Bosses at the island’s oldest estate agents say there has been a marked increase in the amount of rental business.

Chairman Shane Magee said there had been a ’fundamental sea change’ towards people renting properties.

He said it was partly because people have become more mobile.

But he stressed that much of the company’s business remained unchanged and that was in internal sales, within the island.

He said: ’Most of our business has not changed, it is internal, people moving around the Isle of Man.

’That was true when I joined the company back in 1988 and it is not something new.’

Director Dafydd Lewis, who specialises in residential lettings, agreed that people had become more mobile and did not always want that commitment of buying a house.

He said: ’So if people are coming over to work in for example e-gaming or the financial industry, government, whatever it may be, they want that flexibility to give them some options.

’The rental market for sure is very active and we would like to think we provide good quality accommodation for them.’

Mr Magee joined three fellow directors to talk to Business News at the company’s Victoria Street, Douglas, head office, as Chrystals prepares to mark its 165th birthday.

They say the company is not only the oldest estate agents in the island but is also one of the oldest of any firms.

As part of the birthday celebrations there will be a Chrystals staff gathering on Friday this week at the Laxey Wheel with Manx National.

The wheel is also 165 years old, having been opened in 1854.

Mr Magee said: ’We are the oldest property firm in the Isle of Man by quite some margin and we must be one of the oldest Isle of Man companies.

’Chrystals must have made tens of thousands of sales over those years.’

The business was founded by John Chrystal, who was born in Castletown in 1825.

Asked what they thought the secret was for their success Mr Magee said: ’We are a true general practice firm and that would appear to me to be a dying breed now.

’For example, if you look across at the United Kingdom, a lot of firms now tend to specialise in one or two things whereas the origins of Chrystals are bathed in livestock auctioneering and agriculture.

’So the history of the firm has been selling agricultural land on behalf of farmers and the development of land comes ultimately from agricultural land.

’What makes us successful is the fact that we have this huge market knowledge built up over 165 years.

’We know who has moved to the island, we know who is moving around the island and we do that by having three strong offices in Douglas, Ramsey and Port Erin, all prominently placed.

Director Joney Kerruish said: ’We cover the whole spectrum from top end residential, agricultural and so on.’

Mr Magee said: ’We are able to cross feed information from one another, built up on our experiences.’

Miss Kerruish said: ’We only saw an example of that the other day when (fellow director) Neil Taggart and I were out doing valuations and we were talking to some farmers who have their ears to the ground on countryside matters all the time and they know exactly what’s going on where and when and who is doing what.’

Director Dafydd Lewis stressed the importance of going out and meeting people face to face.

He said that was a strength of the firm, strengthening and nurturing relationships with people, something that has been going on for decades.

Mr Magee said: ’It is ultimately a people business. Property is a by-product really.

’It is all about people.

’We are rock solid. For instance in my career with Chrystals there have been houses that I have sold three or four times.

’It is always nice to track back who has lived in a particular house, how the house has been improved during the different tenure of owners. For instance they may have built an extension.

’We certainly see the cycle of life here.

’From selling a house to a first time buyer to people getting married and having kids and then people deciding to downsize.’

Mr Magee added: ’The lovely thing about estate agency work is that it is an entrepreneurial type business where you can make decisions on the hoof.’

The directors stressed the importance of the personalised aspect of their work.

Mr Magee said: ’We can sometimes do more business here walking to the bank than sometimes sitting at your desk.’

Dafydd Lewis agreed and said: ’Going out and grabbing a sandwich is more than just grabbing a sandwich.

’You understand people and what their needs are, what their requirements are and once you have that information you can then guide them and give the best advice you can.

’That foundation of knowledge is hopefully what has kept us going for this long.’

Joney Kerruish, who lives in the north of the island, followed in her father Keith’s footsteps by going into the business.

He remains a consultant to the business.

Mr Magee said some people were genuinely surprised to find out how old the company was but he said they have always stood the test of time and will continue doing so for years to come.

Mr Magee said: ’Most of our business has not changed. Most of our business is internal, it is people moving around the island. That was true when I joined. I remember Keith Kerruish saying that 75% of our business was people moving around the island, the other 25% might be people coming in primarily from the UK. If anything the percentages have increased by way of internal movement with a little decrease in terms of the number of people moving in.

’A huge change in that time has been the rental market.

’It used to be that if you had a second property it would be rented out. But now there is a huge demand for rental property and people expect the best property. So that has been a fundamental sea change in the 30- plus years I have been here.

As to the future Mr Magee said the aim was to continue flying the island flag.