Estate agents regularly top the tables of least trustworthy industries and are easy targets for the media.
Fans of reality show The Apprentice may have felt uncomfortable watching a recent episode that saw candidates take on the role of estate agent by selling Galliard Homes new builds in London with the aim to make the most commission.
Candidates stumbled over viewings and failed to provide some of the most basic bits of information such as the views from the window.
Comedy fans may remember a 2002 Channel 4 show called The Estate Agents that focused on the incompetent and untrustworthy lives of staff at fictional South London agency called Embassy Properties.
Whether in fact or fiction, the estate agent sector clearly has an image problem.
Trade body the National Association of Estate Agents has tried to beef up the professionalism with codes of practice and qualifications, but the arguments over the value a high-street firm can provide still persist.
Jerry Lyons, managing director of Property PR Expert, says the negative image problem stems back to the Wild West days of the late 1980s and 1990s when dodgy practices were more common.
He explains: “I feel the industry has got its house in order in terms of weeding out the bad apples, as has the recent recession. Bad agents don’t weather these kind of financial storms while most good, reputable agents do.”
Robert Nichols, managing director, of London agent Portico, said reputation is a complicated issue.
He said: “Estate agents tend to have more disappointed customers than most industries. Quite simply, for every successful purchaser and new tenant there will be a handful of unhappy people who may not feel too positive towards their estate agent.”
However, Mr Nichols said there is room for more organised regulation, adding: “We strongly believe there is a case for proper regulatory oversight of the industry. We are subject to a large amount of piecemeal regulation and it’s time to recognise that a good estate agent makes a valid contribution to the housing market.”
So how can estate agents improve their image? Mr Lyons says trade bodies could do more to help improve the image of the industry, adding: “The national estate agency industry bodies need to do more to change negative perceptions. It requires investment and commitment but I know from the agents that I work with that the desire is there to change and challenge the general misconception.
He suggests estate agents could be more proactive with the media, especially local press, highlight local causes they are supporting and ultimately stand up for themselves, adding: “There are agents up and down the UK doing some really great things which benefit the communities they serve.
“The industry needs to do more to get these messages out in the general and media.
”If you see unfair criticism of the industry point out the good that the industry does.”
Comments (14)
What we don’t seem to have is someone who will stand up for Estate Agencies as a whole.
We are so divided as an industry there is no loyalty, we fight for every instruction and we compete against each other.
PLUS: We are middlemen (and women) in a game with 2 parties that both want what is best for themselves. There will always be a compromise and because of this both sides will naturally point fingers as why they didn’t get this and that… straight at us!!!
We deal with delays from solicitors and WE have to be the ones to deliver bad news, when the solicitors aren’t communicating WE are the ones who pick up the slack.
What the public need to know is more about our businesses, how long things take, what delays there might be, what might come up on a survey, what we do behind the scenes when they think that we are just leaving all things to chance.
The public believe that this business is easy money, like car sales, quick turnaround and only a few papers to sign because that’s all they see.
EDUCATE the masses, this will change perceptions. BUT…. who will do this for us? we need 1 cohesive voice for all, any volunteers? Who would be willing to put their neck on the line?
I’m guessing not many, then there’s the issue that what values would they uphold? Traditional agents? hybrid? onlinies? could you represent all 3 at the same time fairly and without prejudice?
Looks like another has seen the light!
You sum up the situation well, i have long been an advocate of this.
What we need is a voice for FULL SERVICE, HIGH STREET AGENTS.
A set of rules for best practice needs to be drawn up and then we need a spokesperson out hitting the media and press, selling the benefits.
More and more agents are starting to speak about this and more are asking for it, can only be a matter of time a creditable person steps forward.
In essence doing what the NAEA and alike were set up to do before they totally lost their way.
“Not quite sure what it takes to be a career Estate Agent – total dedication, or mental aberration.”
I know this one, trust, honesty and integrity.
“…the negative image problem stems back to the Wild West days of the late 1980s and 1990s when dodgy practices were more common.”
That would be the period when the industry was swamped by ‘salespeople’ thinking that they could be Estate Agents. Saw them all come – and the vast majority go, when they realised you can’t ‘sell’ a house.
The very same breed that jumped on the bandwagon late 90s and for the main got out at the first signs of collapse.
Not quite sure what it takes to be a career Estate Agent – total dedication, or mental aberration.
No doubt Mr agency blah, blah etc above has a viewpoint on that – issues of the mind being his specialist subject and all…
One like Pee Bee, that would be me! Obviously can’t continue in this mode, but for now peace reigneth 🙂
Its a lazy stereotype.
I spoke to someone recently who had an offer rejected by a greedy vendor.
But of course it was the ‘Estate Agents’ fault.
How can agents improve their image?
There is very little the industry can do as a whole to combat the often undeserved perception of the public. It requires individual effort and has to begin with finding shared values with each local community. Tell them about your beliefs, what you value most, what annoys you (please no, PB:) ) how you are a valuable member of the local community, what you contribute to worthy causes etc. etc. This can be either through newsletters, podcasts, local PR, organizing charity events , the list is endless. But what this does is to connect you with potential vendors and create an affinity with some and lack of affinity with others. Eventually, this leads to differentiation and then trust.
I appreciate many agents do this, but those that don’t, cannot just rely on leaflet drops and local press to win potential vendors. Or offer fee reduction/over-valuation to manipulate potential vendors. These are the practices of desperate agents that have little vision and lack the ability to think.
One by one the industry can change public perception but it requires a lot of effort and the the will.
In their individual local communities Estate Agents are both liked and respected. This public perception nonsense is tosh; a convenient catalyst for journalists to pen a few more words, write a blog or fill a few column cms.
The industry doesn’t need to change the public perception it needs to jump hard on anyone who seeks to reinforce an undeserved & invented stereotype and those who suppress news of wrong doing for fear of litigation by those who are giving the industry a bad name.
Google (or I guess in your case Rummage) ‘least trusted professions uk’ and take your pick of the tables.
No, you point to one that can be verified and can withstand scrutiny, one that has a solid base for mistrust. The whole point of Agency is dealing with, on behalf of a client the unpleasant end of the stick and extracting the very best deal out of purchasers who in most cases try to negotiate a deal without professional advice. Agents can not be mistrusted for that. Simply regurgitating popular anecdotal nonsense and un-sound research isn’t the sort of thing you can get away with especially when you start to point the finger of un-professionalism at people like me who learned and practised in the mid 80’s through to the early 90’s with out a single complaint against me.If agency was rotten the redress schemes would be awash with complaints, they aren’t. a fraction of 1% of transaction results in complaint and even fewer complaints upheld.
Whether the ‘tables’ can be verified or not is surely irrelevant? The fact is that the writer is correct. Agents do regularly top such tables and they are easy targets for the media. Far as I can see Shoffman is not condoning these facts; he is just setting the scene for the rest of the article.
It isn’t irrelevant,reinforcing any unfounded stereotype is wrong. If there is such a strong desire to improve the perception of Agency the starting point is challenging those peddling false reports and those using them to reinforce a stereotype.
You might not agree with my challenge of a guest writer but all I am doing is what is being suggested, standing up for my industry and those decent people in it.
“Estate agents regularly top the tables of least trustworthy industries and are easy targets for the media” Please could you provide a link to a single table and then the regular series of tables referred to in your opening sentence? I don’t think you can, I think that is a cliché sentence used too often without challenge.
I have probably had more direct contact with Agents and their day to day goings on than most people, my experience of agents is very different to the stereotype you are inadvertently reinforcing.
I agree with Robert on this, its a bit of a lazy stereotype.
Think you will find Finance/banking and the media top the list historically.