Tomorrow, we will have been operating for three weeks. In this time I can say that I have experienced mixed emotions. There’s been doubt and frustration as well as joy and satisfaction but overall I can genuinely say that the process so far has been extremely rewarding in more ways than one. 

Leaving the security of a large company with a set salary and well paid commission as well as all the additional perks like the company car and private health care was scary enough but leaving it behind to set up a new business with all the financial commitment and personal risk involved could of been nothing short of terrifying. 

On the day I left I received comments like “You’re brave” and “Is now really the right time to be doing this?”. For a second I maybe questioned what I was actually doing but it was literally a second.

I knew that the effort that both myself and Frances had put in to creating our brand, the website, the software the marketing campaign would pay off and sure enough on the first day before we had even put up our first “Now Open” board the phone rang with a homeowner asking us to visit their property that had been on the market with another agent for 3 months with no offers. That property is now under offer through Mockford & Hunt to a buyer who is also under offer through Mockford & Hunt!
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Sellers and buyers just want helpful, proactive service and if you take the time to listen to people it makes the job far easier. It’s not about estate agency, its simply about the best parts human nature, listening, understanding and actually caring about their move.

​Starting a new venture should always be a challenge.

​Whether it be business or lifestyle, trying something new should create some level of anxiety but this feeling should, at the same time be outweighed by the immense feelings of excitement. 
 
Having been an estate agent since my early twenties I can confidently say that I love the job. The level of satisfaction felt when you know that your input has directly helped someone on their journey is almost indescribable. 
 
Sadly, when working for large companies, the pressures of targets and generating income can sometimes mean that you lose sight of why you should be actually doing the job in the first place and contrary to popular belief, estate agency has very little to do with houses! This was really highlighted to me recently when conducting job interviews for new staff. One young man expressed his interest in houses as opposed to the second applicant who spoke about their  passion for helping people...

To say that this year has been strange is an understatement. The Covid pandemic has had a profound effect on almost every aspect of everyday life and the housing market is no different. It was partly during lockdown that I started to have thoughts of branching out and going alone. Clients, buyers and sellers really appreciated the time that I was able to spend in having conversations. By really getting to know people I was able to be even more genuine and credible in my actions to get things moving.

Having discussed and talked it through with family friends, I decided to start the ball rolling. I confided in a trusted colleague who I thought may have been feeling the same and together the dream started to become a reality...