We purchased 92e High St, Elgin in 2009, and let it out to Chattels Property LLP (now closed, it was the agency we previously used to manage our properties).  The property is now let to Practical Financial Planning (Moray) Ltd.

92e High St was Jock Inkson’s house, he was born at the end of the 19th century, he was a well know local entrepreneur who built up a business selling fruit and vegetables from his horse drawn cart.  Jock died in 1945, the road “Jock Inksons Brae” is named after him.

The building was allowed to fall into a state of disrepair, but was rescued and turned into a shop a number of years before we took it on.

If you are looking for commercial premises in Elgin please contact our letting department to see what is available.

It is a little sooner than we had expected to be saying this again, but we are pleased to announce we have secured yet another property in Elgin just two months after the purchase of Park House.  164 High Street is a grade B listed Victorian property in the centre of Elgin built in 1845.  The building features five bay windows on the 1^st floor, the centre three are slightly recessed with decorative cast iron railings.  These huge windows are going to be a fantastic feature for the flats we will be creating.

Work will start shortly to convert the property into flats, we will be doing them to a very high standard, they will benefit from meeting or exceeding all current building regulations, they will be very well insulated, sound proofed and spacious, and will also benefit from the latest A rated gas central heating systems.

The building was originally constructed by the Caledonian bank in 1845 as their Elgin branch.  The Caledonian Bank was amalgamated into Bank of Scotland in 1907.  Most recently it was used as offices for Halifax bank, we have even been left a few life size cut outs of Howard Brown.

We don’t have a timescale yet for completion, but will keep you informed of our progress, we are not offering viewings or reservations at this stage, if you are looking for accommodation in Elgin please contact our letting department to see what we currently have available.

A four bedroom B listed Georgian townhouse in the heart of Elgin, purchased in 2005 because of its traditional look and excellent location off the High Street.  The property is in a quiet but central location only 2 minutes walk away from the St Giles Church and the town centre.  It has a modern interior, gas central heating and built in RJ45 sockets, a bathroom with separate shower, but still retains many original features such as window shutters and a stone staircase. 

Over the last few years we have let it out as a furnished house complete with wall mounted flat screen TV.  Our tenant has been subletting one of the rooms, which has now become vacant.

If you are interested in a shared house in the centre of Elgin and would like to arrange a viewing please give us a call.  The room is available at £400 per month with bills and broadband included.

Since getting the keys for Park House just over a month ago we have been hard at work, and are pleased to announce the first suite of offices has just been completed.  This suite contains 8 offices, a filing room, a large meeting room, male and female toilets and a small kitchen.

In this short period we have managed to install central heating, CAT6 cabling, replaced walls, floors and ceilings, redecorated and transformed the space into a fantastic working environment.  This suite has already been let and our new tenants move in in just over a week.

We are setting up the comms room at the moment, our tenants will be able to use the  rack space in the air conditioned cabinet.  We are waiting for the leased line to be installed, this will provide everyone with super fast Internet.

We will be starting work shortly on the remaining offices, which should be available by early next year.  If you are thinking of opening an office in Elgin and would like more information please contact us.

On Monday this week Margaret O’Connor started her new job as the Park House Property Manager.  Margaret will be responsible for the smooth running of our new business centre, which will be opening early next year.

Margaret has worked as a property manager for a local estate agent for many years, and has additional experience in customer services.  She will be assisting with the letting side of the business as well as the new services we will be offering shortly.

We are therefore taking no further applications for the position, however we will be advertising a few more vacancies in the early part of next year, please check back regularly and contact us if you are interested.

We will shortly be launching a new website for The Park House Business Centre.  Here is a sneak preview of one of the pages we are developing.

Phase one of the project is almost complete, we will be posting details and photos here before the end of the month.

Update: Live preview online at www.gairland.com/parkhouse

This was the first property we purchased back in 2004, it is one of the oldest buildings in Elgin, and it looked it.  A few years earlier there had been a fire, this had caused serious damage inside.  Although a lot of work had been done to restore it internally, the building had suffered externally from the fire and age in general.

Shortly after we purchased it up went the scaffolding, it is a listed building so the replacement lintels, stone work and pointing all had to be in keeping and done by professionals, this took several months.

Internally we got to work & created two modern offices.  The front office was let out to a civil engineer, until two years ago it was converted into a tattoo studio.  Now called the High St Tattoo Shop it has a long waiting list and is thriving.

The other office has been let to Tax Assist Accountants for the last 4 years, they have grown steadily since they opened their doors.  Tax Assist Accountants wrote an article a few months ago which can be found by clicking the link above.

