SUBJECT TO SURVEY: HUMOROUS DIARY OF A PROPERTY SURVEYOR
By Roy McClure
Local Chartered Surveyor Roy McClure, is celebrating forty years in property. Read about his exploits and encounters in his hilarious memoirs entitled;
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Roy McClure, author of Subject to Survey, was born and brought up in the East End of Glasgow, the son of a Scottish Presbyterian father and a Lebanese Maronite mother. He went to a Protestant grammar school but supported a Catholic football team – all leading to an interesting outlook. DJ, singer-songwriter and night-club owner were his ambitions. A chance encounter and suggestion by his academic sister, lead to a successful and remarkable career in property.
Roy attained a BSc in Estate Management in London, is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and has a Surveyors and Valuers Accreditation. He has been running his own practice since 1985 in the leafy suburbs of Surrey on the historic Richmond Green. (The office is a backdrop for “Ted Lasso”).
ABOUT THE BOOK
Roy is a witty Scot and the book is autobiographical. Ill-defined discontent, linked to unrewarded aspirations of becoming a rock star, underpinned the light-hearted reassessment of his life. Something was missing. Then it dawned. The actor has a BAFTA or Oscar, the writer the Booker Prize, the composer the Ivor Novello but what about those in the service industry and, in particular, what of the common House Surveyor? Bugger all! No accolades, no celebrity status. This book, in the words of The Moody Blues, is his search for the lost chord. Like the woodworm cycle – pupae, hyphae, larvae, frass and flight holes – this is the evolution of the common house surveyor.
With his dad’s encouragement; “That boy’s heed is full of broken biscuits” and his girlfriend’s support; “If you get a degree, I’ll eat my hat” reality sets in and an unplanned career in property literally opened thousands of doors (75,000 to date). Properties range from studio apartments to estates. Clients from first time buyers to kings, presidents, industrialists and a host of international celebrities. This is a freeze-frame in time not only of buildings but equally the interesting occupants. This eventful journey recounts various seasonal jobs, education, training incidents, holiday adventures, creation of a business, bereavement, romance, fatherhood and the discovery of the elusive lost chord.
A home is the biggest investment most people are ever likely to make. Is it in danger of collapse whilst you sleep and what’s the value? Enter the Residential Surveyor. Roy meets all types of people from rogues to royalty. Just who will pop up as his story unfolds is an undeniable source of enjoyment, as is his quest to be involved in music. The journey from the East End of Glasgow to Richmond, Surrey is as unlikely as it is hilarious.
Roy McClure is to Surveyors what James Herriot is to vets or Adam Kay to junior hospital doctors. Funny, informative and always topical.
Whilst Roy is based in Richmond serving South West London , the practice operates in Central London and the Home Counties. For services offered by Roy McClure Associates and the up and coming autobiography see: www.roymcclure.co.uk
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