A former market appraisal manager for online agent easyProperty has returned to the high street.

Gary Romans, who is listed on LinkedIn as having been the market appraisal manager for easyProperty between October 2016 and July 2017, has teamed up with his son John to take ownership of the Hunters’ Bishopthorpe Road branch in York.

Both have worked within the brand previously, with John having spent five years as a sales valuer and negotiator at Hunters York, the founding branch of what is now a national network.

Gary joined easyProperty last year, but according to his LinkedIn profile, says he left the role “due to company restructuring from B2C to B2B (services direct to other agents).”

The change of direction for easyProperty was announced after its reverse takeover of the Guild of Professional Agents and Fine & Country.

Father and son became Hunters’ latest franchise owners after Paul Atkinson, who ran the business, decided to retire.

Glynis Frew, chief executive of Hunters Property Plc, said: “Both Gary and John are very familiar with the local property market and seemed the natural fit for the branch.

“We pride ourselves not only on customer satisfaction but also on employee development, and it’s great to see one of our own staff members progress to take on the business ownership of a Hunters franchise.”