Having studied as a surveyor in the early 1990s, Spencer decided that the housing market was heavily biased towards the sellers in terms of professional support available, and saw an opportunity to set himself up as a home finder. He founded property search company Home Finders Ltd in 1996. He describes himself as not the first to see this opportunity "but I was probably second or third, and Kirstie was the fourth." The company entered into liquidation in early 2009, a victim of the credit crunch that followed the financial crisis of 2007–2008. It was eventually saved by one of Spencer's former office managers. He remains an active property investor and landlord. He is director and shareholder of Raise The Roof Productions, a company which describes itself as the largest "true" independent production company in Scotland and one of Channel 4's biggest suppliers. He launched the website in 2018 to redress the imbalance in the UK property market, where usually only the seller and the landlord are professionally represented. His goal is to make Move iQ the most utilised, trusted and most reliable online consumer resource for the mover, providing access to a wealth of personal guidance, tips and useful advice for buyers and tenants in the UK. Spencer is also campaigning to lower the age of first-time buyers in the UK and dedicates a large section of the Move iQ website to help first-time buyers get on the property ladder. The Move iQ website also offers advice on moving home and provides access to helpful resources to help people get the best deal at every stage of the moving, renting, selling or buying journey.
Media career
Spencer has maintained his reputation as a UK property expert and in early 2010, Spencer partnered with co-host Kirstie Allsopp and launched a new independent production company called Raise the Roof with colleagues from IWC Media. Spencer has also continued his writing career. He has written three books in total and in April 2010 his book Adding Value to Your Home was published. In November 2012, it was announced that Spencer would host a new daytime game show The Common Denominator, on Channel 4. The show aired for one series of 39 episodes.
Personal life
Spencer grew up in Littlebourne, Kent and now lives in Hampshire, with his Australian wife, Fiona, and their two sons, Jake and Ben. He is an Ambassador for SOS Children's Villages. He is a patron of St Mungos, a London homelessness charity. He is also an active supporter of the Countryside Alliance. In August 2014, Spencer was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to The Guardian opposing Scottish independence in the run-up to the 2014 referendum on that issue. Phil Spencer was interviewed by The Times in May 2018 about his own move and the launch of Move iQ where "he hopes to help people through the process and answer some of the questions most commonly asked".
