My confidence in the estate agency industry took another blow this week.
Reading the news that a so-called agent, Your Move, had written to clients of Ryder & Dutton implying that they had closed down made me very angry.
The letter sent included the following: with the local branch of the estate agent you are using now closed, it may be time to take a fresh look at an alternative.
I, for one, am fully behind Richard Powell of Ryder & Dutton who was not satisfied with the subsequent apology. Your Move cited a clerical error - I did not buy it either.
This is an excellent example where the industry needs a proactive regulator. It is simply unacceptable for this type of practice to take place and for those responsible to continue operating as estate agents.
I have had my own experience this week of a lack of professional ethics shown by a rather arrogant individual working for a national agent. Unfortunately, it seems that it doesn't matter whether you are flogging £150,000 homes in Newcastle or £3m country estates in the Cotswolds, wherever I turn the behavior of some fellow agents is deplorable.
So what happens to the good guys
The good guys, of which I am sure there are many, can largely go unnoticed unless we as an industry start demanding more.
I don't mind sharing that I am all for greater professional regulation. This would start with everyone wanting to be an estate agent having to pass a RICS assessment over a period of time and membership to the NAEA being much more stringent.
I want a regulatory body to clamp down on the behavior demonstrated by Your Move with immediate fines and restrictions on trade and I want professional standards to rise so that there is greater respect between professionals.
It is about time we started to weed out the cowboys so that the good guys can flourish, restore confidence in our profession and take pride in helping our clients.
*The Secret Agent has been in property for almost 20 years and trained as a Chartered Surveyor. He enjoys nothing more than being involved in property and has invested in, renovated, developed and sold plenty of property for both himself and clients.
(In between selling property this agent loves nothing more than being involved in rugby and whilst slower and heavier, continues to be as involved as possible.)
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Comments
There is a rival company in our town (who I shan't name of course) who are notorious for bad practice. Examples of this bad practice include; taking clients to properties that are on the market with a different agent without consulting the vendors, extreme over-valuing, bad-mouthing other agents in the town to gain instructions and much more (the good thing about living in a small town is that word gets around!).
The sickening thing is, they have the highest number of properties on their books compared with the other 8 agents in town!
I would completely agree that certain regulations need to be brought into place so that the other 90% of decent, hard-working agents can continue to flourish and compete with each other in a more healthy and honest manner.
I would just like to say that I an wholeheartedly behind the view that greater regulation is required in Estate Agency to cover both sales and lettings.