Welcome back to another Employer Monday blog post! If you read my previous blogs you’ll recall I often talk to employers to find out how they might like to work with the University and recruit our students. Remember; I’m not a Careers Advisor, this is not advice or guidance. In fact this week isn't even my opinion! This is very different – this blog post was sent to me by an employer contact directly. I must be getting lazy!
It is from Chancellor’s Estate Agents, a large company with over 50 offices across the South. This is a description of a day in the life of a Lettings Negotiator in one of their London offices. From the description I’m sharing, you can clearly pull out the transferrable skills required to be successful in such a role; excellent communication skills, multi-tasking, emotional intelligence, ability to read situations – as well as being savvy with money and figures and a dab hand at negotiating. I found it a really interesting insight and hope you do too.
“We take you through the average day of a lettings negotiator at our Anscombe & Ringland branch in Notting Hill.
08:00
Holland Park Avenue is absolutely grid-locked. No problem. Working in this area, I have acquired
local street knowledge to rival any London cabby!
08:15
The day starts on a high note. I have an early appointment with a relocation agent and her clients. She is retained by a company to help find homes for staff relocating to the UK. She is seeing three properties at £1,400 per week. I get to the first property before they arrive and dash around the house and open all the curtains, open the garden door and switch all the lights on so the house looks at its best.
08:45
The office morning meeting; a vital half hour in which the team discusses the best way to match the best applicants with the right properties. My manager is raving about a new two bedroom flat which will be coming on to the market early next week. I’ve got the perfect couple for it, so I pester him for an early viewing. I speak to my couple and they’re delighted to get the early heads-up. We arrange to see it tomorrow.
10:00
The viewings with the relocation agent went well, so I call the landlords of the properties in order to give them some detailed feedback.
10:30
A young couple drop into the office and I register their details. They have just arrived from France and are looking for one bedroom flats at £400 a week and need to move as soon as possible. They ask if they can view some flats today. I wince at the thought of my packed diary but manage to make a few adjustments to fit them in. I have a property in mind that I think will be perfect for them.
The flat viewings are going well but from their feedback I think they might be interested in some properties that I initially thought would be unsuitable. This means I need to pop back to the office and pick up some more keys and arrange for a colleague to cover my other appointments.
Seven viewings, some pigeon French and an hour and a half later, we are back in the estate agent office. I am rewarded as they decide to make an offer on a flat, which couldn’t be more different from the one I thought of initially! I ring the landlord who is happy with the offer and accepts – great! I return to my prospective tenants and they formalise their offer. They retire to a local coffee shop to celebrate and discuss plans for their new home.
12:30
I manage to grab lunch at the end of a very hectic morning – just a typical day in the job role of a lettings negotiator! As I am waiting for my sandwich my phone is buzzing away with emails from overseas applicants looking to arrange viewings upon their arrival in London. But I am focused on the day ahead and I wonder where my next new let is coming from, and have we taken on any new properties that will suit my current applicants?
13:30
With a small gap in my diary, I seize the opportunity to get back to my desk and ring through my register of applicants. Amongst the keen, realistic applicants there are still some for whom it will be a long search! I have a foreign diplomat’s family registered, but they will only look at houses with integral garages – there aren’t many of those in an area like Notting Hill full of period terraces!
15:00
I have a market appraisal where I meet with a potential client who is considering letting their two bedroom flat through us. We get on well and talk about the trials and tribulations of being an England cricket fan!
We discuss the services Anscombe & Ringland independent estate agents can provide, from introducing a tenant to fully managing the property. Then, I explain the benefits of instructing Anscombe & Ringland on a sole agency basis and run through our unique selling points. The potential client is particularly interested in the internet services we provide, including checking his account online. I show him examples of the account statements and some sample property details that I have already prepared in my presenter. We also discuss a few things that will improve the property’s letting potential, including removing flowery curtains and repainting the bedrooms from maroon to something more neutral.
Finally, we agree on a price that we should start marketing the property at, and the client instructs Anscombe & Ringland on a sole agency basis with the full management service!
As I’m walking from my car back to the office, my mobile rings and it’s Nicki, the relocation agent from this morning – things are looking hopeful from this morning’s viewings.
16:00
I have been out of the office a lot and the day has gone very quickly.
Once I’m back, I describe the property I’ve just been to see to my colleagues and ask them to see if they have any applicants that may be suitable. I also call our Property Management Team at our head office in Bracknell and ask them to introduce themselves to the new client and discuss the specifics of the service he requires.
Back at my desk the paperwork is piling up. I log this morning’s offer from the young French couple on the computer system and get the offer letters out to the parties concerned. I respond to a few emails and catch up with our Specialist Lettings Team at our head office, to make sure they have received all the necessary paperwork for a tenant to move in to a property tomorrow. It looks like everything is on track for the move tomorrow, so I get ready to leave the office for the block viewing I arranged earlier.
I also check how I’m doing against my colleagues in all our other offices across the company – we all work towards getting to the top of the performance league table. I’m doing well this quarter and am keen to win this time!
17:30
The block viewing was a success! Two of my applicants made offers and I’m confident I will have tied up another deal by lunchtime tomorrow.
18:00
Now the day is over. To the pub. Buy a round. Mobile rings. It is Nicki, the relocation agent calling, to put forward an offer for £1,300 per week. I’m tired but this has put a spring back in my step!”
If that has piqued your interest, why not check out their website https://www.chancellors.co.uk/ or those of some of their competitors such as http://www.pearsons.com or http://www.savills.co.uk/
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