Each month we talk to business heads and business owners. This month, surveyor Rob Desbruslais is Minding His Own Business…
Tell us who you are and what you do
The owner of Desbruslais Chartered Surveyors and askasurveyor.co.uk, part time musician, husband and Dad of many.
At Desbruslais Chartered Surveyors pre-purchase building surveys on residential property represent 90% of our business. We survey anything from a country estate to a modern flat but tend to specialise in period property, especially listed buildings.
There are certainly plenty of them in Brighton and Hove to keep us busy, but in fact we are in central London almost as much as Sussex. We have carried out nearly 300 surveys since March, many on period and listed buildings.
My other business askasurveyor.co.uk is an on-going project that provides online advice to anyone that touches property; tenants, owners, building managers, you name it. I think that is most of the population isn’t it? It is quite an innovative concept and we will be collaborating with other property businesses soon so watch this space.
Outside work, music is my real passion. I’ve been in many bands over the years, currently with the amazing (OK that is my own entirely biased opinion) Bobwantshisheadback. If you are a live music fan, you might well have seen us play in Brighton. To say we are slightly off the wall is probably an understatement. Facebook and google us, you will get the idea. It could not be more removed from surveying.
What gets you out of bed in the morning?
Apart from my lovely wife Claire, a very long to do list! But most of all, doing a job I really love in combination with the excitement of running a rapidly growing successful business with so many opportunities arising each day.
What might an average day look like?
I am happy for all our surveyors to work from home so once I am in the office, usually the first thing I do is check the Google cloud to see what is planned for everyone’s day. Catching up with emails is an unexciting yet essential start to my day, but I avoid admin; I leave that to my PA and staff who frankly are far more organised then me (advice to budding business owners; stick to what you do best and delegate the rest).
Most days I will be carrying out a survey and it could be on anything from a windmill on the South Downs to a classic Georgian town house in London’s Belgravia. I get to see some amazing properties, many with a fascinating history.
One day I will be in a jaw dropping city centre location overlooking the Thames Southbank, the next in the beautiful Sussex countryside. It is not just about the buildings though, I meet some fascinating people too. There is certainly more to surveying than meets the eye, and no two days are the same.
Once back in the office, the larger reports can take several hours to prepare, but IT is helping us streamline the process. We use voice recognition software to prepare the reports and electronic delivery to our client’s inbox. It’s a great system barring the odd error made by the recognition software, which can be hilarious (reports are proof read so don’t expect profanities to appear).
The final document is an indispensible detailed photographic report explaining how to look after a future home.
Then there’s always marketing, filling in questionnaires (ahem) and back to those blessed emails again…
What are the best bits of the job?
Variety means there is never a dull day, and surveying in the sunshine takes a lot of beating. However, working with and employing such a great team is fantastic, and reflected in the consistent positive feedback we receive. I like to think that everyone at Desbruslais Chartered Surveyors is proud of what we do.
And the worst?
Any admin I can’t delegate and very hot, small dusty roof spaces. I’m also not keen on locating septic tanks you often have to follow your nose! To be honest I’m very lucky, there is little I do not enjoy about my job.
How do you feel about the housing market in this area at the moment?
From a business perspective I remain extremely positive but feel sorry for those priced out of the market. Prices may drop off a little if property taxes increase, restrictions on mortgage lending take effect and inevitably, interest rates rise.
However, with the population rising and the chronic housing shortage set to continue for many years, the impact is likely to be short lived and will simply play in to the hands of the numerous cash buyers waiting to grab a bargain.
Predicting house prices is however a dangerous game. I gave up trying to second guess the market years ago and I certainly don’t listen to the statistics; they are usually at least two months out of date and the property market can change very quickly.
Just when you think things are cooling down and going quiet, it all goes crazy again, often for no apparent reason. Then suddenly everything can stop, as if someone has turned the tap off (I sometimes wonder if it is all down to the weather!).
My advise is don’t let other people’s opinion take away your ambition to buy your own home. It should be a decision based on affordability and quality of life. A house is a home first, an investment second.
If you were king for a day, what would you change?
If as king I had a magic wand, I would turn prices back to when my secretary could afford a two bedroom flat in Brunswick Square. 1984 if you are wondering. However, I suspect a wand might not be an option, so I would do my best to find a way to build enough affordable houses to allow everyone the opportunity to own their own home, while at the same time trying to protect the countryside for all to enjoy.
Desbruslais Chartered Surveyors
Lower Ground Floor, 62 Brunswick Place, Hove, BN3 1NB
01273 495984
www.rd-surveyors.co.uk