Three sales agreed in 48 hours, a client gone bust, parasailing with toddlers… and a Turkish hotel reminding me that “service” is just a word on a website.
Monday – Routine Reset
First proper day of the holiday routine. I try stick to UK time wherever I am, which means I’m up early for a coffee and 45 minutes of emails/admin, 45 minutes in the gym, then pool all day with the girls. I spent the evening coaxing them onto the dancefloor – they started timidbut ended up throwing some shapes. Business-wise, less fun: the client I thought would fold confirmed it’s all over. Sexy content shot, edited, ready… for a business that never was.
Tuesday – Third Time Lucky?
Back in London, the team put one property went under offer for the third time. The first two buyers walked for reasons we couldn’t predict. This one feels stickier, but we’ll see. Another long-standing listing in Ealing finally agreed, only for the seller to wobble on their onward. Moving goalposts, basically an Olympic sport in agency.
On the bright side, our progression team smashed out three exchanges in one day for a single chain. Brilliant and terrifying whilst sitting in the pipeline.
Wednesday – Losing One, Gaining Another
Digital Sparks had a client not renew, it’s our first. They’re not in property and are struggling with cash flow, so cutting costs where they shouldn’t. It’s a shame, but they’ll be back. If you ever want to hinder a business, the quickest way is to stop training your people and to stop marketing. Everyone else, thankfully, is buzzing. Meanwhile, Fine & Country agreed another sale. Three in 48 hours, in mid-August, at the top end of the London market? We’ll take that. Hotel service, however, continues to redefine the word “inconsistent.” We’ve been coming to Turkey for years and always had great experiences, but this place feels like Spain in the ‘90s: tourists will come regardless, so why bother with service?
Thursday – Belek & Abuse
Decided to walk to Belek while our three-year-old napped in the pram. Turns out it’s an hour of busy A-roads in 35-degree heat. She woke up 45 minutes in. Not my finest dad move. Belek itself is half ghost town, half dodgy designer goods paradise. On the plus side, my dad seemssharper and more engaged now the girls are around. On the downside, I got my first abuse on social media in a while. Some random took offence at one of our education posts. Glass houses, stones, etc. Best ignored.
Friday – Parasailing & Shrinking Kids
My five-year-old is told she’s suddenly “too short” for the pool slides, despite being waved on all week. Health & safety fine, inconsistency less so. Nothing worse than telling a child yes, all week, then randomly deciding no.
She perked up later when I took her and her younger sister parasailing -100 feet in the air, fearless, the pair of them, wish I’d been the same. Meanwhile their older sister (who did it a few years ago) now refuses. Wisdom, or cowardice? Both?
Saturday – Content, Confidence & Contrast
Posted a silly piece of content that outperformed anything serious I’ve put out in ages. A reminder: people want to be educated and entertained. Escaped the hotel for a proper dinner out. Decent food, great service, a refreshing change to the hotel. Best bit of the day was watching my eldest push herself out of her comfort zone, go up to another kid and introduce herself. Small step for her, huge moment for me. She had a friend for the rest of the week. Later that day, sitting with my dad at the beach bar, he pointed up at the sky at someone parasailing and asked me if I’d ever thought about doing it. Tough to hear, only the day before I’d taken the little ones up, and he’d watched. Even here, with sun and grandkids lifting him, the memory issues aren’t going anywhere.
Sunday – Earache & Insurance Forms
Five-year-old woke with an ear infection. €150 for the doctor, €35 for the medicine, no receipt despite promises. Another box ticked on the hotel’s “how not to do service” checklist. Still, the nurse delivered the medicine, and I ended the day thinking holidays aren’t supposed to be smooth. They’re supposed to be memorable.
Same time next week. Probably (definitely) after bedtime.
Ben Madden is founder of Digital Sparks and a director at Fine & Country Chiswick
Read the orginal article: https://propertyindustryeye.com/confessions-of-an-estate-agent-week-3/
