The Guild of Professional Estate Agents is stepping up its game by recruiting individuals, at the rate of up to what is says is 15 a day, into its associate scheme.
To become associates, candidates – who are employed by one of the Guild’s member firms – must first pass an exam.
The Guild has now launched an online version of the training programme as part of a further recruitment drive.
The training, which is free to all Guild member firms, covers the essential topics of estate agency and culminates in the exam.
To pass, candidates are required to have a knowledge and understanding of The Estate Agency Act 1979, Property Misdescriptions Act 1991, The Property Ombudsman scheme, money laundering laws and EPC legislation, as well as covering sound principles in estate agency practice.
Successful applicants are enrolled into the associate scheme and presented with a certificate and lapel badge.
Bill McClintock, founding director of the Guild, said: “Training and knowledge has always been at the heart of what makes a really competent agent.”
Marcus Whewell, CEO of the Guild, said: “My aim is to ensure that at each of the 600 outstanding Guild independent member offices across the country, the public can be confident that they will always be served and supported by a committed member of the team who can visibly demonstrate an appropriate level of learning and expertise.”
Guild full-member firms are currently each allocated their own geographical territory – a factor which currently limits its growth potential. EAT understands that this business model may be under review.
Members are required to be either Ombudsman or RICS members.
Comments
Come on then Richard...
Who r ya?
Nick- give netmovers a call, they will make it look like you have double the stock and you almost be serious.
Nick- sorry, 40 on market, well done! Need to sort your website as it shows just a pathetic 25. Even at 40 you are hardly a serious agent are you?. You stick with the Guild, says it all really.
I would sugest joining freemasonary, you will get a great deal out of it. http://www.ugle.org.uk/
Independent agents should BEWARE of joining ANY organization. Most of these organizations are not in it for their health. They will promise you the earth. They can change their names, their logos or sell out, they can do almost anything they like. Think the worst before you lend any organization your Firm’s reputable name. What will you do if a ‘member’ agent is jailed for fraudulent activities when membership logos are plastered all over the newspapers, television and magazines? Believe me YOU WILL BE ON YOUR OWN and the effect is FAR REACHING. If you think - Yes but rules can be put in place so it doesn’t happen. Forget it – rules can be broken. Good-bye instructions. Your competitors will have an absolute field day. Irrespective of input, loyalty or length of service with your relevant organization, if you are extremely lucky, you may obtain a verbal apology.
Why not consider the alternatives like using all those saved fees for improving your own firm’s image and reputation within your own geographical area. Why not Stand or Fall from your own efforts and be truly independent. The house selling and buying public has no interest whatsoever in what organization you belong to let alone understand or even care what the letters stand for. It is not a coincidence that independent estate agents enjoyed more respect and a better standard of living before they started partnering up with every Tom, Dick & Harriet.
PRINCIPALS try this exercise:
How many hours do you work?
How much do you pay out per month before YOU withdraw a penny?
How many people in other organisations do you keep in a better lifestyle than your own?
How many of the organisations would survive if agents dropped them tomorrow? Including newspapers, magazines, FA’s, conveyancers and portals.
How many hours would you save on the telephone, in meetings etc Hours that you could re-invest in yourself.
Me - Burntfingers think: Ah ha! You may have found the answer – They need you more than you need them. Unfortunately you have made it so easy for them, they have forgotten that YOU are the provider.
Start making the changes NOW and be ready for tomorrow when the market improves – And it will.
Don’t fear the corporates either, they have finally realised that estate agency [without the subsidies] is not an automatic pot of gold. The staff will openly tell you that they are frightened when they arrive at the office if the key doesn’t fit first time and they prefer not to take their holidays.
Independent = autonomous, self-governing, self determining, self sufficient, self regulating, self reliant, FREE
YIPPEE!
This is a response to Richards comments "are you typical of a Guild agent- 25 properties on market? If so no thanks! Wont take long to train you then, 3 staff???"
I'm not sure where you got your information from, we have around 40 properties for sale and 110 properties to rent, this information is easy to obtain as I posted our websites info, just press search under rental or sale with no geographical area selected, we currently employ 12 people.
