I have been an estate agent for over 20 years. In that time, I have seen my industry change beyond recognition, and I suppose in many ways so has everyone else. I think we would all be hard pressed to find a job role that is exactly as it was back in 1998. Mobile phones, smartphones, computers, internet, intranet, CRM’s, portals, PropTech and numerous other things have changed the landscape of estate agency beyond all recognition.

Not long ago, a new estate agent to the industry declared to me - “Well it’s not as easy now as it was in your day. People are hard to get hold off, they have access to all the information they need on a portal, they don’t want to be sold to and communication is really really hard”.

This got me thinking…

…Are things really that different now than they were back then? Has technology advanced to such a degree that it has altered customers’ needs beyond what they were back in 1998?

Having spent some time looking at the differences, I then began to look at the similarities…

…There were a number of stark similarities, but one stood out amongst the others, and that is today there are still ‘good’ and ‘bad’ estate agents, or successful and non-successful ones when using the yardstick of “how many houses do they sell in a calendar year”.

If everything is so different, and tech can virtually do our job for us; why is there still such a huge difference between the very ‘best’ sales person and those struggling to meet their targets? The fundamental answer must lie with the customers they are serving and by proxy the ‘service’ they are providing. It cannot be simply about tech matching properties with people, if that was the case results would largely be the same across the board.

The truth is this – a discerning customer still wants to receive an impeccable service from a personable, knowledgeable, hardworking and well-informed agent; and be treated with respect and decency by said estate agent. This remains the difference between your ‘average’ agent and your ‘exceptional’ one.

Added to this, the deep-rooted minutiae of what makes one home marginally different from another can only be gained from experience, in cannot be taught in a class room or via a ‘you tube’ video. It takes time, dedication and passion to learn what is needed; and I fundamentally believe that you need to truly love what you do to be able to live and breathe ‘property’.

This is why I have set up C. Scott & Co, because I love Wandsworth, I love property, I love dealing with customers, I love meeting new people and I love providing people with a truly exceptional service.

I’ve sold over 1’000 homes in my career, all of them in SW London. There is nothing different today than 20 years ago about what makes a good estate agent, it is still about trying to be the very best at what you do, whilst providing a service that someone can truly value.