The good news is we have never been here before

The good news is we have never been here before

I say we have never been here before; but maybe in the 1760’s when the Spinning Jenny, was invented in England, acting as the starting gun for the first industrial revolution, that was a time very similar to now.

As we speed through the fourth ‘tech’ led revolution, and AI glitters all around us, and IoT magically panders to our every imagining; the rulebook to how we do things and why is being ripped up.

With the start of a new century only twenty-years ago, we have covered a lot of ground, and the explosion of the internet, the mobile phone, and the relentless doubling each year of the reach of technology, means we are somewhere we have not been before.

The very fact that a number of vaccines have been developed in months, and the largest programme of safeguarding the nation is rolling out as I speech, should I hope be seen as a metaphor, that estate agency will never go back to how it was, and that is a good thing.

My guilty secret though is I hate change. I may be the property technology evangelist – seeking to help everyone digitally transform their businesses and processes, at the same time having been a former agent for thirty plus years understanding the resistance to change from the old guard. But I still get grumpy adopting ‘new stuff’.

In a way we all fear change, yet if you look back on your life, change is our only constant. When I was a bright-eyed negotiator, I looked into the rear-view mirror of my shiny Uno45 and no-one was in the car, a year later I looked into the same mirror in my BMW and though there is no-one on the back seat, there was someone on the passenger seat next to me.

Years pass and as I adjusted my rear-view mirror in my Jaguar three new heads can be seen in the back of the car. Fast forward many years and I have no car, so no mirror, just a bicycle with a dog chariot behind it for my favourite four-legged passenger Zara, who howls with pleasure as we descend hills at 30mph.

What I am trying to say is that everything is always changing, you can not stop it, most of the time you are too busy to see the tiny changes, so stop worrying about everything and take the opportunity to plan the sort of life, and the sort of work that you want to do and partner up with those who can best help.

Mostly though, understand that a benefit of being around in the 2020’s rather than the 1760’s is that there are lots of tools, SaaS and hardware out there just waiting to make your life easier, both at work and play.

Andrew Stanton

CEO & Founder Proptech-PR. Proptech Real Estate Influencer, Executive Editor of Estate Agent Networking. Leading PR consultancy in Proptech & Real Estate.

You May Also Enjoy

Estate Agents should not all look the same
Estate Agent Talk

Building Trust, One Step at a Time

The latest Ipsos Veracity Index reveals that trust in estate agents has reached its all-time-high since they were first included in the survey, with 37% of the public expressing confidence in 2024 compared to just 28% the previous year. But there’s still more to be done to keep on the upward trend according to property…
Read More
How to add value to your home
Estate Agent Talk

Investing in Property: A Smart Move for Long-Term Financial Growth

In a world of fluctuating markets and uncertain economic trends, property investment remains one of the most stable and reliable ways to build long-term wealth. Whether you’re purchasing your first home, a rental unit, or commercial space, real estate continues to offer numerous advantages that set it apart from other types of investments. This article…
Read More
How to help out hoarders
Estate Agent Talk

Neighbourly nightmares: One in three Brits face next-door disputes

New research from Rightmove reveals that over a third of Brits (36%) admit to having had an argument with their neighbour Top annoyances are noisy neighbours (78%), parking spot poachers (71%) and curtain twitchers (70%) Neighbour behaviours deemed the biggest red flags are asking for your Wi-Fi password (87%) and letting bins overflow (71%)  …
Read More
Breaking News

Breaking Property News 07/08/25

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X. Interest rates cut to 4%, inflation expected to rise to the same figure The Bank of Engaland after two ballots approve 0.25% cut in rate to 4%, but inflation is double target figure In what is the fourth rate cut since Labour came into power…
Read More
Breaking News

1 in 5 private rented homes could be illegal

More than one in five private rented homes in England currently fail to meet the Decent Homes Standard (DHS). Analysis from Inventory Base suggests that these properties would be illegal to rent should the proposed extension of the DHS within the Renter’s Rights Bill (RRB) pass into law. The DHS is a government-issued minimum standard…
Read More
bank of england interest rate
Breaking News

Property Industry Response to Latest Bank of England Rate Cut

Following a hold in June, the rate has today been cut to 4.0%. This comes despite inflation (CPI) sitting at 3.6% in June 2025, higher than the Bank of England target rate of 2.0%. The decision to reduce the base rate by the Monetary Policy Committee was the result of five members voting for a…
Read More