Behnam Afshar, a director of AMA Homes, which has been in the housing market for more than 40 years, says local knowledge plays an essential part in meeting local needs.
His Edinburgh-based company, set up by four brothers, has built a reputation for the quality and fabric of its homes, selecting locations which are in sought-after postcodes.
The company has recently sold a group of modern townhouses in Belford, Edinburgh, at over £1.3m per home. Afshar is now focusing on the sale of the adjoining modern luxury flats which are ready for sale.
“We had a good first quarter of 2026, but the movement of some properties has been slow. The general economic situation, with buyers punished by a series of tax rises in the past year, has deterred many people from making significant moves.
“But the benefits of a city such as Edinburgh is that it’s a safe place to live, with a rich array of amenities that are nearby. That appeal is not going away.”
AMA Homes is currently developing a site for 21 homes in South Queensferry. These will be due for release at the end of October.
ESPC stays the course in Edinburgh
A small showroom in Edinburgh’s George Street changed the way people bought and sold homes when it opened 55 years ago. Today, ESPC is still on George Street, and doing what it has always done: help people move home.
ESPC CEO Paul Hilton said: “ESPC is dedicated to being a local service, rooted in the communities we serve, but offering an experience that feels as slick and seamless as that of a national brand.
“Across the business, we’ve worked incredibly hard to build a platform that’s tailored to what our customers need, and together with our membership of 110 ESPC solicitor estate agents, we are so proud to be offering a service that’s clearly meeting those needs. “
The benefits of a city such as Edinburgh is that it’s a safe place to live, with a rich array of amenities that are nearby. That appeal is not going away
- Behnam Afshar
ESPC remains a portal of choice for home buyers and sellers in key locations.
A survey, conducted by Progressive in January and February in the east of Scotland of over 500 recent buyers and potential sellers, revealed that espc.com is where most buyers would go first to find a property to buy, with 29 per cent of respondents naming ESPC as their first port of call, compared to 25 per cent for Rightmove.com and 18 per cent for Zoopla.com
In all, 77 per cent of sellers said that they’d like to see their property marketed on espc.com, compared to 70 per cent for Rightmove, 57 per cent for Zoopla and 42 per cent for S1 Homes.
In addition to this, 38 per cent of respondents said they view espc.com as their first choice for where they’d like their property to be marketed, above the closest competition of 22 per cent for Rightmove.
Glasgow tops investment league
Glasgow is the top UK city for residential investment, according to Colliers’ Top UK Residential Investment Cities report.
Edinburgh takes second place, with London, Cambridge and Manchester rounding out the top five.
The capital’s slip from first to third place has been driven by weaker GDP projections and poor scores across Colliers’ property ‘pillars’, namely high house prices and rents leading to affordability challenges.
London remains at the top of the pillar with more than 400,000 students.
Oliver Kolodseike, head of research and strategic insights at Colliers, told Property Week that demand in the capital is secure, but “the gap between the regions and London is closing”.
He adds: “London is normally there or thereabouts in our top five; but in most of the property indicators, it isn’t doing too
well.
“Housing delivery remains materially below identified need, although there will always be a strong case for London, despite the affordability issues.”
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