Changing face of Dundee property scene.

30/06/2011

WELL-KNOWN Dundee solicitor Phil Scott has been reflecting on dramatic changes in the Tayside property scene over the past 30 years.

But he admits the one constant down the decades has been the key role of the Tayside Solicitors Property Centre in matching-up sellers and buyers.

Phil, who has retired from legal firm Blackadders and ends an involvement with the TSPC stretching back to 1984 later this month, has witnessed a remarkable transformation in the property market.

When he was first invited to play a role in the TSPC as secretary and treasurer, Carl Lewis was bagging four Olympic gold medals, Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” topped the charts and Nokia rolled out their first mobile phone.

On the homes front, the average property sold through the TSPC came in at £27,148, with the average bungalow changing hands for £36,280, while Dundee flats averaged less than £20,000.

Long-standing TSPC director Phil recalled the launch of the Dundee Solicitors Property Guide in 1985, which was so successful it quickly paved the way to the joint Tayside publication with the Perthshire Solicitors Property Centre which has proved so valuable to clients ever since.

He noted: “The combined Guide hasn't looked back since and it wasn't long before it became the area's principal property publication. Many thought that by now there would have been no need for a newspaper at all but it continues to be in popular demand week after week.”

Phil, who paid warm tribute to the many solicitors, senior management and staff at the TSPC and PSPC he has worked with down the years, recalled that the Dundee Centre was located in the Seagate before the move to Whitehall Crescent in the early 80s. In 1987, refurbished premises were opened officially by Paul Sturrock, the morning after Dundee United had beat Barcelona at the Nou Camp.

“The Centre was extended again in 2000 and remains the focal point for the vast majority of properties for sale in the area. State of the art computer systems were always at the forefront of the business and continue to be so today, with the TSPC website attracting more and more traffic. The TSPC website has evolved into a massively popular source of information for house hunters throughout the world.”

Phil has been at the sharp end of dramatic upheavals triggered by wider economic events but looking ahead he said: “Prices have probably stabilised for the time being and there are some signs that mortgage lending is beginning to improve. The market will improve but it will be different.”

He added: “It has been an honour and a privilege to have been a committee member and latterly a director of TSPC and I have no doubt that under the management of the current board and manager Peter Ryder, that TSPC will continue to go from strength to strength and maintain the excellent service it has always provided to its member law firms and the public in general.”

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