Reading about the frantic state of the Tayside housing market made me wonder, is it just as crazy to work in it?
Houses hardly spend any time on the market, buyers are paying prices far over asking price and you’re lucky to even find something you both like and can afford.
Is it as stressful being an estate agent as it is to be a buyer these days?
I headed along to Verdala in Broughty Ferry to find out.
Coming straight from a home valuation, estate agent Scott Bremner meets me in a brand new Brook Street office.
He started the business in September 2020, wanting to offer a personal and local service after working at a large estate agency.
The firm quickly grew and his partner Amber Cochrane quit her job as a teacher to join Scott’s venture.
The pair are now joined by their newest colleague Ashley Scott.
Too many phone calls
As I arrive, Ashley and Amber are working hard to answers all the calls coming in.
And in this office, the calls are constantly coming in.
“I probably take 100 calls every day,” says Scott.
“On a busy day there’s 250 calls in and out.”
As a journalist I thought I spent a lot of time on the phone, but these guys are on another level.
I also thought I was quite organised, until Amber pulls out a tablet to show me what I’ve got coming up in my day as an estate agent.
Each task has its own colour and every day looks like a rainbow. This shared calendar is sacred as it lets everyone know what’s happening and who’s doing it.
Next on the agenda is a closing date and Scott phones up the seller to give them a rundown of the offers.
One offer is significantly over asking price – but comes with the condition of a roof inspection – and the second offer is £5,000 lower, but with no condition.
I’m nervously clutching my cuppa as Scott offers his advice and answers to his client, I suddenly feel very invested in this house. Will they gamble and take the high offer, or go for the safe one?
An estate agent’s worst enemy
As Scott hangs up, we’re all holding our breath. They’ve gone for the higher offer from a first-time buyer.
“Sometimes it comes down to pounds and pennies, other times it comes down to who the buyer is,” explains Amber.
“It’s not just about the money, because there are feelings attached to buying and selling a house.
“It’s not just bricks and mortar, it’s a home.”
Not being a homeowner, I haven’t thought of it like that. But if I ever was to sell my home, I would want it to go to someone who would enjoy it as much as I did.
The colourful Verdala calendar now shows that Scott and I are heading off to take pictures of a property going up for sale.
We have one problem though – the weather. It is raining buckets.
Photographer Sam Donaldson is already at the house waiting for us, just as upset about the rain as Scott.
While the house is gorgeous, the duo won’t be able to film the walkthrough of the property they’d planned when the patio and garden is drenched.
Sam does what he can, taking detail shots in the kitchen where you can’t see the raindrops on the windows.
Growing through social media
After going through the three-bedroom house and getting some photos and video – and listening to Scott answer the phone every five minutes – we head back to Verdala HQ.
The company name is inspired by Scott’s family. His granddad was stationed in Malta for the RAF and his mum’s nursery was called Verdala.
When they moved back to Scotland, his grandparents named their house after the school.
After the business idea was born, Scott’s granddad passed away. The estate agency was then named in his memory.
“The name Verdala represents family and how we want to treat people – being open and honest,” says Amber.
“We’ve been very fortunate that our personalities have allowed us to interact with people on social media and be approachable, and that’s helped grow the company to where we are now.”
Through social media, Verdala has grown into what it is today. All properties are advertised on Facebook and Instagram with Sam’s videos and pictures, setting it apart from other agents.
It has taken a lot of hard work though. When Scott started the company, Amber did Verdala’s social media while still working as a teacher.
She joined Verdala full-time in October and almost hasn’t had a day off since.
The firm’s social media has quickly become what people recognise them for.
“Running socials is a full-time job on top of everything else,” she says.
“Some clients want stats from social media and how it’s influencing the sale of their property, that’s the nature of the beast we’ve created.
“Each client gets the same number of posts and a lot of time goes into running the channels.”
Seeing the potential
Next on the rainbow agenda is seeing a property about to go on sale. From the heart of the Ferry, we walk further down Brook Street to a three-bedroom Victorian house.
“This is not like Selling Sunset,” Amber laughs as we step outside to a rainy and windy street.
While I love Grand Designs and Interior Design Masters, this Netflix show has passed me by. After later watching three episodes of merciless women selling huge houses in LA I have concluded Amber is correct.
Broughty Ferry is far too rainy, the Scottish houses are far too small and the Verdala team are far too nice to be compared to the Oppenheim Group.
As we step into the huge house the smell of my grandma’s house hits me and I’m very unimpressed with the carpet. It’s immediately a no from me.
Amber however, is beaming. Where I see a never-ending refurbishing job and the back pain that follows, Amber sees potential. She discusses with Ashley what she would do if this was her house.
Where I only see the current state of the house, they see what it could become for a local family. I’m starting to realise that’s why they have this job and not me.
The entire Verdala team go out to look at properties before they hit the market so they can all answer questions and host viewings.
“It’s important to remember that houses are so personal. We don’t deal with houses, we deal with people,” says Amber.
Waiting for the house fairies
Back in the office again, the day is far from over. Office hours might be coming to an end, but for Scott and Amber there is still work to be done.
There’s feedback from viewings to go through, invoices to send and social media posts to create and schedule.
“After office hours the house fairies come out and put all the listings online,” laughs Amber.
I haven’t even worked half their day and my head is about to burst from all the phone calls, emails and calendar entries I’ve witnessed.
Verdala has also completely changed my view on estate agents. Having more experience with letting agents, I figured estate agents would be the same – slow to reply, disinterested and hard to deal with.
Thankfully, I’ve discovered they are not.
But it’s quite a demanding job, where they’re always available and are under huge pressure to get houses sold or find someone’s perfect home.
Though I imagine the feeling you get when you’ve sold someone’s dream home is an incredible reward for the hard work.
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