Meet Mo Adam, a Solicitor in our busy and vibrant Conveyancing Department. Continue reading to hear about Mo’s journey into law, his thoughts on the current property market and what his own dream home would be like!
Tell us a bit about you and your role at Barker Booth & Eastwood?
I am a Solicitor in the Conveyancing department, I joined the team here at Barker Booth & Eastwood in January 2021. I qualified as a Solicitor in June 2021 having transferred my training contract from my previous firm.
I deal with a mixed bag of residential transactions, my caseload currently consists of; your usual Freehold and Leasehold Sales and Purchases, Transfer of Equity, Remortgages, New build purchases, Bridging loans, Right to Buy, Auction sales and purchases.
Did you always want to be a Solicitor? What was your route into Law?
Yes, believe it or not! I always wanted to be a solicitor and Conveyancing has always appealed to me. My Dad is into his properties so it stems from that really.
I initially studied Law at Blackpool Sixth Form College and then obtained my Law degree at Uclan.
Following my undergraduate studies, I worked in retail for 12 months and went back to Uni to complete the Legal Practice Course (LPC). I did the LPC part-time over a couple of years and at the same time got my foot in the door at a firm in Preston to build up some experience.
I assisted in a few different departments, got a good taste of Conveyancing, Criminal Law and Immigration Law which I thoroughly enjoyed but the firm decided to close down it’s conveyancing department and the opportunities for a training contract were slim so I looked elsewhere. I then got a job as a conveyancing assistant at a firm in Bolton, worked my way up to become a fee-earner and then secured a training contract.
Covid happened and I think it was just after lockdown, I became aware that Barker Booth & Eastwood were looking for a conveyancer and I just jumped at the opportunity to work for a local firm with a great reputation. I remember coming to Barker Booth & Eastwood with my Dad back in 2005 when he was buying our house at the time, to sign the contract etc, so it’s quite funny how things have worked out!
If you weren’t a Conveyancing Solicitor, is there another career path you would have considered?
I’ve never really given it much thought to be honest but I think it would have always been something property related.
It must be quite stressful working in a Residential Property department with clients that are eager to complete on their sales and purchases. How do you manage your stress?
Yes it can be quite stressful and relentless at times, but I enjoy it. The process of helping people achieve their goals of buying or selling property can be incredibly rewarding. I just enjoy the detailed nature of the work and the satisfaction that comes from guiding clients through what can be a very important milestone in their lives. If you ask any of my colleagues, they will probably tell you I’m quite laid back and don’t get too stressed! I guess it just comes with experience, I was thrown in at the deep end early on in my career and it has held me in good stead. We also have an excellent team in the conveyancing department who are all highly skilled and experienced and they all play a massive role in ensuring the department runs smoothly.
We know that you have a keen interest in property development. Do you have any projects on the go at the moment?
No projects as such on the go at the moment. We have a holiday let in Blackpool town centre which has been running for a couple of years now and does quite well especially in the summer months.
You get the odd phonecall in the middle of the night from guests every now and then with little issues but those are the joys of being a landlord!
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? Do you have a ‘dream house’ in mind?
Somewhere in the Middle East, Dubai/Abu Dhabi/ Oman somewhere like that. My ‘dream house’ would probably be Tony Stark’s house in Iron Man (if you have ever watched the movie!)
Do you have any thoughts about the UK housing market for the rest of 2024, especially following the General Election? Will mortgage rates come down?
The Housing Market is likely to face a mix of opportunities and challenges in the coming months. Interest rates, economic conditions and government policies will all play significant roles.
I’m no economist by any means but I think the outlook for mortgage borrowers is probably the most promising it has been in the last 2/3 years with inflation at it’s target of 2%. We have already noticed a few lenders within the last couple of weeks making ad-hoc reductions to select mortgage rates and if the interest rates are cut in August/September as suggested, we should see average rates come down.
How much they come down and what affect that will have on house prices remains to be seen.
