After the industry went  through a turmoil around the end of last year, interest in property started picking up again in February, however, COVID-19 seems to be wanting to have its way too and all operations have stopped.

Everything has impacted our way of working, from listing properties, advertising, negotiating and conducting viewings. Everything is now shifting to online. So much uncertainty and scepticism still. People are not understanding what the best way is, whether to stay put or to keep looking for their dream home. 

What perplexes me is the fact that as estate agents we must be compliant with FIAU regulations, pay taxes like any other business, along with many other obligations which we gladly abide by.  How come we are not directly listed in the Annexes to be able to opt for the grant? It seems that once again, government has completely forgotten us.

Don’t we depend on sales or letting of properties to earn a wage, to pay our bills, our mortgages and rents? Wondering on this thought I am sure that I am not the only one feeling discriminated and deprived of any kind of assistance. I agree that individuals who work in the catering industry are given grants to help them and their families to get through these exceptionally hard times. But don’t we all have families at home? Or being a real estate agent is not a job? Perhaps one might think that it is all about showing a property… or maybe it is my fellow competitors who at times shoot themselves in the foot with their bad publicity and how they treat their customers! However, at the same time I am sure that we have all been at a restaurant, and not always received the best service.  The grant is not discriminating against the level of service given but against the industry.

Taking a leap of faith and venturing from a paid job to a non-paid job is a risk. Truth is we do not get paid for our jobs; we do not get paid for meeting on Sundays with clients who decide to meet simply to shop around when we also would like to be with our families. Don’t we all also have long hours? A true dedicated estate agent knows that this is not just an 8 to 5 job and working late and during weekends is the norm.

We have struggling months when we cannot sell and one has to rely on a previous sale to get by. Then you wake up again trying to be positive and give your best to get a lead that can materialize. If you do your job well and with some luck, you sign a promise of sale and then you get to reap your earnings when contract is signed. Worst still, with the delays in construction, which an estate agent does not have any control whatsoever, only means that the wage is earned a year or more later.  How would any other worker feel if one’s wages are postponed by a year? 

As an estate agency we provide a service to customers who trust in us and who specifically look for our services. We have also been waiting for government to issue a licence for agents, which I am sure most of us are willing to do. 

Our business has been dramatically impacted and since we have closed our offices too, the phone has stopped and enquiries have gone down to almost none. We are trying to work remotely, however, since the courts are closed, it is not easy to conduct business online as it does not only depend on us. We are trying to promote online campaigns to show interested buyers that we are still available and can still pass on all the information required. Moreover, one must understand the limitations to show properties, hence, it is making the buying process even more difficult.

So, dear Prime Minister do consider us as contributors to society, people with families and people who are struggling too.

 

A dedicated property consultant, one of many