Behind the Scenes: Mark Hutton

Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where did you grow up? Whereabouts do you live now?

I grew up in SW London, although I was at boarding school from an early age and spent most holidays in Worcestershire or Cornwall.

How long have you been an estate agent for?

I’ve been an estate agent for 14 years.

How long have you worked for D&G? What’s the greatest thing about working for them?

I’ve worked at D&G for 7 years. The greatest thing about the D&G are the people – there’s far more than meets the eye!

What’s the funniest story you have from your time at Douglas & Gordon?

You come across many entertaining situations in this line of work. One of the more memorable was walking into the master bedroom of a property we’d been ask to value, only to find a couple enjoying themselves very actively. I’m not actually sure whether what they were doing is legal in this country.

When you’re not in the office or showing people around, what do you do in your spare time? Any interesting hobbies we should know about?

I’m obsessed with music and surfing, but rarely get the chance to indulge myself with those hobbies these days as I have a wife, son and Labrador - therefore most of my spare time is pent causing as much trouble as possible with them.

 What questions do you most commonly get asked by clients/customers?

“How much is my property worth?”

What advice do you have for people looking to buy or rent in Battersea?

Don’t be too fussy; which may sound flippant given this is often the biggest investment someone will make. However, with the current shortage in stock, prices seem to be climbing month on month and we are seeing those who wait too long for the perfect property (which doesn’t exist in London) become priced out of what they originally were looking for. Another bit of advice would be to listen to us agents, some of us really do know what we’re talking about!

What do you love about Battersea? What are your favourite hangouts? Where do you grab your coffee in the morning, or take a business lunch?

Battersea, or “South Chelsea” as some desperate people try to call it, has everything you could want; great schools, parks, shops, restaurants, the river and more! A wonderful juxtaposition between all walks of life makes for many interesting and diverse clients. Morning coffee has to be from Caffettino on Battersea Park Road. Lunchtime with clients tends to be a toss-up between The Prince Albert and the Butcher and Grill, both of which are pleasantly informal with delicious food. Gordon Ramsay has also just opened “London House” in Battersea Square, so that may start to feature on the client’s lunchtime wish list soon!

What would you say to anyone looking to move into the area?

As the Nike slogan says “Just do it”. I have worked both north and south of the river and couldn’t recommend the area around Battersea Park any higher. Don’t hang around too long or you will miss the boat…prices are rising.

If you could wave a magic wand what would you change about the property market?

I would ideally like to change the public’s perception of Estate Agents, though this may be unrealistic! Otherwise I would like to make it a bit like the system in Scotland where an offer is binding unlike in England.