Wow—25 years in estate agency! 

On the 26th of March 2025, I will hit a huge milestone: a quarter of a century in this crazy, challenging, and rewarding world of buying and selling homes. And honestly? I never planned on being here! But looking back, I wouldn’t change a thing.

It all started in 2000 when I was working in a pub and restaurant. A friend of mine—one of the chefs—left to work at an estate agency and kept telling me I should give it a go. One day, I took the plunge. My first day was the 26th of March 2000, and the rest, as they say, is history!

Back then, the job was a whole different ball game. 

No Rightmove, no fancy online marketing—just newspapers and a box full of index cards with buyer details. We had to match people to properties manually, and if you didn’t hit your targets, you weren’t sticking around for long. 

It was tough, but I loved it from the start. My first sale was a house on Tollhouse Road in Bromsgrove, and I’ll never forget the buzz of handing over those keys for the first time.

Over the years, I worked my way up through the ranks, eventually moving from Dixons estate agents (Countrywide) to Shipways (part of the Connells group) managing the Redditch office. 

But the biggest step? 

Taking the leap to start SA Property. 

That was 12 years ago, and wow, what a ride it’s been! From selling our first house to surviving the madness of COVID, it’s been an adventure. 

Building a business from scratch wasn’t easy—especially in the early days when nobody knew who we were. 

It was all about knocking on doors, delivering leaflets, and making sure people knew we existed. Talking to people.

Now, we’ve got a solid reputation and a thriving office on Gorseinon’s High Street.

The industry has changed massively over the last 25 years, especially with technology. Some of it helps, some of it… not so much! But at the heart of it, estate agency is still all about people. 

You can have all the fancy tools in the world, but if clients don’t know about you, engage with you or trust you, none of it matters.

Looking ahead, I want SA Property to keep growing. We’ve already started expanding with our first self-employed agent - the fantastic Cheryl Davies, and I’m excited to see where that takes us. 

One thing I’d love to change in the industry? 

The ridiculously slow buying process. It shouldn’t take 4-6 months to complete a sale in 2025!

After 25 years, I still love this job—probably even more than when I started. 

It’s addictive. 

Winning listings, competing with other agents, finding creative solutions to help people move—it never gets old. 

Every day is different, and meeting new people and hearing their stories is what makes this job so special.

Looking back, I feel so lucky to have started my career at a time when estate agency was at its best. I worked with some incredible people, and many of them are still smashing it in the industry today. 

Taking the risk to start SA Property was terrifying, but I’m so glad I did. Especially with the support from my wife Gail, I don't think I could have done it without her and of course the rest of my family and friends / colleagues.

Here’s to the next 25 years of helping people move—because honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way!

Cheers to 25 years!