Aberdeen’s commercial property sector is set for a shake-up with the launch of Landed Real Estate, a new venture spearheaded by industry veterans Iain Landsman and Derren McRae. The firm, based on Queens Road, is the rebranded successor to Hutcheon Mearns Real Estate and brings together two highly experienced professionals.
Iain Landsman, who established Hutcheon Mearns Real Estate in March 2023 after a 13-year tenure as a director at global property consultant CBRE, now takes full control of the rebranded entity. This move follows the acquisition of the broader financial consultancy firm Hutcheon Mearns by UK professional services group Cooper Parry in October 2025. The rebranding of the real estate arm was a condition of the agreement with Hutcheon & Mearns and Cooper Parry, to be completed within 12 months.
The transition created a timely opportunity to welcome former colleague Derren McRae, who has left his role as head of office at CBRE Aberdeen, where he worked for 17 years, to become co-owner of Landed Real Estate. Landsman stated: “Part of the agreement with Hutcheon & Mearns and Cooper Parry was that we had to complete a rebrand within 12 months. That naturally led into the conversation with Derren about this being a new chapter and whether he wanted to come and join us on that journey.”
For McRae, the chance to collaborate with Landsman again was a significant draw: “After 17 hugely enjoyable years with CBRE, the prospect of working again alongside Iain was too good an opportunity to turn down. I’m excited, but there’s less risk given the fact that Iain has already set up a very strong business. It’s not a complete leap of faith and something completely new.”
Landed Real Estate will provide comprehensive commercial property services, encompassing offices, industrial, retail, investment, and development sites.
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McRae highlighted a broader market trend, noting: “It’s an exciting time. I struggle to think of the last time that a group of Aberdeen surveyors got together and started a new business. I think it’s interesting as well because you look at Glasgow, Edinburgh and London. There’s a lot of this set up that’s happened with people leaving larger companies, setting up on their own. In the main, they’ve been successful. There’s a good model from other cities that we’re trying to replicate in Aberdeen.”
The duo has further strengthened their team with the appointment of David Gavan, who joins from Knight Frank, where he worked as a surveyor. Gavan remarked, “I’m looking forward to working with both Iain and Derren. They are two of the most active and well-respected agents in the market.”
Looking ahead, Landed Real Estate has ambitions to expand its staff and potentially establish offices in additional cities.
