Heather Hilder-Darling, Property Manager
Heather Hilder-Darling shares her passion for everything property – selling homes, houses and flats, beach huts or letting houses and flats, and property management through her Brighton & Hove estate agency.
You can be sure of a warm welcome at their branch at 59 Church Road, Hove and at their Head Office in Worthing.
Callaways Estate & Lettings Agents have a core vision to deliver amazing customer service by loving what they do. Their Sales and Lettings teams love living and working in Brighton & Hove. A huge part of delivering this vision is driven by our fantastic property teams who wholeheartedly engage in this very powerful principle.
Who are you?
Heather Hilder-Darling, mum of 3, nanny to 2 gorgeous girls, wife to Bob. Property business woman.
Lots of Xes: Ex-pro photographer, ex bilingual secretary, ex Worthing Golf Club Lady Captain
How long have you lived and worked in East Sussex?
I moved to Brighton when I was 9 years old, from Scotland where my father worked. I went to primary school (Rudyard Kipling) for a few months to take my 11+, then moved to Varndean Grammar School for Girls. Brighton Tech followed where I took a year’s course to become a bi-lingual secretary. I’m not sure I could still take shorthand in French and German, though. I decided to travel to Europe, where I lived and worked for about 7 years.
In my 30s I went to Brighton University to study Business Management and have never looked back!
I’ve been working in Brighton again since 2008.
When did you start your company?
In 2008 I bought Callaways Estate Agency which was started in 1935. I co-own Land & Brand New Homes with Bob (est 1991) and HRH Developments.
How has Brighton and Hove changed?
Enormously! There are some never-changing aspects – Brighton Pavilion, Pier, The Steine. I remember the centre of Brighton before Churchill Square was built, Black Rock before the Marina was built (I temped there for a while), and London Road area before all the new flatted developments…
It was a great place to be as a teenager, and it’s still a great place with its café/restaurant culture, sports facilities (I was always out on the playing fields at Varndean).
Loads more traffic too! And I certainly don’t remember their being cycle lanes (although there was a lot less traffic in those days…)
Why live and work in East Sussex?
It’s such a vibrant place – you have complete opposites – country/city, seaside/South Downs/ quiet country pubs/nightclubs – and of course quick routes out to Gatwick Airport, London or other great Sussex destinations.
Work is varied with Headquarters of large companies, yet you still have small businesses, markets, etc giving a cosmopolitan feel. There are many places to go for a great live/work balance.
What do you love most about this area?
The variety! It feels like HOME. The climate, the promenade, the surrounding villages and the BUZZ
Favourite Sussex restaurant?
The Salt Room on Kings Road Brighton (the food is outstanding, and the position on the seafront is superb). Smell that fresh sea air, or see the pounding waves – breath-taking!
Three things you’d recommend anyone doing when visiting East Sussex?
Sample our country pubs – because they are great whatever season you visit in
Visit (in a day) Brighton Pavilion, i360 (on a good day) and take in a visit to the theatre (when open) or mooch round the Lanes and soak up the atmosphere
Go to Cuckmere Haven and take a walk down to the beach – nature at its finest, sea air, and away from the traffic.
How do you think the pandemic and the lockdown will have affected your business?
My teams have been working remotely so very little has changed as we’ve continued to work on behalf of Landlords and Tenants.
We are doing a lot more digitally now.
The market may have stalled for a couple of months, but I believe it will pick up later this year, around October and certainly in 2021 providing there isn’t a second lockdown.
My Sales & Lettings teams have been outstanding, working on projects to get us ahead of the game.
What are some of the most memorable properties you’ve helped sell?
They’ve all been the difficult ones!
Basement flats to top floor flats in Listed Buildings
Brand New Homes for David Wilson Homes – Old School Place
Beach Huts between Hove Lawns and Lagoon!
If you could wave a magic wand and improve/change one thing about Brighton and Hove what
would it be and why?
Provide a variety of affordable housing for young people trying to get on the ladder in their own home town. This would help the housing market overall. Create distinctive new homes to preserve the look and feel of an evolving modern, yet historic city, have open spaces, and sensible, sustainable transport/parking/bus routes etc.
The housing scene is so very different to the one in which I grew up. I’ve moved over 21 times in my life-time.