LIFE on the home front is fine for Rachel Foster.

The owner of Hunters Huddersfield estate agency says business is brisk – despite the general economic slump and the impact that has had on the housing market.

With 16 years experience in the property field, Rachel has seen several peaks and troughs and agrees that the industry is under pressure.

But she says: “The market has been quite stable for the past few years – and there is still a market out there.

“As long as vendors price their properties correctly and people have the motivation, sales can be achieved.

“Where the vendor is unable to reduce the asking price because of the price they face paying on their next property, we have been able to agree a lot of sales by negotiating chains, both up and down.”

Rachel agrees: “The first-time buyer market is tough – which is why our lettings business is booming at the moment.

“Potential first-time buyers who cannot get a mortgage are seeking to rent.

“Our problem is that there aren’t enough landlords out there. Property lettings go so quickly.”

Rachel says: “People are worried about job security. People are selling and moving into rented properties rather than committing themselves to a mortgage. But there is a shortage of property.”

Rachel believes more effort should be made to get derelict, run-down or secondhand properties back into good condition with government funding to provide affordable housing – rather than looking to build on green space.

Meanwhile, Hunters is enjoying “steady business”. She says: “You will get the one-off property where 20 people want to buy and there are areas of Huddersfield which are always popular, such as Edgerton, Lindley, Shepley and Holme Valley.

“Most of our business does come through recommendation. People come back to us time and again.

“That’s nice because it means that although business is tough, you know you must be doing something right!

“It helps that I have a fantastic team, who have been with me for years and are incredibly loyal and hardworking.”

Rachel adds: “I am genuinely looking forward to the new year, which I expect to be another year of steady business.”

Rachel, who grew up in Hopton, has been an estate agent for the past 16 years.

She insists that she got into the profession “by accident” but adds: “I have never regretted it and I have never looked back. I thoroughly enjoy my work – even in the current climate!”

She attended Castle Hall School and Mirfield High School, but admits that during her school days she did not know what career to pursue.

She began work in sales and marketing, working firstly for textile firm J H Walker before switching from a traditional industry to the cutting-edge world of IT.

She got a job with a local estate agency through the advice of a friend and began working part-time as a negotiator before progressing to take exams in aspects of the business such as valuation and law.

For some years, Rachel worked for an agency in Mirfield, covering that office and a branch office in Heckmondwike.

“I loved the work,” she says. “I loved meeting people and being able genuinely to help them.

“Moving house is so stressful and people can get very emotional about it. I try to look at the needs of the vendors and the buyers. They are never just a house number to me. Everyone is different.

“Once I got a taste for it, my ambition was to have my own business.”

A member of the National Association of Estate Agents, Rachel owns Hunters Huddersfield, with offices at John William Street, under a franchise system which provides support for her and her team in areas such as marketing and IT.

The agency has also undergone a rebrand in recent weeks.

It follows Hunters’ acquisition of Countrywide Franchising Ltd, which traded as Bairstow Eves Estate Agents – a deal which makes Hunters the single largest independent estate agency franchise operator with a network of over 190 branches.

The re-brand also brings all the new operations under the Hunters umbrella, with company branding and technology systems put into place.

Hunters was founded in 1992 in York and boasts interior designer Linda Barker as an ambassador for the brand.

The support offered under the franchise system means Rachel can get on with focusing on her main task – buying and selling houses.

“Running my own business is everything I expected it to be,” she says. “I thoroughly enjoy coming to work. I am lucky in that respect, Not everyone goes to work enjoying what they do.”

Rachel works six days a week and admits to being “pretty much a workaholic”.

As a result, she says: “I make the most of my spare time. I like running and I like socialising and spending time with family and friends. I’m also heavily into modern art. I buy a few pieces and I enjoy visiting galleries.

“I like walking – there’s some lovely countryside around Hopton.

“I also managed to do the Three Peaks twice in one year – once for charity. I didn’t do any training particularly.

“I’d like to do the London Marathon, but that would demand lots of training and I don’t have the time at the moment!”