Passion and dedication. These are two words we use to sum up our mission. And both of these terms also describe Mario Pericleous Bsc (Hons) MRICS perfectly.
Mario is an MRICS Chartered Surveyor and RICS Registered Valuer and an integral member of our valuation team. Having joined AWH in February 2018 as part of the graduate scheme, Mario passed his chartered surveyor exam in November 2019 and continues to strive to break standards.
Looking back, Mario has been interested in property for as long as he can remember. He admits that:
“As a kid, going through central London, all the buildings were so fascinating. I would walk down the High Street and my head was always up, looking at the buildings. I may have hit a few lampposts along the way, but I think that is what attracted me first; the aesthetics of buildings.”
This passion for buildings birthed a desire in him for a career in property. Whilst considering the different jobs related to this field, Mario discovered valuation surveying and loved the idea of what it involved. Following a gap year after university, in which he travelled the world broadening his appreciation for architecture in other cultures, his first job was for a property firm in Kent.
Despite it being a really good experience and learning a lot, Mario felt a strong draw to be back in London and pursue his qualification as a chartered surveyor there. “There is no point in doing your job if you are not going to be chartered. It is the be all and end all.” he enthuses. “And when it comes to property, London is the best place to be!”
Dedicated to detail
Coupled with his passion for property, Mario is fully dedicated to doing the very best job he can as part of our exceptional property valuation team. Working together to achieve the common goal of providing our customers with an outstanding experience is at the heart of everything they do. Any work requested is always quoted for as a team, so that you can be sure you will get the right person for the job!
Once a job has been assigned to a member of our valuations team, they will begin the work of investigating the property, analysing it for possible defects or structural weaknesses. Following the investigation, a comprehensive report is created.
Mario explains: “There are different types of valuation surveying, one is short form and the other is comprehensive. A short form valuation basically consists of a series of tick-boxes. At AWH, we only do comprehensive reports though. Within the report we analyse and compile evidence and value property using whatever valuation method is most appropriate.”
The team are qualified to cover any kind of valuation, whether for residential properties or commercial and industrial buildings. Mario loves these kinds of valuations, because of the variety of building styles he gets to see. But he also enjoys the more challenging aspects of trading valuations, which require an even greater degree of specialist knowledge.
Trading valuations require our valuers to gain an understanding of the particular business, in order to be able to assess its true value to a potential investor or buyer.
Valuation highlights
Considering the different types of valuation, Mario reflects that “I think I kind of enjoy them all, because I get to do them all. If I only got to do one of them all of the time, it could become boring.”
In fact, this love for variety can be seen in the favourite valuation cases he has worked on.
His first highlight is an old manor house, which was being sold with 40 acres of land, containing an equestrian centre and a couple of bodies of water. Mario reminisces with a smile: “It was fun because it had all these elements to it. I remember thinking, ‘Someone lives here!’”
His second recollection is of a valuation he performed for a Hindu Temple in London. Being able to see the building, speak to the people who ran it and understand how they operated, as well as consulting with specialist estate agents, helped Mario gain an understanding of how to value properties of this kind.
To cap it all off, Mario also describes a portfolio of hotels he worked on. “It was fun to go through the accounts and understand how some hotels can do really, really well and trade fantastically, compared to those that barely make any money.”
Digging deep into all aspects of the business, from occupancy rates to financial records, as well as investigating the buildings themselves, taught Mario some valuable lessons on trading valuations, which he has since utilised on other valuation projects.
Find out more
We pride ourselves in being able to offer a comprehensive valuation service. Whatever type of property you own or are looking to buy, our qualified and experienced property valuation experts are here to help.
Experience our award-winning service for yourself! Call the valuation team on 0800 071 5517 or email admin@awh.co.uk.
