Law graduate Caryl Howell has recently relocated to the firm’s Investment department to broaden her surveying skills in a new area after working within the Development Land department. Her role there involved advising clients on the acquisition and disposal of residential and commercial development land in Wales and England. This included providing preliminary planning advice and undertaking development appraisals - factors critical to the promotion, sale and acquisition of development land.
While her work with Investment Agency is different in many ways, there are always correlations between different areas of surveying.
“Working in Development Land was a good starting point as it allowed me to build an understanding of basic surveying principles and gain knowledge of wider property market data transferrable to other surveying specialisms, which are all interlinked. This eased the transition from Development to Investment as I was developing the skills and knowledge previously gained. One of the differences I have noticed however is the pace of work. Some land instructions can take years to complete whereas Investment is a much more fast-moving world.
“As an Investment surveyor it is essential to have good knowledge of local retail, office and industrial values as well as having an awareness of commercial values on a macro economic level. This is where we can draw on the experience of our colleagues in the commercial agency teams as they can provide the market insight and data that we can then use for our interpretation to provide the best advice to our clients. Working within the firm is a great opportunity as I am able to gain exposure to different elements of surveying and am able to work closely with my directors who play a pivotal role in my professional development through their support and guidance.”