Don't believe all you read - 14 February 2008

Posted by Paul Collins 2 comments

I'm still not buying...

Let’s not beat about the bush – some estate agents aren’t the nicest or most professional of people. And some agents have been involved in sharp practices which, if not illegal as such, do not exactly cover themselves or their profession in glory. And yes, estate agents can be pushy, rude, smug and flashy, further endearing themselves to the public they ‘serve’.

But let’s not lump the whole industry in with that small minority of bad apples. Many agents are professional, courteous and have their clients’ best interests at heart. While I’m not going to start the violinists playing in the background of tales of woe and hard luck for the put-upon agent, this is a profession that is hard, competitive, stressful and involves long hours, endless chasing and admin, and weekend work.

Against this backdrop, I recently went on a viewing evening with a friend of mine looking at properties to rent in our local area of south-west London. You can imagine my trepidation with which I arranged the viewings with one of the biggest, and most heavily criticized, of the UK’s High Street agents (you know the one, their cars regularly buzz past you on any suburban street with a ‘For Sale’ sign on it). Added to this is the fact that the property industry often sees lettings agents as the lowest rung of the company, involving the hardest work for the least comparative reward.

Approaching the viewing half as an interested renter, and half as an exercise in research, I settled myself in for an evening of rushed and disorganized viewings and high-pressure tactics. The pleasant surprise was that the agent was not only professional and polite, but knowledgable and reassuring. He quickly established a rapport with both of us, and it is clear from the reactions of the tenants and owners of the properties we viewed that he was respected by them as well.

Our requirements as renters were both somewhat vague and demanding at the same time, but this agent clearly knew his stock – every property we viewed had most of the elements we had requested, and he only showed us one property over budget. Although in the end we didn’t find the right property through this agent (or at all), I personally would have no problem in viewing either rental or sale properties with this agent, based on this experience.

I reiterate – I am not saying that all of the criticism of agents is unjustified. I know for a fact that many people have had horrific experiences with this particular company, and some of the cases are well-documented. But I am glad that they had the chance to prove this wrong to me, without my mentioning my profession, and took it well.

For myself, I won’t glare quite so madly at that car as it buzzes past and almost knocks over the petrified pedestrian in front of me. Maybe estate agents are like plumbers or dentists – once you find a good one, keep their card and tell your friends. And us!

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