Bucks &amp; Oxon


<figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1290" height="1274" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/04/IMG_2364.jpeg" alt="Shires and spires estate agent Oxford and Oxfordshire " class="wp-image-186866" style="aspect-ratio:1;width:414px;height:auto" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/04/IMG_2364.jpeg 1290w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/04/IMG_2364-800x790.jpeg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/04/IMG_2364-1000x988.jpeg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/04/IMG_2364-400x395.jpeg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1290px) 100vw, 1290px" /></figure>



<p>Are you looking to buy or sell a house this year? Then you may be in luck. The good news for sellers is that, despite all the worlds uncertainty swirling around us and our government&#8217;s budgetry shenanigans, the UK property market seems to be more than holding up after a steady 2024, when according to HM Land Registry, prices increased by 4.6%.<br><br>For 2025, a slower growth of 2.5% in southern England is expected &#8211; enough for a profit for homeowners, but not enough of a sharp pain to put off buyers. Plus we’re seeing the lowest mortgage rates being offered since 2021 (*stampede*) so it’s a great time to invest, upsize or get on the property ladder before that demand grows and the market continues to rise.<br><br>It also happens to be pretty timely for the launch of <a href="https://shiresandspires.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Shires &amp; Spires</a>, a brand new Oxford estate agency, launching in early April that plans to shake up the local market with their warm, service-oriented, super-knowledgeable approach to the business of buying and selling (and from September, renting) in one of the most sought after and expensive cities in the UK.<br><br>And these guys really do have form! Directors John-Paul Burrough and Rupert Viney spent years at senior level at one of the biggest estate agents in London before deciding to launch their own agency at the middle to upper end of the local property market in the City of Spires. So, other than some fabulous advertising (keep an eye out for it on Oxford’s bus stops and public transport), what can we expect from the new boys on the block?</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="750" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/04/Shires-and-Spires-1000x750.jpg" alt="SHires &amp; Spires property oxford street sign" class="wp-image-186456" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/04/Shires-and-Spires-1000x750.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/04/Shires-and-Spires-800x600.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/04/Shires-and-Spires-400x300.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/04/Shires-and-Spires.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-made-you-launch-shires-amp-spires">What made you launch Shires &amp; Spires?</h2>



<p><strong>JP:</strong>&nbsp;We both worked for an agency that really set the bar high in terms of exceptional service and really understanding the customer, but my love for Oxford never really left me, so I want to create an agency with this ethos in a city where my heart is.<br><br><strong>R:</strong>&nbsp;It is fair to say it’s been in the pipeline for a long time. First derived as an idea over a pint after work years ago, we were prompted to make a reality by changes in both our work and personal lives. At the London agency, we both really felt part of something and with providing a fresh, innovative take, we decided to bring it to Oxford, whilst continuing to do the basics right &#8211; service, honesty and transparency.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-was-there-a-lightbulb-moment">Was there a &#8216;lightbulb moment&#8217;?</h2>



<p><strong>JP:&nbsp;</strong>Kind of, yes! The agency we were working for was sold to another company. Around the same time I got married and I’m now expecting my first child so it felt like with so much change it was the right time to take the leap.<br><br><strong>R:</strong>&nbsp;For me it was about returning to Oxford. I went to school here and I grew up on a Farm just outside the city.&nbsp;Various members of my family still run that business but property is where my heart is.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-is-there-room-nbsp-for-another-estate-agent-in-oxford">Is there room&nbsp;for another estate agent in Oxford?</h2>



<p><strong>JP:</strong>&nbsp;There&#8217;s always room for quality, innovation and service.&nbsp; I know someone who bought a house recently in this area, and when I asked her how the property search experience was for her, she explained that she was led through the front door, told where the rooms were and then never heard from the agent again! The truth is that it&#8217;s the people involved that make the property-buying process more enjoyable and less stressful. Some businesses treat staff and clients like numbers, but we&#8217;re looking to provide a boutique and tailored service, providing accurate information, both positive and negative – for me this job is all about managing expectations and creating opportunity for all parties involved.<br><br><strong>R:</strong>&nbsp;We understand people well and the stress that these big pivotal points in people’s lives causes. In Lettings, it is no secret that increasing legislation and long term uncertainty are making the market tricky to navigate for both Landlords and Tenants alike.&nbsp;There will always be room for another agent looking to work with clients with transparency and honesty.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/RadcliffeCamera.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-168946" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/RadcliffeCamera.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/RadcliffeCamera-800x800.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/RadcliffeCamera-400x400.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/RadcliffeCamera-500x500.jpg 500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-can-people-find-you">How can people find you? </h2>



<p><strong>R:</strong>&nbsp;To begin with, there&#8217;s the <a href="https://shiresandspires.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">website</a>, social marketing, Rightmove, and our boots on the ground, but we plan to open an office probably in the north/east Oxford area and expand from there. We want to get involved with the communities there. Agents can come across as simply wanting to shift units, but we want to team up with charities and local schools to give back into the community. No doubt you will see our boards and bus stops on your trips round town soon enough!</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-can-you-make-buying-or-selling-less-stressful">How can you make buying or selling less stressful?</h2>



