There is now, says Tony Clarke, MD of Rawson Properties, a clearly discernible drift among estate agents towards the larger well-branded companies, most of which operate nationally.
Following up on a statement by a property manager which appeared in the property press and which said that experienced agents are now leaving the real estate sector, Clarke said that many are not leaving, they are moving to the core agencies.
'The reasons,' he said, 'are quite simple: they are concerned about the new rulings which will make it obligatory to achieve the NQF qualifications. They are, therefore, moving to those agencies which offer training. Many of the smaller agencies are simply not doing this'
A second reason for the move to the bigger agencies, said Clarke, is that in the buyers market now being experienced countrywide the larger agencies are still able to get in more stock and referrals.
'It is often said that the true value of major branding and advertising campaigns is only when the market turns down '“ that is certainly true of our current situation'
