Thursday, 26th February marked the inaugural National Estate Agent Day.
It is not a public holiday. It will not replace your birthday or your wedding anniversary (unless you’re weirdly obsessed with estate agents, that is).
But it is a useful reminder of something our industry does not always shout about.
Estate agency, when done properly, is a people business first and a property business second.
National Estate Agent Day was created by iamproperty, and credit to them for putting it in the calendar.
What interests me more, though, is what the day represents. It allows us to talk about the quieter side of this profession. The part that never appears on Rightmove screenshots, pie charts or fee comparison tables.
All the stories below are from Ethical Agent Network (EAN) members. Yes, of course, I’m biased, but even outside of the EAN, estate agencies do more for their local communities than any other industry I can think of.
Take Crane & Co in East Sussex. On the morning of an elderly client’s move, the removal company failed to turn up. Instead of offering sympathy and stepping back, the team hired a van, closed the office for the day and moved her themselves. There was no announcement and no marketing angle. It was simply the decent thing to do.
Or Nest in Essex, which helped a family whose young son had beaten cancer. The home they were selling had been his safe place during treatment. Leaving it proved more emotional than anyone expected. The agency owner arranged for a local artist to paint the house and had it framed so the boy could take a piece of it overseas. On completion day, the entire family were in tears.
Those stories are not unusual within the Ethical Agent Network.
- Parkview Property in Ayr regularly supports tenants through financial hardship.
- Location Location in Hackney raising funds for local causes without seeking applause.
- JDG Estate Agents are quietly going beyond what is expected to help and support vulnerable clients.
- Knightsbridge Estate Agents in Leicester is backing local initiatives as part of its everyday business.
- CWB Property in Snodland, whose annual Christmas Giving Tree has become a community staple.
I could list dozens more.
A couple of years ago, I was asked what the best agents we worked with had in common.
My answer then is the same now. The best ones are the most ethical and the most community-minded.
Not because it sounds good on a brochure, but because this job sits at the centre of people’s lives. Their finances. Their families. Their fresh starts and sometimes their hardest chapters.
When agents understand that responsibility, their decisions change. They play the long game. They act with integrity. They care about people as much as they do about properties for sale or rent.
If National Estate Agent Day is worth anything, it is worth that reminder.
And in my experience, the agents who build their businesses on ethics and community are not only the most respected.
They are the most successful over time.
And that’s something worth celebrating when the good guys and girls win.
Thanks for reading.
Jerry
