Behind the Scenes: Eileen Neville

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

I grew up in Cork which is a lovely city in the south of Ireland. I have lived in London for just over 13 years and before that I lived in Brussels. I now live in Clapham with my little dog Max!  

How long have you been an estate agent for?

I’ve been an agent for 7 years. I spent two years in the leafy suburb of Balham learning the ropes before being transferred to Chelsea, which was a complete change and a real eye opener.

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

I’ve worked for D&G for 7 years. I love the people I work with; they are like family to me!

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

I took some buyers to see this new instruction we had taken on that morning. As we hadn’t previewed the property yet I explained to the buyers that I hadn’t seen it yet but thought it was perfect for them. I knocked on the door and was let in by the builder. After a very successful viewing, and getting the asking price, I went straight back to the office to give the boss the good news. As I started describing the flat he looked perplexed! I then realised in my rush to get the buyers through the door I had taken the number down wrong and gone to the next door flat!

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 like to relax as much as I can as the job can be really hectic! I particularly love what I call Tapas Sundays which involves walking Max for a couple of hours, stopping at various nice pubs along the way for a starter then the next pub for a main and finally a dessert in the last pub.

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

We have a lot of foreign customers and they always ask what the difference is between freehold and leasehold. My response usually involves a lot of diagrams and Google translate.

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

Be aggressive – this is a sellers’ market. If you like a property, make a bid. Don’t wait for another buyer to get your dream flat.

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

What’s not to love about Chelsea? The area is steeped in history - Oscar Wilde lived in Tite Street which is in the heart of Old Chelsea, Agatha Christie lived in Cresswell Place, and Bram Stoker lived just off Ormonde Gate and wrote Dracula there! How cool is that? Food and drink wise, the newly opened Good Life on Sloane Avenue is delicious for amazing sandwiches and super healthy salads, Barts is a really cool speakeasy bar and Sophie’s on the Fulham road is great for a fun night out!

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

My advice to anyone moving in to a new area is to spend as much time getting to know the area before you buy –that might mean you walk around on the weekends sampling what’s on offer!

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

I think it would be great to have a system like they do in Scotland and Ireland where an offer is binding, unlike in England.