Wardy your right, being attached to any organisation in any industry does not give any guaranties of professionalism, service or mean that they are better than a business that is not. But the GPEA are trying to make sure we have a minimum level of training and standards throughout.
Nick,
The point is that being a member of the guild does not automatically mean a member agent is a better agent. When the guild looks to recruit members, the quality of that agent is not at the top of the priority list, money and geographical area is. I couldnt become a member even if i wanted to, so as with many it wont be supported.
Nick- Mansons- Are you typical of a Guild agent- 25 properties on market? If so no thanks! Wont take long to train you then, 3 staff???
Nick- what does it cost then?
Its interesting seeing the range of comments provoked by the story, quite surprised that an organization offering free training for its members and all employed within (which can only be a good thing) should be met with such negativity, its not clear from anyone making these comments whether they are/were members of the GPEA. So to balance those comments I thought I'd say this, I joined the Guild some 7 or 8 years ago, I would say that back then some of the comments may have been fair about it costing quite a lot and not giving much back to its members, but in the last 3 or so years the Guild has provided my company and many other companies in the North East of England with a package that enhances and helps promotes the services our agencies provide, membership to the organization also includes PI cover, inclusion to the regional magazine with 9 dedicated pages to each agent and agent branded front cover, help with placement of local and national editorial which as a small single branch firm has helped massively. Also included are various marketing solutions and customizable direct mailing/leaflets/brochures and help from the dedicated Guild studio, residential letting training seminars around the country which my team has benefited from, keeping us up to date with the ever changing legislation and regulations, business support and advice and most recently a website service http://www.mansonsguild.co.uk/ which is so good it will soon replace or current website http://www.mansons.net/
We also have quarterly regional meetings, keeping us informed of developments in the market place both regionally and nationally as well also getting together with other agents and sharing ideas and developing relationships to pass leads and referrals. I could go on with many other aspects the guild has helped my business but it would get boring, I do agree that there are an abundance of organizations out there for Estate/Letting agents, a lot of which take your money, give you a certificate/sticker and that's your lot, but the GPEA is not one of them and I feel the Associate Scheme is certainty a step in the right direction towards raising the bar of agents knowledge and service from the company owner all the way through the firm including our valuers, negotiators, administrators, accompanied viewers and inventory clerks who have all taken the exams and found it informative and educational, but like all things in life you only get out of them what your prepared to put in.
Nick
Mansons Property Consultants Ltd
Pee Bee - I don't disagree with you
I am not a member. I do however think they are fairly well organised and have some good back office stuff, that if used right is worth it.
Interestingly I am distancing myself from paracites these days, because actually I am not getting my monies worth from any of them.
Pee Bee, you are right in what you say - "Or that it is simply ANOTHER 'boys club' of Agents where 'Membership' is awarded subject to cheque clearance... and 'professionalism' is simply preached to the audience - not practiced by the Members... "
You're spot on as this is exactly how the Guild recruit their member firms - If you are in the right place (i.e. they have no current member agent in your town!) and you are happy to hand over a cheque (and sign a Direct Debit Form immediately!) they will let you join! Nothing else matters. Money grabbing buggers!!
OK - so this is not the ultimate in estate agency skills tests but we ae using it for all new members of staff with no preivous agency experience during their first few weeks.
It does show their commitment to learning and it does lead to progressive learning whereby all our team who have been in place longer continue to learn working towards NVQ and/or NAEA qualifaications.
The Guild have once again taken the lead with a very simple product taht is useable by all members.
GUILD MEMBERS AND PROUD!
Sorry, James - but I don't subscribe to that Guild spibble you just regurgitated. Independent status is NO guarantee of professionalism; nor is it a guarantee of pricing accuracy. The highest over- and under-valuing companies where I am are both independents - one of them already 'Accredited Member ' of more than one Boys' Club (but neither Guild fee-payers that I can discern...).
BOTH of these companies subscribe to the 'Numbers Game' principle of listing properties. As do MOST Estate Agencies. You simply cannot suggest that one company who takes a property on the market as part of a percentages game be more professional than any other.
You state "There are just so many of these paracitical organisations, including the NAEA, it is becoming tiresome" Yeah - your point being? WHEN did the Guild come into being? Their website doesn't say - but you can bet your bottom dollar that the NAEA was there first! So why use the NAEA as the example, not the new boys on the block?
