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Almost half of agency’s new recruits have no property experience

US-originated estate agency Keller Williams claims to be the fastest growing in the UK as a result of 29 agents joining the operation during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Of those, some 45 per cent are described as being new to the agency industry. 

Past roles for those new to agency include the armed forces, mortgage brokers, entrepreneurs and even national athletes. 

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In a statement issued by the company, one of the industry rookies - Kam Thomas, a former Royal Marine Commando now working with Keller Williams Glasgow - says: “The training and models provided by Keller Williams are delivered with military efficiency and precision. Everything you could possibly think of has been covered from initial start-up through to compliance, technology and lead generation”. 

For the 55 per cent who have property experiences, agents have come from Purplebricks, Dexters, Spicerhaart plus independents.

This total intake means the firm now has 239 agents across its market centres in Central London, London Bridge, Bromley, Essex, Gatwick, Coventry, Glasgow, Leeds, Kingston upon Thames and Oxford. 

A testimonial from former Purplebricks agent Aaron Pooley says: “The backing of a proper global brand and with the ability to earn up to 90 per cent of a full fee were irresistible to me and these are the reasons that I joined Keller Williams. Working with a handful of clients and being able to devote full attention to their needs, earning a healthy sum in return for each completed deal is a no-brainer”.

The KW UK model involves market centres - often serviced offices - where an operating principal is supported by a team leader and an administrator. 

Self-employed agents working for the company retain 63 per cent of their commission at first with the rest funding the overheads and support services.

Once their overall income passes a specific threshold, agents retain 90 per cent of their commission fees with the remainder going to Keller Williams.

According to the ex-Countrywide director Ben Taylor, now UK chief executive of Keller Williams, the lure of self-employment is the key draw at the moment.

“The lure of our organisation has always been the ability for supported agents to build significantly higher earnings using our systems, our global brand and technology whilst owning and operating their own business" he says.

“Frankly, if you are unsure about your current role because you’ve been furloughed and colleagues have been made redundant, the leap to creating your own business whilst being assisted by the world’s biggest real estate company, is not such a big leap after all.  Backing yourself has never been more timely” adds Taylor.

Poll: Can a self-employed agent be successful even without industry experience?

PLACE YOUR VOTE BELOW

  • Chris Arnold

    When I saw the headline, my first thought was "well, that no bad thing." Bringing recruits in with no experience, particularly if they themselves have fresh ideas, is a benefit. My immediate next thought was prescient, in that I worried that these new recruits would be subjected to a regime of interruption marketing on steroids.
    Low & behold, an article espousing the 'training' offered by KW. This almost cult-like thinking that vendors will appreciate the "overkill, over time" attitude of agents, should concern the industry for the damage it does to the reputation of every estate agency.
    The "lure of self-employment" is being used to recruit dissatisfied agents and entice, those inexperienced, with the promise of systems that were formulated decades ago.
    EAT dresses a recruitment drive as a newsworthy story. Shame on them.

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    Shiny blue suits ,Brown shoes and Sunglasses is all you need isn't it!

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    Yes and hair gel. The industry attracts people who cannot do anything else. Those who can will usually want to work less hours for a higher salary.

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    This sounds very much like a good old franchise operation. That is where the new, "Agent" has to buy in, not mentioned here but no one gives all this away without a significant buy in. I once looked at a lot of these schemes and gave up on them. The only people going to make any money, mostly from me, were the operators.

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