, adding residential sales and valuations to our lettings, investment and property management offering. This year has also seen the opening of our new city centre office, with a special ‘paint the town blue’ themed launch event and social media campaign.

How is the market in Liverpool right now - generally and with new homes in particular?

We’ve found the market for residential property to be incredibly strong over the past few months. Our sales division was launched just four months ago and we have been blown away by the demand from both vendors and buyers.

The property market in Liverpool is an eclectic mix of traditional properties full of original character, and exciting new developments which are popping up across the skyline. We’re working with a couple of developers on exciting new projects, in Liverpool and beyond, at the moment. In particular, we’re delighted to be marketing Liverpool’s iconic new £200m Chinatown development – this is definitely one to watch.

Since George Osborne left office, there's not been much talk on the 'Northern Powerhouse' - are you worried that momentum is stalling?

In the Autumn Statement we saw the new chancellor, Philip Hammond, offer some reassurance that Mr Osborne’s Northern Powerhouse will be delivered, but what is needed now is a real commitment to our key northern cities, and Liverpool should be an integral part of this.

Liverpool is a thriving city which plays a huge role in the UK’s economy and should not be overlooked. Productivity is going to be key to delivering the Northern Powerhouse successfully. The coming months will be a real test of whether the government are truly committed to delivering the Northern Powerhouse.

What sort of new properties are in demand in the city?

We have seen a high level of demand for new build apartments, in particular, especially in the city centre. These properties are ideal for young professionals working in the city and wanting to be part of Liverpool’s vibrant social scene.

Are there particular developments that your clients are especially interested in?

There are always certain developments which catch people’s eye and spark a high level of interest across the city. As I mentioned earlier, the development of the city’s iconic Chinatown is definitely eagerly anticipated. The project will deliver 850 new homes to Europe’s oldest Chinese community – this is definitely something exciting.

What are the main reasons you find behind people's interest in new homes?

Buying a new home is a completely personal experience and nearly every client will have a different motive behind buying the property they choose.

Increasingly, we’re finding that city-centre homes tend to be new builds, with more and more developments getting underway. These are very popular with young professionals and those buying a second home as a city base, as their modern specification is well adept to city living.

For others, particularly families and downsizers, buying a new home makes sense for more economical and practical reasons – higher energy efficiency to save money and more space for kids to run around in come top of the list.

Where do you think the Liverpool property market will go in 2017?

If this year is anything to go by, I’m certainly excited to see what 2017 has in store. In a year of Brexit uncertainty, the Liverpool property market has been incredibly robust. I think that the market will continue to thrive, as confidence builds and more and more people start to take their first step on the property ladder.