8 questions for Gareth Jones, director of Red Hot Property in Battle Hill.

1. How long have you been in business? 15 years in estate agency. I established Red Hot Property in 2007. Prior to that I established County Homes in 2004, which was then merged into Red Hot Property in 2008.

2. Do you live in the Tyne Valley? Yes, I live in Corbridge.

3. Are you local to the Tyne Valley? No, I was born in Bury St Edmunds, grew up in Nottingham and went to university in Leeds, where I studied Economics & Business.

4. If not, what attracted you to the area? Very simply the super quality of life the Tyne Valley provides. It is a beautiful and unspoilt environment which combines a stunning countryside environment and history with excellent commuter links and accessibility. I have lived and worked in London, Manchester and Leeds, which were all thriving environments, but lacked the fresh air, low crime and strong sense of community. I really feel Tyndale provides a balance of factors that is hard to equal or beat.

5. What are the strengths of the area’s property sector? There has always been a natural shortage of property in the Tyne Valley and an offering of a broad range of styles. This, alongside good schools, low crime and excellent commuter links, make it an obvious place to live and work and a stable platform in which to invest.

6. What are its weaknesses and how would you overcome them? I would love to see greater investment and initiative in boosting awareness of the Tyne Valley and its benefits to the wider community. This would undoubtedly assist local business and entice more people to visit the area. A popular and thriving environment generally has a healthy and stable property market. On the flip side, it does remain particularly difficult for first-time buyers to get their foot on the local property ladder and unfortunately they have to move out of the area to find an affordable home. Rather interestingly, we have plenty of minimum-age restricted properties (55s and over, etc), but no maximum-age or first-time-buy only restricted homes.

7. What would you change about your industry? There have been many positive changes in our profession over the last decade. However, I would welcome greater regulation towards the procedures agents employ and greater transparency towards agents' fees and what a client actually gets in return. Website dominance has allowed a far greater level of transparency for buyers and sellers, which is very healthy, yet an agent's performance, terms of business and clear distinction towards their service offerings are not often clear.

8. What is your best sale? I don't have a "best" sale. We often sell homes quickly and above the asking price, however we also aim to ensure the process is as smooth as possible for our clients. We are always aware of the impact we have upon people's lives in what can be a very stressful transaction period and our support and willingness to go beyond the call of duty can bring rewarding feedback. My first sales are always cherished memories as they helped launch our future success. We have always maintained a strong client focus, which in turn brings us a healthy volume of recommended clients.

Contact details: sales@redhotproperty.co.uk, tel: 01434 601800.