It was walking down Inglis Street in Inverness and seeing an empty business property which prompted Munro & Noble to add to its existing portfolio of offices from those in the Highland capital, Dingwall and Aviemore.
Munro & Noble head of conveyancing Alida Bryce would regularly pass the building which also fronts on to the exceptionally busy road near Inverness train station and Eastgate Shopping Centre and wonder if it might make a good fit for the burgeoning solicitor and estate agent business.
Well fit it certainly did and at a ceremony to mark the official opening of the new leased Munro & Noble office in Inverness, Ms Bryce told the Press and Journal: “I walked past and the office was so prominent, why would we not have our business even more prominent?”
Munro & Noble has deliberately lit the building brightly to add lustre to its portfolio of sales and lettings property boards..
Ms Bryce added: “It is all ages, people who are retiring and want to retire, but also much younger people to continue their jobs in the north. We are not seeing all the doom and gloom on the TV.
“We are not seeing as much of a downturn in the Highlands – there are very few properties that are not selling quickly – small ones, buy to let, Airbnb, right up to big ones and we are still seeing first-time buyers.”
All staff have extra payments to help with financial pressures
The solicitors and estate agency has also had to address an urgent and pressing issue – namely the need to shield staff from current soaring energy bills and rampant inflation and to that end has provided an unspecified extra amount of cash to employees to help them through the winter.
“We have given all our staff additional payments for help with the cost of living, for the months from October to February,” said Munro & Noble senior partner Mary Nimmo adding: “It is the whole group, three locations with 60 staff.”
Ms Nimmo is particularly active in the community having recently joined the board of directors at Brora Rangers Football Club after being a lifelong Cattachs fan.
Born in nearby Helmsdale, the senior partner is also a legal advisor to Timespan Arts Heritage.
Ms Nimmo is also currently chairwoman of the board of fundraising for The Archie Foundation and a patron of the Helmsdale Highland Games.
The pandemic made many realise working from home was not unimaginably frivolous but could rather form the basis of a lifestyle, a concept to which practice manager Gordon McIntosh readily agrees.
He said: “There is a huge amount of building going on so they must be able to sell the properties.
“Certainly, a lot of people with the internet, they are able to work remotely from their offices. We have seen a lot of people move into the area trying to get out of the central belt.
“We have got a lot of people moving out of the cities, it is partly Covid-inspired.”
People like to come and see people face to face”
Senior sales manager Elizabeth McCabe
Munro & Noble has seven partners and one practice manager across the group.
The company will retain its main office in Church Street, Inverness, as well as those in Dingwall and Aviemore, but the Inglis Street property will lead to more footfall for as senior sales manager Elizabeth McCabe explained.
She said: “It is prominent, visible; we are at a set of traffic lights and there will always be footfall and people looking in.
“There are a lot of estate agents in Inverness, people do online as well but it is nice to have people with knowledge, to have an overview of everything.
In existence since 1834
“People like to come and see people face to face. You pay a bit more than an online agent but you get a better service.
“We are also solicitors as well as estate agents, we can do everything under one umbrella; wills, power of attorney, court departments, family law and conveyancing.”
Munro & Noble – in existence since 1834 – also has room to expand upstairs in the new Inverness property should demand require it.
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