Hamilton Osborne King is shaking up its country department in an effort to beat its 1998 turnover of £36 million. It has brought in a senior UK surveyor, Jonathan Price, who will work alongside the head of the department, Hugh Hamilton. Mr Hamilton's previous deputy Pat O'Hagan is now running the agency's Swords office and will have responsibility for north Dublin, Meath and Louth. HOK's long association with big country houses has been increasingly challenged in recent years by a number of other agencies keen to tap into the country set.

Once considered white elephants, the large country houses are now keenly sought by Ireland's nouveau riche and the odd foreigner. Although Irish values have been rising faster than in the UK, there are still plenty of enquiries from England where Mr Price was responsible for estate management and land disposal with Powergen.