Behind the Scenes: Gemma Maclaran

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

I grew up in Gloucestershire but moved to London after university. I now live in Shepherds Bush, a short walk from the office.

How long have you been an estate agent for?

I’ve been an estate agent for two years.  

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

I’ve been at Douglas & Gordon for two years. There is a good mix of people in D&G which is one of the reasons I wanted to work at the company in the first place.  

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

I took one of my applicants on a viewing to see a house. As always I knocked on the door first to see if anyone was in and called out to say that I was from D&G. No one answered so we went in. The vendor’s boyfriend obviously thought it was his girlfriend so came running down in his boxers. He had thought it was his girlfriend doing an impersonation of us, but retreated very quickly back upstairs!

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 love to travel and ski in my spare time.

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

Where are the vendors moving to? What are the good schools in the area? Do you live locally yourself?  

What advice do you have for people looking to buy or rent in Hammersmith and Shepherds Bush?

Don’t be afraid of putting an offer forward on the first property you see if you love it!

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

I love the Hummingbird café on Oaklands Grove, it does amazing breakfasts! The Eagle pub on the Askew Road also has a great garden for the summer.

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

I have been lucky enough to work and live in the same area for the last couple of years. Speaking from a personal and professional experience I couldn’t recommend it highly enough.

If you could wave a magic wand and change one thing about the property market, what would it be?

I would make more stock to sell as levels have been extremely low in the area for the last year.