Old Town estate agent replaced by darts shop, as house prices to be read out by a man in a waistcoat

A darts equipment shop is set to open in the Old Town unit in Godwin Court that was, until earlier this month, home to a letting agent. The property's managers found a new tenant almost as soon as the agent moved out, and had hoped to see the shop trading before the end of September.

New signs have now gone up, and the retailer, Oche, which mostly sells online to serious players, has teased the move with a video of Swindon landmarks including the Don Rogers stand at the County Ground. Swindon will be one of three new Oche shops, alongside Exeter and Minehead. No opening date has been given, but the store will stock darts, boards, mats and cases.

The switch from lettings to darts has been welcomed by locals, many of whom say they always found estate agents' windows faintly threatening and darts refreshingly honest. "At least with darts you know where the point is," said one resident.

But concerns have been raised that the unit's new character may seep into the wider Old Town property market. It is understood that at least one home on Wood Street has already been valued at "one hundred and eighty" by a neighbour, who then shouted it.

Industry sources suggest viewings could soon be conducted by a caller in a waistcoat, with buyers required to finish on a double before exchanging contracts. Mortgage advisers are said to be uneasy about "bust" becoming a technical term.

"We had a dartboard at the Legion for thirty years," said Brenda Pask, 72, of Old Town, who has lived there since before it was old. "Ron hit a treble twenty once, in 1979. He brought it up at our silver wedding, and our ruby, and once at the dentist."

Gary Tench, Area Manager at Tench Paper Solutions in Westlea, said his team would be first through the door. "Darts is basically sales. You aim, you throw, most of it misses, and when something lands you stand very still and let people clap," he said. "I've booked a team darts afternoon. Julie from accounts asked to be left off, so I've put her on in pencil, which is a compromise."

Brenda was not surprised. "He came into the Legion once with his own darts," she said. "In a leather case. Nobody's mentioned it since. That's how bad it was."

At the time of going to press, the house on Wood Street had been revalued at twenty-six after a wayward throw, and its owners have asked the neighbour to stop.