Agents see sense in opening at scary time

SETTING UP a new estate agency in a recession is not for the faint-hearted but three stalwarts of the business – Conor Gallagher, Rory Gallagher and Peter Quigley – felt the time was right to go out on their own.

The three left long careers and senior positions with Douglas Newman Good and have set up their new business in a prominent spot at Marino Mart in Fairview, Dublin 3 which Peter Quigley says will have an inviting café vibe unlike the traditional stuffy estate agents office.

Gallagher Quigley will specialise in the northside areas of Clontarf, Fairview, Marino, Raheny, Artane and North Wall.

So it’s not even a little bit scary then to be setting up a new property business? “No, it’s sensible,” says Conor Gallagher, who was a partner in Douglas Newman Good and says the time was right to leave. “We can offer a personal service so there’s no reason, with over 40 years experience between us, that we can’t do a good job for a bit less than everyone else.”

Peter Quigley, a former associate director of Douglas Newman Good, said they’ve noticed “a pick-up in activity” over the last six months “if the price is right”. He says first-time buyers and trader-uppers are relatively active and people are now able to buy in locations “they never dreamed they could”.