Having enjoyed January’s #days such as Hat Day and Cheese Lovers Day and looking forward to the arrival of Potato Chip Day, Look-Alike Day and Unfriend Day, I scanned the whole #day calendar to see when Hug An Estate Agent Day was – saddened by my lack of finding one I retreated back to my study and wondered “Why Not!” 

There are some beautiful #days out there that bring us down to ground and make us think, World Cancer Day and World Mental Health Day for instance and then there are those that serve to remind us of the professions Nurses Day and Teachers Day (I have two children in education and my better half works for the NHS), whilst Estate Agents will never be up there with World Water Day, I am sure that it should be ranked way above the need for Answer The Phone Like Buddy The Elf Day.

MY ARGUMENT FOR #HUGANESTATEAGENTDAY:

Talking Behind Agents Backs:

If I had a penny for every time someone said to my face “Estate Agents just rip people off”, I would have amassed about 6p over the last 25 years – but if the same principle was applied to the dinner party chit chat, the key board hero or the musings of a reporter, I and many other agents would be living in the Caribbean now, on our own private islands. People hate Estate Agents, until that is, you entrust one with your £700,000 home !

Agents Are Relationship Guidance Councillors:

Because buying and selling a property is such an emotive time, agents have to sit there and listen to your arguments, listen whilst you moan about each other and throw your toys out of the pram in the office, watching you stamp your foot down when you lose your argument and because we realize your emotions are flying around everywhere we do all we can to bring you back together again – solving the problems that you created for no reason at all, we calm you down and send you out with an air of peace and tranquillity, giggling like its your first date and so in love.

Agents Are Psychiatrists:  

If I go shopping for a pair of shoes, when the sales person asks what I am looking for, the furthest thing from my mind would be to start talking about the 15th anniversary of the death of my pet gerbil or the problems I am having electricity company. When you offer an agent a coffee we know a barrage of your problems are coming our way – your husband/wife has run off with the postal worker – the number 73 bus no longer takes you into town – you hate your job – and we sit there and empathise with you and take all your problems away with us, whilst leaving you with a smile and a warm heart.

Agents Are Whipping Posts:

Someone down your chain is delaying things – shout at the agent! Your Solicitor is delaying things – shout at the agent! The Surveyor says your house has a structural problem – shout at the agent! You are delaying things – shout at the agent! The viewing you organised directly with the purchaser yourself doesn’t go ahead –shout at the agent! You burn your Sunday roast – shout at the agent! As agents we absorb all your negativity and even thank you for calling in or phoning, allowing you to have cleared the air and get on with your day.

Agents Are Magicians:

Despite our advice, you want your home sold for three times the market value, leave your property like a pack of rabid elephants have charged through it and will only let us do viewings when there is a full moon and when a viewing is arranged you are astonished that they didn’t want to buy it, even though we have told you how we need to market your home. “Not to worry” you say, “we’ll get the next one” – I’ll just check my top hat and see if under the rabbit and white doves there’s another purchaser hiding shall I?

Moving Day:

Moving day doesn’t just appear on the Horizon like a beautiful sunrise, there is a process to it that involves every Estate Agent in the chain, not only talking to each other, but also to solicitors, financial advisors, contractors, buyers and sellers (to name a few). They sort out issues that arise, find out who is slowing things down and why but most of all they protect their client to try to ensure that the biggest issue you have is which box you packed the kettle in, so you can unpack it, make a coffee, sit back and tell each other how much you hate Estate Agents.

Agents Have Homes Too: 

Agents may go through the above with a client, but they also have another 60 or 70 other clients that they deal with at the same time and when the day is done and the office lights turn out, they go home to their families and leave all the emotions of the day at the office – ready for arrival the next day to pick them all up again.

 

So, surely for one day a year, everyone can open their arms and join in with  #huganestateagentday

Then you have 364 days free to talk behind agents backs!