"A good estate agent shields a seller from many of the most stressful parts of the selling process, not only achieving a great result financially but also reducing some of the emotional burden on the seller"
- Colby Short - GetAgent
The latest industry insight by estate agent comparison site, GetAgent.co.uk, has revealed that it’s not just a sense of national pride that may be predominant this St George’s Day week, with 83% of estate agents stating they are proud of their profession, although 61% could be tempted to work in another country.
Estate agents have suffered a bad rep in recent years, from being labelled as some of the least trustworthy to calls for regulatory introductions to raise the standards of the industry.
However, the survey of 1,728 estate agents, commissioned by GetAgent*, found that 69% of agents believe the nation has the wrong impression of estate agents.
What’s more, 83% of those surveyed stated that they were proud to be an estate agent.
The strong earnings potential ranked as the number one reason for this professional pride but beyond the financial stability the job can provide, the ability to help homebuyers and sellers also ranked amongst the biggest reasons.
In fact, helping people realise their dreams of homeownership ranked second, closely followed by the ability to help people sell the most expensive asset they are ever likely to own.
But while estate agents may have a strong sense of professional pride, it doesn’t quite translate to an overarching national pride in the domestic property market.
Just 10% of the agents surveyed by GetAgent believed that England has the best property market in the world.
Furthermore, 61% said they would consider relocating to another country to sell bricks and mortar.
Co-founder and CEO of GetAgent.co.uk, Colby Short, commented: “Estate agents are one of the unsung heroes of all professions in this country.
"Selling a home is a stressful and emotional event for homeowners, often made worse by the stress of the reason for the sale such as a growing family, relocating for a new job or even divorce.
"A good estate agent shields a seller from many of the most stressful parts of the selling process, not only achieving a great result financially but also reducing some of the emotional burden on the seller.
"The challenge is that the easier a great estate agent makes things look, the more sellers feel they didn’t earn the money.
"It’s time Joe Public started giving agents the respect they deserve before we start to lose some of our brightest and best to other markets.”