<p><strong>JP:</strong>&nbsp;Property transactions are pure emotion. It’s your asset &#8211; probably your most expensive one &#8211; and you&#8217;ll be less stressed when you are more informed. After all, we’re the only people in the transaction who talk to everyone &#8211; from buyers to lawyers to agents and surveyors. We&#8217;ll help our clients to be one step ahead in the process by being proactive. A good agent will suss out if this buyer or renter is serious,&nbsp;whilst needing to know the market at the time of the transaction, as it’s an ever changing market. It&#8217;s a game of chess and thankfully between us we&#8217;ve had 30-odd years of experience playing it.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-oxford-property-market-discuss">Oxford property market &#8211; discuss!</h2>



<p><strong>JP:&nbsp;</strong>The price per square foot in Oxford City centre now mirrors that of Fulham or Brook Green in London, thanks to factors like Covid exodus out of London, plus the introduction of Oxford Parkway, which gets you into London in less than an hour. Oxford/shire is one of the country’s most sought-after areas to live, with a great balance between city and country life and that&#8217;s reflected in the range of properties on offer here &#8211; flats, maisonettes, town houses, quaint cottages, large estates. Obviously, education is a key reason why families move to Oxford &#8211; you don’t find many schools that aren’t either Good or Outstanding. As for gems, I have competed in triathlons and found myself cycling in the Chilterns. The scenery you experience in the Chilterns matches the more famous Cotswolds and is only a short distance from Oxford.&nbsp;<br><br><strong>R:</strong>&nbsp;On the lettings side, there&#8217;s three main markets &#8211; students, families and the corporate market, and it&#8217;s famously competitive. We&#8217;ll be launching lettings later in the year so watch this space.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-s-your-favourite-type-of-property-to-market">What&#8217;s your favourite type of property to market?</h2>



<p><strong>JP:&nbsp;</strong>I love large properties with huge character and history &#8211; ones that really tell you a story of who&#8217;s lived there and what&#8217;s gone on during those years. Years ago I valued a charming house, full of period features in Boars Hill and while I was talking to the owner, a deer ran across the garden &#8211; that&#8217;s only 10 minutes from the city centre.&nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/04/toa-heftiba-nrSzRUWqmoI-unsplash-1000x667.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-186485" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/04/toa-heftiba-nrSzRUWqmoI-unsplash-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/04/toa-heftiba-nrSzRUWqmoI-unsplash-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/04/toa-heftiba-nrSzRUWqmoI-unsplash-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/04/toa-heftiba-nrSzRUWqmoI-unsplash.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-if-you-could-live-anywhere-in-the-region-where-would-it-be">If you could live anywhere in the region, where would it be?</h2>



<p><strong>JP:</strong>&nbsp;It would have to be a country home near the Chiltern Hills with a large garden big enough for a tractor mower, and an outhouse overlooking the beautiful countryside. Not much to ask &#8211; but what&#8217;s the point if you&#8217;re not ambitious?!<br><br><strong>R:</strong>&nbsp;My end game would be one of those large houses that you see off the Woodstock or Banbury roads, private parking, big garden, walk into town, Jericho wine bars. Being in a locale that allows me to drop into town on a Friday night and enjoy a nice bottle of wine.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-you-must-have-had-some-funny-encounters-in-your-time-as-agents-care-to-divulge">You must have had some funny encounters in your time as agents. Care to divulge?</h2>



<p><strong>R:</strong>&nbsp;When you&#8217;ve been doing it as long as we have there are lots of weird and wonderful things &#8211; many that I can’t talk about here. But let&#8217;s just say, when you are viewing a property, you see peculiar objects around the place and your main focus is not to draw attention to it.<br><br><strong>JP:</strong>&nbsp;Whilst in London we sold a house for a very flamboyant man whose property was worth £4m and he had one room downstairs that he was very proud of. It was medieval themed complete with shields and a knight in shining armour that made everyone jump when they saw it. We had to prepare the buyers before they walked in the door. It did put a lot of people off but we did manage to sell it for a record price.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-anything-else-we-need-to-know-as-potential-new-clients">Anything else we need to know as potential new clients?</h2>



<p><strong>JP</strong>: Well, we’re offering all our vendors a limited offer of 0.5% if we sell their home! This offer will apply to the first 50 properties we instruct. We will have another coming for lettings as well, so watch this space. Contact us for more info, we’d love to help.  </p>



<p><em><a href="https://shiresandspires.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Shires &amp; Spires</a>. Email&nbsp;<a href="mailto:admin@shiresandspires.com">admin@shiresandspires.com</a>. Tel: 07856 979707.</em></p>


Shires & Spires: Meet Oxford’s upmarket new estate agents

You may also like