Mr Simpson Mr Simpson , of Simpson & Simpson Estate Agents , conducted business in Coronation Street on several occasions between 1989 and 1991 . In October 1989 , after viewing the new Weatherfield Quays dockland development , Audrey Roberts decided she ' d had enough of living in a backstreet terrace and put 11 Coronation Street on the market . Mr Simpson valued the house at £25 , 000 and assured Audrey , who was eager to sell and move up in the world , that there was a demand for " terraced cottages " , especially by first time buyers and retired couples . Although Audrey had set her heart on getting a dockland flat , Mr Simpson tried to interest her in their other properties , which according to him were just as nice . His spiel was challenged by Alf Roberts , who didn ' t want to move and didn ' t believe anyone would pay the asking price . Just two days later , Jim and Liz McDonald saw the advert in the estate agent ' s window and offered the Roberts the full asking price for the house . Seven months later , Simpson & Simpson were contacted by Newton & Ridley , the brewery which owned the Rovers Return , to offer £30 , 000 for 1 Coronation Street so that they could extend the pub , which was set to be renovated and rebranded as " Yankees " , a New York - style theme bar . After receiving two letters from the estate agent asking her to sell despite the house not being on the market , Deirdre Barlow was intrigued but worried about the fact that the buyer was anonymous . Mr Simpson visited No . 1 to assure Deirdre that it was a genuine offer , but Deirdre remained curious and refused to accept unless she knew their identity . On a subsequent visit , Mr Simpson allayed her main worry - that the offer had come from Ken , playing some kind of game - and revealed that the buyer was Newton & Ridley . As the brewery had said publicly that the changes were off , Deirdre was sworn to secrecy , although Simpson ' s lack of discretion was criticised . Mr Simpson paid a third and final visit to No . 1 a few days later to hear Deirdre ' s answer . Out of loyalty to Alec and Bet Gilroy , Deirdre turned the offer down , but was talked into a meeting with a brewery boss at the Coach and Horses . Mr Simpson advised her to go on the basis that the brewery may increase their offer . Ultimately , Deirdre accepted £35 , 000 for No . 1 , but Newton & Ridley cancelled the sale when Cecil Newton came out of retirement to quash Nigel Ridley ' s theme pub idea . Mr Simpson ' s last visit to Coronation Street occurred in July 1991 , when Emily Bishop decided to sell 3 Coronation Street and retire to Rhos - on - Sea . Mr Simpson went through the arrangements with Emily , telling her that she would pay the estate agent 1 . 5 % of the asking price . Upon learning that Percy Sugden lodged with Emily , Mr Simpson asked if he had a formal tenancy , warning her that it could lead to complications . Emily told him that there would be no complications , at least on that score . Emily took the house off the market when she realised that what she wanted wasn ' t a change of scenery , but a change of lodger ! Mr Simpson ' s estate agent was also hired to sell 17 Elmgate Gardens , widow Jackie Ingram ' s marital home which she decided to sell so that she and lover Mike Baldwin could have a place which was ' theirs ' . Having been dumped for Jackie by Mike a few months earlier , Alma Sedgewick viewed the house under the name of ' Mrs Halliwell ' ( Halliwell being Alma ' s maiden name ) . Alma wasn ' t planning to buy and went to the house for no reason other than curiosity , but when Mr Simpson ' s sales pitch was interrupted by a phone call which took up his attention for several minutes , Alma went into Jackie ' s bedroom where , in a moment of madness , she slashed the duvet with scissors . After her handiwork was discovered by Jackie and Mike , Mike went round to the shop in a rage to demand an explanation from Mr Simpson . Simpson refused to discuss the matter at first , as he didn ' t know who Mike was , but when a furious Mike dropped a duvet slice on his desk , he lost his composure and gave Mike a description of the woman who had viewed the house - thin and dark , with big , striking eyes . Realising that it had been Alma , Mike stopped Simpson from calling the police and went to handle the situation himself . Though normally business - like in his manner , Mr Simpson occasionally showed a more personable side , such as when he commented to Tracy Barlow , when she went upstairs to play her tapes , that he would rather listen to Kylie Minogue if he had the choice .