An estate agent at the centre of a for-sale board property war reckons rivals are up to dirty tricks.
Numerous advertising boards have been pulled out and dumped — or have completely vanished.
The Renfrew-based Peachtree Property is being targeted in the Erskine area.
Other distinctive Peachtree advertising boards have been daubed with a white substance, see below, to obscure the agency name or telephone number.
Now Peachtree director Stacy MacCrimmon believes her firm’s success in the property market is haunting house-selling rivals.
Stacy, 37, said: “We’ve been running about mad at the moment as we have been so busy and it hasn’t gone unnoticed by our competitors.
“I don’t think they like our success and the way we do things a bit differently.
“They have taken to vandalising our directional boards or removing them in the Erskine area.”
The dirty tricks have been ongoing for weeks.
The property market has taken off after the first lockdown as desperate buyers try and secure their new home.
Some houses are selling within days and closing dates are common.
The vandals are preying on the boards at the heads of streets or main roads.
They have not been brazen enough to go into boards in gardens in case they are caught.
Peachtree was set up four years ago and in July the company moved into Hairst Street in Renfrew town centre.
Stacy, who has worked in property for 15 years, said: “I’ve not come across this intense rivalry.
“Over the years there have been the usual damaged boards, particularly in the summer holidays when the kids are off school.
“But more recently we have experienced our boards going missing
“Other boards have been sprayed with something white, I don’t know what it is.
“It is like slushy stuff, I am not even convinced it is paint.
“This is very frustrating and costly, but I am a positive person.”
