NEWS
PICTURE : JAMES HIND
Why staying true to its values is working for new property specialist
Thriving – DGRE managing director Niall
Deas says he has been surprised how quickly the real estate services agency has grown since its foundation earlier this year .
Niall Deas , managing director of DGRE , talks to Sarah Dale about business growth , expansion plans and the challenges of recruitment .
A
new real estate services agency launched this year has grown so quickly in seven months that it needs to expand its team .
DGRE , which stands for Deas Griffiths Real Estate , was founded by Niall Deas and Paul Griffiths in April 2023 .
The commercial and residential property specialist and chartered surveyor practice provides high-quality real estate services , including property valuations , rent reviews and lease renewal services .
Its headquarters are at Preston Farm Industrial Estate , Stockton , with branch offices in Sunderland , Carlisle , Hexham and Gateshead .
The company has recently launched its estate agency services and has 40 commercial properties , valued at around £ 20m in total , ready to be published online . The properties will be a mix of sales and lettings .
Managing director Niall Deas said : “ It ’ s grown quicker than we expected . A lot of that is because of the contacts Paul and I already had and have built up over the years .
“ Now people know we ’ ve set up DGRE and understand we ’ re in the marketplace , we ’ re getting a good response . People know us and trust us .
“ We launched with the valuation side of the business and we ’ re expanding it into a commercial property estate agency as well . Having different elements means you ’ re not putting all your eggs in one basket . It gives you a breadth to your service offering .
“ We will be looking at property management in the future .”
The company , which has offices across the North-East and Cumbria , plans to move further afield and expand its reach into West Yorkshire and northern Lancashire too .
“ The company ’ s ethics are important to us , and we want people to come and join us who share the same views and values .”
DGRE has nine members of staff , five full-time and four part-time , and is actively recruiting to boost its team .
Like many businesses in the post-Covid climate , DGRE is finding it a challenge to recruit .
“ Business is good , we ’ re really busy but recruitment is a challenge ,” added Niall , a chartered surveyor .
“ It ’ s not just the challenges of recruiting but trying to recruit the right people with the right local market knowledge and the passion to drive a business forward . That ’ s the important bit . We can recruit but we
Anyone interested in a role at DGRE , email info @ dgre . co . uk .
need them to be of the right standard . “ We want people who are invested in the business and want to drive it forward .” Co-founder Paul Griffiths , who is also the managing director of Marlin Corporate Finance , added : “ We have been talking about setting up the business for the past seven to eight years and this year was the right time .
“ It ’ s going beyond expectations in the first year and we ’ re in the position now to recruit and expand .”
DGRE is looking for more valuers , particularly commercial valuers , plus a general graduate surveyor .
Finding chartered surveyors in Teesside is proving trickier for Niall and Paul than if they were casting their net in Newcastle , where there are “ five times as many chartered surveyors .”
DGRE ’ s values are integrity , excellence , collaboration , responsiveness and professionalism and it is these values that Niall says stand them in good stead for continued growth and strong relationships with clients .
“ Our values are hugely important ,” said Niall . “ What we ’ re trying to do is act in a way that we would want people to act for us . And that is very much ingrained in what we do .
“ The company ’ s ethics are important to us and we want people to come and join us who share the same views and values .”
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