Now’s the right time to show some Brexit bottle

On the day after the EU referendum vote I jetted off with the family to Greece. I just fancied somewhere hot and politically stable.

For two weeks I avoided social media like a room full of Russian football fans, swerved the newsstands and switched off totally. Proper jelly head.

I’m now back and having scanned the media, caught up with emails and spoken to several clients one thing seems crystal clear in a bubbling sea of uncertainty. People want and need reassurance.

Not just from the politicians. Boris bottled it, Farage flipped out and David’s done one.

People are interested in hearing from property experts just like you.

I feel strongly that estate agents shouldn’t stand on the sidelines observing a Brexit Black Hole which the media will fill with lashings of doom and gloom (when I was a journalist we lived for these momentous type of events and apocalyptic scenarios.)

But what can estate agents do? The feeling I’ve gauged is that while some agents see years of pain a surprisingly big percentage are seeing it as a chance to establish themselves as their town’s leading property light.

How?

Well the media are still very interested in hearing from property experts. They know a chunk of their readers own homes, want to buy a home or are simply curious about how the bricks and mortar market is dealing with the referendum result.

Why not approach your local newspaper and proactively offer comment and insight? Get on their radar.

Also as anyone who has worked at close quarters with a colleague with dubious personal hygiene – not talking about it doesn’t make it go away.

If you sit on the your hands hoping the fear will dissolve I can pretty much guarantee that one of your rivals (if they haven’t already) will step up and start making statements via the media, newsletters, newspaper adverts etc.

Why not think about focussing your marketing on the must move market? – Death, debt and divorce ain’t going to stop due to the Brexit.

In summary I think it’s going to be an uncertain period, people will worry but I’m a big believer that the opportunities to win new instructions and new business are still out there.

Here’s to your next instruction.

Jerry

PS: In the US recession of the early 1990s Nike and Reebok were pretty much neck and neck. Nike upped their marketing spend while Reebok slashed theirs.

The result?

Nike’s profits rose by an astonishing nine times from what they were before the recession. Reebok have been playing catch up (not too successfully) since.

PPS:  Whatever happens the sun will still shine, the rain still fall and England will still be rubbish at football.

 

Alex Evans

You May Also Enjoy

Damaged timber from Dry Rot
Estate Agent Talk

Mould and damp – what you need to know ahead of winter

With the winter months just round the corner, problems with damp and mould can become far more prominent. Autumntime is when many people turn on central heating systems and choose to close windows, preventing fresh air ventilation needed to allow damp air to leave a property. Unfortunately, the combination of warm and damp air can…
Read More
Breaking News

Rental price and average salary tracker – September 2025

London and South East see biggest dips in required rental salary year-on-year London and the South East saw the sharpest dips year-on-year in the average salary needed in order to rent the average home in that area. London saw a 4.2% drop, whilst the South East saw a decline of 2.9%. Yorkshire and Humberside saw…
Read More
buying at auction uk
Breaking News

The cities where buying beats renting – with just a 5% deposit

British first-time buyer mortgage payments are typically 17% cheaper than renting, even with a low 5% deposit The average 5% deposit is £11,412 based on a typical first-time buyer property price of £228,233 Among major cities outside London, the biggest gap between owning and renting is in Glasgow, where buyers could save more than £4,750…
Read More
Rightmove logo
Breaking News

Rightmove’s Weekly Mortgage Rates Tracker

Average rates for 2-year and 5-year fixed-rate mortgages   Term Average rate Weekly change Yearly change 2-year fixed 4.51% +0.00% -0.37% 5-year fixed 4.55% +0.01% +0.01%   Lowest rates for 2-year and 5-year fixed-rate mortgages   Term Lowest rate Weekly change Yearly change 2-year fixed 3.77% +0.05% -0.07% 5-year fixed 3.97% +0.10% +0.29%   Average…
Read More
Rightmove logo
Breaking News

Data and commentary from Rightmove on stamp duty reforms

Colleen Babcock, Rightmove’s property expert said: “We’ve been calling for stamp duty reform for some time now, as it’s a significant barrier for many people moving home. Abolishing it completely would remove one of the biggest barriers to moving, unlocking more moves at all stages of the property ladder. “Our data shows that only 5%…
Read More
Breaking News

Second-time buyers dominate demand for longer term fixed mortgage deals

Second-time buyers are dominating demand for longer term fixed mortgage deals, fresh data from Moneyfacts Analyser can reveal. Of those looking for fixed term deals on moneyfactscompare.co.uk: Almost two-thirds (58%) of second-time buyers who compared mortgage deals using the moneyfactscompare.co.uk website were considering terms of three years or longer in the 30 days to 1…
Read More