ANY Association who limits its' 'Members' (let's call them cash-cows...) to where they trade in the market and not their personal competencies at the job they are paid to do, is not worth belonging to. Simple as.
Corporate agents are professional at some things, the trouble is that it is not often associated with values.
Professionalism without values is not worth having in my book
The guild aligns itself with small independents in order to establish values and standards of presentation & service - and they charge a lot for their bit - but if you use all of their services I guess it is worth it
There are just so many of these paracitical organisations, including the NAEA, it is becoming tiresome
Cheers Richard, thats what i thought.
Wardy - What the Guild do is allow Agents who pay them enough, to advertise the Guild’s London office to con unsuspecting local vendors they are in the big city and as such better placed to sell for them. But no worse than Haart's advertising tricks.
Three times so far has the NAEA been mentioned today.
The NAEA (NFoPP?) are the ones who should be increasingly worried, as should their members.
Where are they in all these matters that are concerning EA's? Where is the leadership that is being paid for?
Wake up!
Apologies in advance for sticking my layman's nose where it probably isn't wanted.
The article (presumably written by 'The Guild') states:
"To become associates, candidates – who are employed by one of the Guild’s member firms – must first pass an exam...
To pass, candidates are required to have a knowledge and understanding of The Estate Agency Act 1979, Property Misdescriptions Act 1991, The Property Ombudsman scheme, money laundering laws and EPC legislation, as well as covering sound principles in estate agency practice."
However, to quote the Guild's website:
"Membership of The Guild of Professional Estate Agents is offered subject to the following criteria:-
1.Members are independent estate agents..."
ONLY ONCE in the article does the word 'independent' appear - and so lost in the verbage as to be meaningless.
So - do I take it that Corporate Estate Agents are not, by definition, "professional"? Or that it is simply ANOTHER 'boys club' of Agents where 'Membership' is awarded subject to cheque clearance... and 'professionalism' is simply preached to the audience - not practiced by the Members...
Looking forward to the barrage...
Yes o.k. Malcolm and The Guild are there to make money but isn't that better than losing it and going slowly down the pan? It is not clear either if The Guild is any less or better thought of than the NAEA in the eyes of the general public. They also created the very successful Fine and Country brand both nationally and internationally as well as having a very prestigious Park Lane office. So they do have a lot going for them (well apart from Malcolm being a Gooner that is).
Yet another money-making mechanism for Bill McClintock and Malcolm Lindley at the expense of estate agents - Mark my words, the agents WILL be paying for this somewhere along the line.
The Guild does NOTHING FOR FREE!
And as stated by Richard here, the training is basic, any junior or trainee neg should know this stuff, before being let loose in the office!
If it is proper training you want, there are better estate agency networks out there! Some of them provide excellent and regular training for:- Junior Negs, Sales/Fee Earning Staff, Managers, Partners, training on how to run a better business, how to grow your business, Marketing your Business etc etc.
Look and ye shall find!
Don't use The Guild, it's all 'marketing hype'!
"...and presented with a certificate and lapel badge. "
I'm aroused.
Coastalexpert, what are the benefits?
Well done to the guild. Staff training for free- it's a no brainer.How come the guild is growing while the NAEA is rapidly in decline. If your not a member - have a look at whats on offer. Great value for money.
15 agents leaving more likely.
Cant understand why companies waste their money on TGOPEA.
Another sticker in the window is what you get and an advert in a magazine that nobody wants !!!
I still have no idea what 'The Guild' actually does for its members. Its sounds like a load of hot air to me. I’m sure it has nothing to do with quality and everything to do with who was first to nab their area. That’s certainly the case where I am.
Grandma, eggs and sucking spring to mind. So if one of the 600 firms refuse to be patronised into attending such basic study will they be kicked out ?
Any training is commendable, but even the most junior of negs should have this knowledge surely?
The guild put on an excellent show -
perhaps they are trying to steal a march on the floundering NAEA, however, exclusivity will hold them back on this point
This is more of an advert than news though
15 agents a day signing up for this rubbish? You must be joking