Tony
Estate Agency Partner
Plaistow, East London
How did you get to where you are now?
I started out in the estate agency business in 1987. The agency I joined changed names a few times and was then bought by Halifax to form part of Halifax Estate Agency.
From a humble estate agent I’ve worked my way up to estate agency partner. There are two partners in my branch. I’m responsible for everything outside the agency (on the road, valuing and selling properties) while my partner oversees everything inside the office.
A lot’s changed since I first started. Technology now has a big role to play. Things like computerised mailing lists, digital cameras and electronic tape measures make my life a lot easier. For example, I can now get a property on the market within half an hour of arriving back at the office.
What are your main responsibilities?
I run the sales side of the agency. I need to keep an eye on what’s selling at what price and I also need to check newspaper advertising to see what competitors have on their books. I also canvas my area for new business by handing out information about what Halifax Estate Agency can offer both buyers and sellers.
I look after properties of all shapes and sizes and deal with all kinds of customers, from first time buyers to people who’ve just inherited a property from a long lost relative. I’m often the first point of contact and enjoy building up relationships with people as I take them through the whole buying or selling process. And there’s no better feeling when a sale is done and dusted and you can hand someone the keys to their dream home.
Running the agency is almost like running my own business (albeit one that I share with my partner). We’re in charge of profit and loss, so any advertising we do will take money directly off our potential profit. That’s probably the biggest challenge: keeping costs down. But if the branch is successful, we’re successful. So from that point of view our personal rewards are almost limitless.
What kind of person do you have to be to succeed in the estate agency?
You need to be very personable and trustworthy. Buying a house can be the biggest decision of someone’s life so you have to be able to convince them that you’re the best person for the job. You’ve also got to have a bit of personality about you – very professional but a bit of a wheeler dealer at heart.
The ability to spot a sales opportunity is now even more important since we’ve started offering solicitors and mortgage services too. An important part of everyone’s roles is to generate leads for the mortgage advisers and personal financial advisers in the agency.
Give us an insight into the training you receive
Being from the old school, I learnt on the job. Once you’d proved yourself in a role you could move onto the next. That still happens but, in addition, all our new recruits attend the Halifax Estate Agency Training Academy where they get the support they need to gain their estate agency qualifications. Plus everyone in the agency receives ongoing training to help them develop new skills and improve their performance.
What sort of benefits do you get?
I get BUPA healthcare, which also covers my family and a company car. Plus there is a good pension, a share save scheme and you get some great extra benefits from the HBOS Total Reward package. One of the extra benefits I took advantage of was the chance to buy myself a discounted computer for my home.
Describe the culture in Halifax Estate Agency
It’s very sales-focused. You need to have that bit of flair for selling and there’s always a good buzz about the place when we’re about to complete a sale.
Most agencies have relatively small teams, so there’s no danger of feeling like a small cog in a large wheel. Everyone has an important role to play if the agency is to be successful. It’s also the type of place where you can suggest new ideas and, if they’re good enough, get the support to put them into practice.
I also think it’s important that everyone in the agency is an advocate of the brand. I use a lot of Halifax products and I encourage my team to do likewise. I mean, how do you convince someone of the benefits of a product if you don’t use it yourself?
What are the promotion opportunities like?
There are always plenty of opportunities to progress your career, even if you want to try a role in a different area of the business. For example my last area manager is now working as area manager within the branch network. What you tend to find though, especially in my experience, is that a lot of people want to move over to the estate agency. As a business we’re very successful. And we’re becoming more so now that we’re able to offer customers extra services on top of helping them buy or sell a house.
For me, I suppose the next step would be into area management but I’d rather keep the hands-on aspect of my current role. I’m an estate agent at heart and love helping people find their ideal home.
