PROPERTY
Committed - Parker Barras managing director John Taylor .
THE FUTURE ’ S
BRIGHT
WORDS : PHILIP TALLENTIRE PICTURE : CHRIS BOOTH
Parker Barras boss reflects on a fantastic year and looks ahead to 2024
Business is booming in Teesside ’ s commercial property rental and sale sector .
That ’ s the message from Parker Barras managing director John Taylor , who says his company has enjoyed a hugely successful 2023 , despite predictions of an economic downturn in the region at the start of the year .
What ’ s more , John insists the prospects for 2024 are extremely promising .
“ There ’ s so much positivity about Teesside that the area seems to be well insulated from the current economic fluctuations ,” he tells Tees Business as he reflects on the past 12 months .
“ We ’ re very busy , we ’ ve plenty of things to sell , plenty of things to rent , we ’ re certainly not seeing the situation we thought we would see economy-wise .
“ There ’ s a lot of outside investment coming in because of Teesworks and the developments going on in Middlesbrough like Centre Square ,” he adds .
“ Off the back of the millions of pounds invested in the freeport , the airport , the Treasury jobs coming to Darlington , the millions of pounds spent upgrading train stations and infrastructure , it attracts outside investment .
“ The work that ’ s going on in and around Teesside is vital for the future of Teesside because what ’ s being invested now is a catalyst for what can come here in the future .
“ Probably for the first time in a long time , people are talking about Teesside in a positive light . I ’ ve never seen Teesside get mentioned so much in the national press !”
John believes Parker Barras ’ s success is due to its promise not to charge any fees up front . In a thriving sector , that crucial commitment is proving extremely attractive .
Teesside ’ s “ can-do ” reputation is reaching far and wide and is certainly helping to put the region on the UK map . One side-effect of that interest is demand is currently outstripping supply , so when a property or piece of land is put up for sale , several parties declare an interest .
As a consequence of that demand , Parker Barras is seeing sales going for above market valuations .
“ If you ’ re from London or from outside the area , you can get a lot for your money on Teesside ,” explains John . “ We have seen a record number of enquiries coming from outside the area where they are looking to buy .
“ Demand is outstripping supply in properties , particularly in industrial units . We had been thinking it would really slow down towards the end of the year , but it hasn ’ t .”
Parker Barras is based at Middlehaven but boasts a nationwide reach when it comes to business sales . In terms of property sales and rentals , the company has a regional reach but is seeing increasing interest from outside the North- East .
A major driver for that increase in business sales is the firm ’ s commitment to investing heavily in advertising to sell those businesses .
Parker Barras is a well-established name with a large database and a track record of advertising on more web platforms than any other agent in the UK .
As a result of the welcome increase in workload , John will be aiming to expand in 2024 by opening new branches . And , if the Middlehaven branch is anything to go by , they will be exciting places to work .
“ I ’ ve got an absolutely fantastic team ,” says John . “ Hard-working and dedicated , we all share the same vision and goals , and our customers are keen that we achieve those goals and the team get behind it and give a real good service .
“ What ’ s interesting is they all work from the office , even though they could work remotely from home . I think they enjoy the atmosphere in the office , they think it ’ s a great environment to work in .
“ There are great opportunities on Teesside at the moment ,” he concludes . “ I ’ m really pleased about being from Teesside and having a homegrown team and we are all looking forward to 2024 .”
For more information visit parkerbarras . co . uk .
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