Why are you an estate agent?

Do you bounce out of bed before the alarm every morning, with a spring in your step and a smile on your face? Or do you hit the snooze button seven times in a row before eventually dragging your body out from under the duvet to face the world?

How you get up in the morning is largely dependent on how you feel about your day ahead, don’t you think? I’m one of those really annoying morning people, who wake up bouncy before 6am with no alarm, in a genuinely good mood.  This is mainly because I love my job, and look forward to every day. Not everyone feels the same way.

If you dread Monday mornings, and find yourself clock-watching during the day, it could be that you’re in the wrong job, or that you’re in the wrong mindset. The former is harder to fix, other than job-hunting for something that suits you better.  The latter may be solved with some thinking about what it is that you actually do for a living.

You may be a negotiator. It may list on your job description, tasks like ‘viewings’, ‘negotiating offers’, and ‘sales progression.’    True, these are all part of the job of a negotiator, but what’s your role as your client sees it? How about ‘fixer’, ‘adviser’ and ‘trouble-shooter’? These are the reasons a client will use your agency, and not an online agent, after all.

When a vendor decides to sell their property, they embark on a roller coaster of emotions that may take them to the very heights of excitement and pleasure, and the very depths of despondency and despair – and everything in between.  They may experience elation at the first optimistic valuation, followed by disappointment at the lack of interest; hope and anticipation at each viewing, then frustration when the negative feedback rolls in. And so on it goes, until finally, after months or even years, they get to the key handover day, feeling like their emotions have been put through a washing machine.

You are there for them when they need it most.  Your job is to reassure, to keep them motivated and focused on their sale, to give them peace of mind that the journey to their dream home is safe in your hands.  To give them hope when no one is interested in even viewing their home, and empathise with them when the survey downvalues by 10%, or worse.

I can understand why negotiators sometimes find it hard to look forward to their working day, with all the task-based jobs they have in front of them.  But a coach has a very important role; one to feel good about; one worth getting out of bed for.

Ask your current favourite vendor why they value your service, and you won’t get answers like ‘because you’re good at arranging viewings’; they will tell you that ‘you always make me feel better whenever you call, even when there’s no news’, or ‘I know you’re always on my side, doing your best for me’.  The best clients thank you often, buy you chocolates and write passionately grateful notes in thank you cards.  They make you feel needed and valued, because you are.

Isn’t that worth getting out of bed for?

 

What to read nextWhen Did Estate Agents Become Marketers?

What to do next: Do you get my Supertips? They’re jam-packed full of great tips and marketing strategies just like this one, and best still – they’re free! Get yours here ->www.samashdown.co.uk/samsupertips

Speak to Sam: If you’d like to know how I think you could improve your marketing, just answer a few short questions here and I’ll tell you if and how you could be more effective.

 

Sam Ashdown

Sam is an industry-renowned marketing strategist to estate agents. She helps agents grow and flourish, using her unique smart marketing techniques and strategies. Sam works with agents throughout the UK to help them gain more valuations, win more instructions and sell more properties.

You May Also Enjoy

Estate Agent Talk

Riskiest Places to Purchase Property in England

Cash House Buyer Sell House Fast has revealed the riskiest places to buy and sell property in England, based on factors such as crime rates, flood risk, air pollution levels, road collision rates, and coastal erosion risk. The 5 riskiest places for buying and selling property in England: 1 – North East Lincolnshire (Overall Risk…
Read More
Breaking News

House prices steady in May despite broader market uncertainty

The latest Halifax House Price Index for May 2026 shows that: House prices fell by -0.1% between April 2026 and May 2026. This marks the second consecutive month of marginal monthly decline. Annual house price growth increased slightly to 0.5% in May 2026, up from 0.4% in April 2026. The average UK house price now…
Read More
Breaking News

Halifax House Price Index – May 2026

House prices steady in May despite broader market uncertainty. House prices edged down -0.1% in May, following a similar -0.1% fall in April Average property price now £298,806, compared with £299,251 in April Annual growth up slightly to +0.5%, from +0.4% in April Northern Ireland continues to record the UK’s strongest annual growth at +7.8%…
Read More
Breaking News

More mortgage borrowers turning to shorter-term fixes

Borrowers are increasingly turning to shorter-term fixed-rate mortgages in response to higher rates, new analysis of mortgage search activity on Moneyfactscompare.co.uk has found. The share of Moneyfactscompare.co.uk website users comparing two-year fixed-rate mortgages increased from 48.4% in February to 55.6% in May, while demand for five-year fixed deals fell from 27.7% to 21.8% over the…
Read More
Breaking News

Fear of a chain-breaks biggest concern in current market

The latest insight from quick sale specialists, House Buyer Bureau, has found that the most common reason homeowners choose a quick sale is no longer financial hardship, ill health, or the death of a loved one, but the desire to keep their onward move on track in an increasingly uncertain housing market. The internal data from…
Read More
Breaking News

Property auctions generate complaints at four times the rate of the wider housing market

Property auctions account for just 2% of home sales but generate more than four times their share of complaints, according to a new insight report by the Property Ombudsman. The report highlights that while auctions remain a relatively small part of the wider residential property market, they are generating a disproportionately high level of consumer…
Read More