More than eight out of 10 (83%) estate agents are proud of their profession although over half (61%) could be tempted to work in another country, latest research from GetAgent.co.uk finds.

Estate agents have suffered a bad rep in recent years, from being labelled as some of the least trustworthy to calls for regulatory introductions to raise the standards of the industry.

WRONG IMPRESSION

However, GetAgent.co.uk’s survey of 1,728 estate agents found that seven out of 10 (69%) believe the nation has the wrong impression of estate agents and 83% of those surveyed stated that they were proud to be an estate agent.

The strong earnings potential ranked as the number one reason for this professional pride but beyond the financial stability the job can provide, the ability to help homebuyers and sellers also ranked amongst the biggest reasons.

Helping people realise their dreams of homeownership ranked second, closely followed by the ability to help people sell the most expensive asset they are ever likely to own.

UNSUNG HEROES

Colby Short, Co-founder and Chief Executive of GetAgent.co.uk, says: “Estate agents are one of the unsung heroes of all professions in this country.

“Selling a home is a stressful and emotional event for homeowners, often made worse by the stress of the reason for the sale such as a growing family, relocating for a new job or even divorce.

“A good estate agent shields a seller from many of the most stressful parts of the selling process, not only achieving a great result financially but reducing some of the emotional burden on the seller.”

He adds: “The challenge is that the easier a great estate agent makes things look, the more sellers feel they didn’t earn the money.

“It’s time Joe Public started giving agents the respect they deserve before we start to lose some of our brightest and best to other markets.”