On Estate Agents

Edited "highlights" of a long discussion with some strong views about estate agents moved from another discussion.

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Reply by Christopher John Fowler 18 hours ago Thanks for the info, David. I didn't know that the sales had split off. In fact, I'm not sure how I (or anyone else) could know, as they appear to trade as Paul Simon, same shopfront, same name. And as to being a bit premature to suggest they are vampire money-grabbers, as they have only been in business for nine months: they are _estate agents_, aren't they? Enough said, I think. Until the bankers became so obviously money-grabbing and crooked, estate agents were pretty well the lowest of the low. I've lived in this area for more than 20 years, and I can't think of a single good thing Paul Simon or any estate agent has _ever_ done for this area or its residents.

Reply by Steve Hatch 14 hours ago

Interesting views there Christopher!

[they are _estate agents_, aren't they? Enough said, I think. Until the bankers became so obviously money-grabbing and crooked, estate agents were pretty well the lowest of the low. I've lived in this area for more than 20 years, and I can't think of a single good thing Paul Simon or any estate agent has _ever_ done for this area or its residents].

Allow me to introduce myself, I am a local estate agent, well ok one of the directors... I went to school in the area, I grew up locally, and I have not only invested my money, but also the last 17 years of my life helping some 'local people' move forward with their lives in the best way possible (and yes I have been paid for this).

I won't bore you with a long list of ways that either myself personally, or my company have given something back to the local community. The latest of which has involved me digging and clearing up on a small community garden project in between my Saturday valuations. The organisers have both my admiration and support, and we are proud to be a part of building something for others to enjoy.

So i'm curious... since you are effectively slurring my good name with your sweeping statement (don't worry thick skin is part of the uniform), what is the basis for your comment? I would be really interested to find out, as I am sure others reading this will be too.

Now I will be the first to agree with you that there are some really crap Estate Agents out there, but there are also some highly professional ones who take a real pride in what they do and genuinely help people!

Incidentally, this is what our clients think of our (Castles) 'vampire, money grabbing antics'. Out of over 5400 listed agents we are rated the highest on an independent review website. I am not boasting, in fact I dislike show offs immensely, I am just extremely proud of what we do, and all without littering my local community with a proliferation of 'For Sale' boards too!


Reply by John D 13 hours ago

Just to confirm what Steve says about his personal contribution to the Harringay community. The trouble with stereotypes is that they ignore the exceptional. Steve and Castles are about as far from Paul Simon and Foxtons as it is possible to get and don't deserve to be tarred with the same brush


Reply by Hugh 13 hours ago

Bit of support for Steve here. Following the incident last year when Paul Simon put up a huge banner on the Salisbury, Steve arranged, at his own cost, for a man to remove old estate agent sign battens from the building.

He's also been keen to start a voluntary embargo on boards on Green Lanes.


Reply by Alan Stanton 10 hours ago

Responding to your comment Christopher, can I please try to persuade you to read Steve Hatch's contributions to various threads on HoL. (You can search these by clicking on his icon.)

You'll find someone who is sympathetic and responsive to the views of local residents and - in the experience of HoL members - who matches his words with action.

Well, maybe you're thinking that Steve's motive for saying and doing these things may be neither altruistic nor a matter of civic duty. But entirely out of his own self-interest - because it's good for his business.

I don't know Steve and have never met him. But let's suppose he is simply a good businessman. My view is that if people who run local businesses behave responsibly and respect local residents because it's good for business then, as a Haringey councillor, I would be delighted. For one thing, they wouldn't leave stinking bags of trade waste on the pavements.

I've set out my argument more fully on HoL. And here on my Flickr photoblog where I advocated U.S. style Good Neighbour Agreements. I've also suggested the Council explores what seem to be similar Responsible Retailer Agreements. (Needless to say I've had no response to these suggestions from Haringey Urban Environment Department.)

Steve Hatch seems to be a one-person Responsible Retailer. Although I've never met him, we have exchanged emails - umpteen emails. All on the same topic. Because he offered at no cost to the Council to include council information leafets in his firm's Welcome Packs to new owners and lessees.

