What's it like being an estate agent?

[ojbsmum]

Just wondering really.
Thinking of going back to work when ds starts school but fancy a career change.
Have no experience of working in the field so have no clue but interested to find out more. Qualifications/experience needed, hours, pay, how it fits with family life etc.
Any EAs here want to tell all, or tell me where I can find out?
Thanks!

My DH is estate agent and has been for 20 years. He loves it BUT it is very stressfull and pressured. He manages an office though and as any one who manages people knows that's were alot of the probs come!

Hours long as standard 8:45-6 plus evening appointments but I don't know about part time options. Pay good if you are good! Downside is working weekends.

Main positive for DH is the people he meets and is part of their life for a while and can really make a difference. Downside is that everyone take the piss out of his job and also you are often the brunt for everyone's frustrations!

Let me know if you have any other questions and I will ask him?

I work part time in an estate agents, I am a weekend sales person (ie doing all the viewings at weekends and dealing with phone calls/clients in office in any gaps between the viewings). I also cover during the week for anyone on holiday, so as it's a small office this only means I tend to work about an extra 6-8 full weeks a year. I also do a bit of home based admin/marketing work for them (maybe . I absolutely love all this and am obsessed with houses so just find all of it an absolute pleasure. However I will never work full time there as the hours are 9am-7pm every day plus you'd have to work alternate weekends. I would never see my kids!! So whilst I love working there part time I can't really see how women with children can do it full time because of the long days and weekends.

I've just realised I sound a bit like a 1950s housewife by saying that I can't see how 'women' could manage to work estate agent hours!!! Sorry! obviously there's no real reason why it should be any different for a woman than for a man....but you know what I mean!!

I did it for a few years and loved it! Way more interesting than an office job. But its not easy (although everyone likes to think it must be) and everyone hates you. You have to be honest, calm, diplomatic and be able to remember 1000 things at once ... especially when it gets busy.

You might be amused by Agent's Diary, which is one man's world-weary take on his estate agent job.

There must be some good aspects to the role despite his complaints though - after all, he's been writing it for a number of years and is still in the business!

I am an agent in Scotland. I could never, ever do the job in a England mainly due to the stories I hear about on here. As a solicitor estate agent, we are governed by the Law Society so we have to play it by the book. No lies, mucking shout with offers, making up viewers etc.

I enjoy my job. Hardest part is viewings in empty houses in the winter! Freezing!

I have viewing staff on my team which means I don't have to be out and about in the evenings and weekends.

You have to have a thick skin. People can be extremely rude. Oh and you will hear every excuse in the book as to why someone is offering less than valuation. When buyers do it, they think they are being realistic. No! You are being cheeky and wanting to buy cheap and I have heard it a million times before. In Scotland, we have home reports so houses have a valuation on them before they come to the market but buyers still come in and come up with all sorts of waffle to try and get money off.

I have been threatened, roared at, sworn at, called names which is hard.

DH worked as (self employed) consultant in an agency for years, he worked in residential lettings. People always say negative things about agents but it really depends on the agency. Not all agencies are sharks and out to get people. A good agent should be working in the interest of both the tenant/prospective buyer, and the landlord/seller. To be honest you get some nightmare tenants and equally demanding landlords.
Sales can be very competitive.
I have seen some real pettiness as a lot of sales positions are commission based.
Marketing is a huge pain in the bum.
DH now owns a property management company as well as off market acquisitions and development. He deals with both commercial and residential which can be a very consuming job. He does get to work from home a lot but he is constantly on the phone- has to make himself available 24/7. It can be very annoying work (getting a contractor out to fix a boiler at a pissed off tenants home 10pm on a Sunday while you're out for your anniversary dinner...fun!) or very rewarding (bringing together buyers with sellers for amazing land mark properties that are not yet on the market and no one else knows about)
But there are perks (he recently oversaw the renovations of an important building and met the queen at the opening!)

You must be a people person. You must not have a short fuse. People will take out their frustrations on you and are often ruled by their own emotions and attachment to their property or have unrealistic expectations.

It takes years to know the market and values.

You need to be able to think on your feet.

It's quite challenging but very rewarding when you can get it right!

Thanks for your very honest replies!
I think I would find it very interesting and rewarding, and would like to think I have many of the qualities mentioned... However, I don't think we could make the long hours work for us at the minute.
Should have thought about this before kids! Maybe when they're a bit older...

You don't have to be an EA then you could go in as a negotiator. That is generally a 9-5 and most agencies I know have their negotiators out doing viewings during part of the day.

You don't get to value but it would be good experience.

How about a conveyancing solicitor's office? They generally open Monday to Friday only, close for an hour at lunch, and have a week off between Christmas and New Year. Work is interesting and you still get to see some lovely properties (on paper!).

My DH is a manager of an estate agents, its very stressful with lots of targets and the hours are long, he quite often pops into work to catch up with paper work if he has a rare day off. He does like the job and as he is quite chatty and sociable so the job suits him well. Another downside is whenever we go out he seems to know everyone which can be a bit annoying as he chats for ages, but on saying that he's made some really good friends through the years people who's houses he has had to sell.