APC Insights: Becoming a RICS-registered Valuer in the commercial property sector

What’s your role at Christie & Co?

I work in the valuation team at Christie & Co, based in the Leeds office, and cover the hospitality and leisure sectors, ranging from pubs and hotels to golf courses, caravan parks and plenty more. My day-to-day role includes undertaking property inspections, liaising with clients and property owners, and preparing and releasing Red Book valuations.

What attracted you to pursue a career as a Valuer?

Prior to joining Christie & Co, I studied Law with Business Management at the University of Hull, before going travelling around North America and South East Asia. After some careful consideration about the career I wanted to pursue, I then relocated to Edinburgh to study a postgraduate degree in Real Estate, which opened the door to a career as a Valuer.

Having family within the world of surveying was the initial inspiration for this line of work, but I’d say that my attraction to a career in valuation has been more organic, as it’s the area of surveying that I found the most rewarding throughout my university studies and my career at Christie & Co so far.

What motivated you to pursue the APC?

The primary motivation for me was the opportunity to become a Chartered Surveyor, which brings recognition and enhances my personal network, opening doors for me to develop my career in the future. Additionally, as a Graduate Valuer I was aware that in order to develop my career I would have to sit and pass the APC, as valuations can only be undertaken by Chartered Surveyors.

What did the process involve?

The APC is a two-year training program (if you have a RICS-accredited degree) whereby you receive work-based training through working alongside colleagues in a range of areas within the company and the profession, with a formal assessment from RICS assessors at the end of your training.

I primarily sat within the medical and hospitality valuation teams at Christie & Co, which gave me first-hand experience and knowledge of valuation.

However, I also spent a good amount of time with the hotel agency team and landlord & tenant team in order to enhance my knowledge in these areas. It is worth noting that beyond these core areas, the graduate program also gives you a good chance to develop other important skills such as business development, networking, team working and time management skills.

My experience of the APC process at Christie & Co has undoubtably been positive. The team gave me the chance to gain all the experience required for the APC, but more importantly, I have increasingly been given more responsibilities which have enhanced my progression and made me feel a real part of the teams I work in, which has been very rewarding.

Do you have any advice for those considering the APC and wanting to qualify as a Valuer?

My first piece of advice would be that if you are considering the APC, you should go ahead and commit to trying to do it. It can sound quite daunting, but ultimately it is an accreditation you can have for life and one that might create opportunities in the future that you would have otherwise missed. It is the epitome of short-term pain, long-term gain!

Secondly, if you are on the APC journey, my advice would be to really try to manage your time as effectively as possible. This includes beginning to think about your submission documents well in advance of the deadline, as well as organising mock exams throughout the training period. This will be beneficial in preparing for your assessments and hopefully reduce some of the stress when your assessment window comes around.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

For me, the best part is meeting interesting people and exploring unique properties across Yorkshire and the surrounding areas, which isn’t a bad place to explore! Working within operational real estate, particularly within the hospitality and leisure sectors, gives me the chance to visit a wide range of properties that host distinctive businesses.

And outside of the office – what do you do to unwind after a day of valuations?

Outside of the office, I like to keep fit, whether that’s in the gym or out and about running or cycling – depending on the weather! I recently completed a cycling trip from Land’s End in Cornwall to John O’Groats at the top of Scotland which was a lot of fun, so now I’m looking for my next challenge.

To mark qualifying, I went out for dinner with some of my colleagues who helped me throughout the APC process and celebrated accordingly!

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