Located on the High St, opposite the Elgin Sheriff Court and nearby the future Council offices it is an ideal location for a business.  Although fully occupied at the moment, Tax Assist Accountants will be moving to a shop front in just under a year from now.  If you are considering setting up a business this may be a suitable location.  We will provide more details nearer the time, but do get in touch if you would like more information.  We have several shops and offices on Elgin High St, it’s always worth getting in touch and checking our website regularly if you are looking for a property.

We will shortly have office space available to rent in The Park House Business Centre on South St, Elgin.  For more information please click here.

We are excited to announce a new project in Elgin.  We have purchased Park House on South Street, a grand Georgian manse house just off the A96.  Built circa 1820 the building needs a bit of attention, it was a hotel until around 11 years ago when it was converted into offices.  Over the coming months we will create the Park House Business Centre.

We plan to offer seventeen serviced offices to rent.  For businesses in the current economic climate it is tough to survive.  The Park House Business Centre will offer new and existing businesses the opportunity to grow.  We will be providing offices with super-fast Internet, heating and electricity included, this means a fixed monthly bill you can always anticipate.  We will also offer cheap international & national calls and half price line rental (compared to BT).  We will be providing receptionist services, so your customers can speak to someone even when you’re out.

This will be a natural networking opportunity, a centre for business in Elgin.  We will be opening a café for everyone in the building to use, you can sit in, or in the outside seating area, or if you are meeting someone in your office at the press of a button a couple of fresh coffees can be delivered to your desk.

There will be a 20 person meeting room with a Smartboard available to book by the hour or the day for anyone to use, including outside companies. If you need to impress a client or hold a meeting your premises can’t accommodate then give us a call.

Some new businesses just starting out may not quite be ready to take on office space, for them we offer the virtual office.  Use our prestigious address and building as your own, when your clients look you up on Google maps they find Park House, keep your privacy and avoid listing your home publicly.  You will be able to use all the services we have available including our reception service, meeting room and Internet facilities.

Almost half the offices have already been provisionally let.  Although we won’t be opening the doors until nearer the end of the year we can still provide viewings, discuss your needs and reserve an office for your business.

In 2008 we took on our largest project to date; Braal Castle in Halkirk.  Over the last few years we have lost count of the kilometers of timber used, the pallets of paint & the lorry loads of insulation.  We have refurbished the flats to an extremely high standard.  There is plenty of information throughout our website on Braal Castle & it’s history.  We also setup www.braalcastle.com with some photos and information.

We first found the castle earlier that year, although it was in a state of disrepair it’s location next to the river and the beauty of the building quickly made the decision to buy it for us.  A team headed up from Elgin in early November and started ripping out the old kitchens and bathrooms.  All the old skirtings, doors etc. were removed.  It had been converted into flats in the 1970′s, so there was nothing of historical merit left.  The old plasterboard was removed and the empty shells were all that was left.

Whilst this was going on the roof was repaired, the walls were pointed, and new drainage & guttering was installed to make the building wind and water tight.

Each flat was rewired and had new plumbing fitted.  Any damaged timber in the floors and walls was replaced, and the flats were restored.  We had a cabinet maker working with us throughout the build, so every flat has some interesting features he made in it.

We are constantly improving the flats, for example due to the harsh winters over the last few years we have installed heating in the staircases, lowered and insulated the ceilings in all the flats, and reduced the cost of electricity for everyone .  We are always looking for ways to improve our properties and try to ensure our tenants are happy.

There are currently two flats available to rent, a one bed and a two bed.  The two bed is ready now, the one bed will be available in a few weeks time.  If you would like to arrange a viewing or would like more information please contact us.

If you are looking for a place in Halkirk but need something a little more affordable we have a one bedroom apartment coming available in a few weeks time at Fairview House.

We thought it would be nice to thank some of the tradesmen & local companies who have worked at Braal Castle, we will shortly create a page on our website with a list of them, and links to their websites.  This could also be a useful resource for anyone in the area planning to get some work done, as we’ll only list people who did a great job.  A link will be added here, along with a short article when it is ready.

We are looking for a property manager.  This is an important new role which we are creating in Elgin, Moray, it requires a capable & professional individual.  Duties will include dealing with all office communications, mainly by phone and email, communicating with the Operations Manager and other employees to look after our buildings and tenants.  Applicants should have experience in customer services, excellent people skills, admin skills and common sense.  A good familiarity with use of a computer is important.  Any experience in the property industry, for example letting/estate agent would be beneficial.

We are looking for someone who wants a career, not just another job.  For the right person this position could be a satisfying one, and will lead to more responsibilities and greater rewards.

If you would like more information please contact us, to apply for the position please send your CV to our Elgin office.