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We're thrilled to welcome Gemma Westle as our Assistant Sales Manager.
Gemma brings a raft of skills to the role, having begun her career in the property industry working for an award-winning, independent London-based estate agency in 2006. She also has 13 years’ experience in B2B fleet sales, which, although not property-related, helped shape and develop her communication skills, strength, resilience, and determination.
Home for Gemma is in Westclyst, to the northeast of Exeter, and she was born and bred in Devon. Her instinctive passion for property has been rekindled by spending the last three years with another independent agency in Exeter.
Gemma said: “In my previous role I was prominently conducting business in an area that was very local to the office premises. I was drawn to Robert Williams because the agency serves a much wider area so I’m looking forward to working in all the towns, villages and districts surrounding the city. The business also possesses similar core values. Independent agency and a particular focus on customer service is extremely important to me. I’m mostly delighted to continue doing the job that I love, with the benefit of more advanced resources.”
A natural people person, professional and personable, Gemma takes pride in delivering a first-class service without compromise, striving to achieve – and where possible exceed customer’s expectations, so she was a perfect choice to fill the role at Robert Williams.
Graham Coton, our Associate Director, said: “Gemma is a genuinely lovely person with a true penchant for all property related matters and we’re confident that she’ll prove to be a real asset – to the business, to the team and to our clients.”
When Gemma isn’t working, she plays in a friendly social netball league and enjoys long walks and bike rides with her family in the beautiful countryside surrounding her home.
Gemma joins a highly acclaimed estate and lettings agency with award-winning customer service and literally hundreds of five-star reviews from buyers, sellers, landlords and tenants across South Devon.
To find out about our fresh approach to all your property needs or to arrange a valuation of your property, call us on 01392 204800.
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Congratulations to Carol Finning for winning two cinema tickets in our Social Media Giving Day promotion!
Here's Carol collecting her prize from our Gemma in the office.
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Some people are put off buying a listed property due to the responsibilities it brings, but listed buildings have a special quality and that’s probably the reason why you’re thinking about buying it!
You’re right to be a bit wary as there are indeed certain restrictions on what you can and can’t do to listed buildings, in terms of both bringing them up to modern standards and putting your own stamp on them. Generally, though, owners of listed properties understand, respect and accept this responsibility and its limitations.
Grade II listed status doesn’t mean you can’t touch anything at all - you are simply obliged to respect the character of the building. All properties need updating at some point and there are enough Grade II listed buildings that have been modernised to see that it’s perfectly possible to include every creature comfort, from luxury fitted kitchens to wet rooms. And while alterations to an existing listed building may well mean using appropriate traditional materials and methods, it could be a requirement that modern materials are used on brand new extensions.
If you do decide to buy a listed property, it’s important to use a solicitor who is familiar not only with the area, but also with the sort of anomalies that may crop up during legal enquiries. For the same reasons, you should use a local surveyor with good experience of listed buildings, who fully understands the structure.
Finally, when it comes to making any alterations, it’s always best to involve the local listed buildings people from day one. They are generally extremely co-operative, appreciate that we live in the 21st Century regardless of the age of the building and in some cases may just be relieved that someone is prepared to take on a particular property.
We have RICS qualified Chartered Surveyors and property specialists within our team, so if you’d like some specific advice, just give us a call on 01392 204800 and we can help.
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A: Cob is basically a variation of the ancient method of building with mud and straw that has been used throughout the world for thousands of years. In the UK, this type of construction was used in several parts of the country including Hampshire, Wales, Dorset and Cornwall, but was particularly popular in Devon.
Traditionally, English cob was made by mixing clay-based subsoil with straw and water, which was then built up in layers (normally on a stone foundation), with each layer being given time to dry out first. Finally, the walls would be rendered with a mix of quicklime putty and coarse sand, followed by a lime wash. Unlike most modern coatings such as cement render, gypsum plaster and vinyl paints, this traditional finish is breathable, allowing any moisture to evaporate quickly - a fairly important consideration when your house is basically made out of mud.
But if all this all sounds like stepping back into some historical time-warp, don’t worry. Thousands of cob houses still survive today. Yes, many of them may date back hundreds of years, but living in them is really no different from most other types of older rural property.
What’s particularly interesting about cob, however, is the fact that it is currently undergoing something of a renaissance. The traditional skills, almost lost in the second half of the 20th century, are being revived, and there are specialist suppliers and builders to handle any necessary repairs or renovation work.
Perhaps even more remarkable is the fact that growing numbers of brand new and often strikingly designed cob homes are now being built. Why? Well, for one thing, architects are increasingly being drawn to cob construction because, being basically moulded out of gloop, it lends itself to exciting new flowing shapes. More important in today’s world, it is very environmentally friendly. Cob homes are cool in summer and warm in winter. The construction process consumes virtually no energy and produces no pollution. Finally, the raw material of cob is not only infinitely recyclable but can generally be excavated from the building site itself, thereby reducing transportation.
In fact, I suspect we may all be hearing rather more about cob-built housing in years to come.
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