The significance of this may not strike you unless you've noticed how often dumping is connected to the turnover of people; many of whom may not know about Haringey's waste systems; the free collections; recycling etc. Steve's offer is not the solution, but it could help in a small way. And if other Estate Agents, managing agents and letting agencies followed suit it could help some more.

It's also an example of the now fashionable term co-production - where local councils deliver services in collaboration with local residents and businesses.

At my urging nine months ago, Steve contacted and then met with two Council officers. He also attended one of the Council's Landlords' Forums. The last time I emailed Steve he was still waiting for these leaflets. Anyone else would have long since given up on Haringey Urban Environment Department.

(Tottenham Hale ward councillor)


Reply by Christopher John Fowler 5 hours ago

With regard to your post, Alan: thanks for your information. One very important role of this website is to spread information about our area, Harringay, and the wider borough. I realise that you and all our councillors, of whatever political stripe, are working hard to improve things for all residents, and I am very grateful for this. I realise that your job as a councillor must often seem very thankless. I'm very glad that you are getting help from local business people, and I agree with what you say about the relationships between local business, residents, and their democratic representatives. Please note that I have no animus against any particular estate agent or firm. My comments were a _general_ one about estate agents as a group, and in particular the way they pollute the visual environment with unnecessary signs which are nothing more than advertising for themselves, and do nothing to provide a genuine service for their clients.

I applaud your work, and all the assistance that Steve is providing you. Thank you again for making this work clear to us all.

This discussion started as one about a particularly egregious example of the estate agent habit of putting ugly advertising signs on people's houses, and I can see from the responses that sorting out this particular example is in hand. However, we need to deal with this as a more general issue, as some estate agents will continue to do this until they are properly penalised.

I'm not sure that any further discussion on the more general estate agent issue is helpful at this time, so would like to sign off from this subject, and allow other citizens to have their say.

Reply by David Deane 3 hours ago

I may be talking out of turn here, and I've never met Steve adn know nothing of his personal circumstances, but it might not have occurred to you that not everybody who works in the area can afford to live there. i work in the west end, but I can't afford to live there.

anyway, as you say, it's Friday and the sun is shining. have a good weekend

Reply by David Deane 3 hours ago

lettings is supposed to be somewhere up in palmers green, but the photo on their website is of the office block opposite the salisbury. so I'm not sure. Google maps hasn't enlightened me much, but I don't know pg at all.

http://www.paulsimonhomes.net/ (click on contact)


Reply by rahman 12 hours ago

Goodness me, thats a bit harsh. I'd take it personally if I was an estate agent.


Reply by Louise Nazeraj 6 hours ago

Harsh to say the least. I think it's verging on being libellous!


Reply by Christopher John Fowler 5 hours ago

Dear Louise

If you think that is harsh, you don't know from harsh! And not remotely libellous.


Louise Nazeraj Permalink Reply by Louise Nazeraj 2 hours ago

I said verging on and that is my opinion.


Reply by Adrian (From the land of OZ) 5 hours ago

Settle down people! The real issue here is the act of a single estate agency putting up a big ugly sign.

Estate agents are people, and they come in all shapes, sizes, colours and moralities. Some will be nice and some won't.

Any news from the new Paul Simon team on taking it down?

Reply by Christopher John Fowler 4 hours ago

Adrian - yes, of course, estate agents come in all shapes and sizes. Some will be nice. I'd just venture an opinion that fewer of them are likely to be nice than, say, a similar size group of butchers or bakers or candlestick makers. Of course, on the other hand, more of them will be nice (probably) than, say, gangsters, murderers or kidnappers. And I'd venture to suggest that fewer estate agents are going to be nice than a similar size group of people from the Land of Oz (always assuming you mean by that Australia, and not Frank Baum's Oz, of whose residents I have no direct knowledge and cannot venture a comment).

And, of course, you are right. Let's all calm down. The weekend is coming, TGIF, the sun is shining, so let's all chill out and have some fun in the sun. A happy weekend to all on the website.