What’s it like being an estate agent?

It’s going to really depend on what type of company you got to work for. If it is an independent agent then you’ll find that there’s more focus on customer service and making sure that you find the right buyers for the right property, however, it’s a tough industry and there will always be pressure to succeed. For a smaller company that pressure is the overheads and making sure the office stays open. For a larger corporation the pressure will always be there for targets. Have you made your phone calls, have you sent enough “leads” to the financial advisors, solicitors etc. Be prepared for many meetings over how you can improve, other things the company has decided to monetise and so on. On the positive side, they rarely fail. Countrywide is one of the UKs biggest agency brand and has been on a downward spiral for years yet always finds new funding sources and is still going. Daily, at the start, expect to basically be hitting the phones all day. Calling people who have enquired to book them in, get feedback from viewings, calling owners to keep them updated. Eventually you’ll be calling solicitors to chase the sales and update both sides. In terms of a difficult job, it will have its tough days. Imagine speaking to someone almost daily for four months only for the buyer to pull out last second for no reason and having to be the one to make that call. Conversely imagine being the one who gets to call and tell them the sale has exchanged, or call the buyers to say they can pick up their keys to their first home. It definitely has its good days. Final note, be prepared for everyone to automatically hate you when you say what you do for a living, you get used to it!