It’s 15 months since Philip Ellis opened its doors and in that time we have learnt a lot, some of it good, some of it bad but all completely worth it.

As with anything that is new there are always good days and bad days, mistakes you learn from and fresh innovative ideas that seem to appear out of nowhere to help move you forward.

So, for those of you that love a bit of satire, here is my very light-hearted, tongue in cheek look at the industry through new(ish) eyes.

• If you are thinking about opening an Estate Agents – think again! ?? Seriously, you will be amazed at just how much you need to do just to get up and running not to mention the strange rules regarding advertising especially if you want to be NAEA registered.

Fact is stranger than fiction – Did you know that the writing on a “For Sale” board can only be a certain size?

• We all spend 90% of the time buried in potential newspaper ads, social media, bill boards, canvassing and every other type of advertising you can think of trying to convince the public we are the best! I’m sure we must all sound like broken records!
• Apparently, we all have magical powers that allow us to see into the future and act as fully qualified solicitors . Sorry I seemed to have lost my crystal ball.

• Contrary to popular belief we don’t all walk round in dodgy 1980’s style suits complete with huge shoulder pads, bricks attached to our ears and a Filofax in our hands, pretending to be busy whilst trying to aspire to look like Del Boy.

• 99% of the time most local estate agents do actually like each other, except for that 1% when we are all after the same property, then it’s every agent for themselves.

• I know everyone thinks estate agents have all the time in the world – we don’t! I’m sure the 10 minutes we waited past the appointment time for a viewer to not turn up could have been put to better use – such as checking our news feed on Facebook. ??

• When sat in the office most of us feel like we are in a goldfish bowl. One minute we are happily sending an email in our own little property world, the next minute we look up and there is someone “pretending” to look at properties in the window, when in reality we all know it’s just an excuse to be slightly nosey.

• Yes, it’s true! A lot of estate agents think they are professional photographers and that their property descriptions are better than any other agent. Well, if we don’t blow our own trumpet no one will do it for us.

• Evenings and weekends are overrated anyway, who needs them? We do! I know it’s hard to believe but we are human as well – please don’t faint from shock.

• No, it’s not true we haven’t created a language that only other agents understand. The complete opposite is true – anything to make life easier when dealing with the public.

• Over valuing houses is part of most estate agents DNA just as much as rose-tinted glasses are a fixture of almost every home owner we visit.

• Of course, most of us become estate agents because we love looking around other people’s homes, that is until we step foot into that one house that makes you heave as you step through the front door. Anyone want some Eau de BO/mould?

Seriously, the past 15 months have been hard work and I’ve no doubt it will continue to be hard work in the current market, but I wouldn’t change it for the world and I’m sure that my colleagues would agree, well I think they would, I’m not brave enough to ask them.

I know estate agents may have a reputation and maybe money focused and considered to be lacking in any morals, however I don’t agree. Whilst there are some bad companies out there that give the industry a bad name, there are also plenty that do care about their local community and will go above and beyond to help their clients, and I am beyond proud to work for such an estate agent.

For more information about the best estate agents Manchester has to offer, visit our website.