Outspoken estate agent Philip Johnston is back in business. After a
period living and working abroad, he is once more at the helm of the
firm he gave up three years ago when he became the subject of a high
profile court case.
But the Northern Ireland property market is very different these days.
How will he fare in these new, austere times? A new BBC One Northern
Ireland documentary on Tuesday December 9, revisits the agency to find
out.
The local market was one of the most buoyant in the UK during 2006 and
most of 2007. Since then it has suffered its worst fall
in a quarter of a century.
In 2007 the BBC Northern Ireland series, House Traders, looked at the
market here through the eyes of a local estate agency and its staff.
House Traders 2: Business on the Brink follows Philip Johnston as he
returns to the business he left in 2005 – just as the market was
about to begin its boom period.
He sold the firm in 2005 after being arrested on charges relating to
alleged money laundering. A year later the charges were withdrawn
and he decided to leave Northern Ireland.
The company that once bore his name was now MCW Residential. But as
the economic climate declined, he came back to take charge of the agency
again and try to turn
around its failing fortunes. Can he succeed when the property market
is plummeting?
The programme, produced for BBC Northern Ireland by Waddell Media, follows
the new Philip Johnston agency as he and his staff cope with the harsh
market environment. Can his leadership help them to survive and prosper?
House Traders 2: Business on the Brink is on BBC One Northern
Ireland on Tuesday December 9 at 10.40pm.