Interview : 'The Mindful Estate Agent'
Space A were lucky enough to meet Christian Eldershaw of The Mindful Estate Agent on a digital course run by the wonderful DO Lectures earlier this year. Here we share his background and his company ethos.
Amelia Hunter (Space A) – “ What is the ‘Mindful Estate Agent’?”
Christian Eldershaw (Mindful Estate Agent) – “We are a caring, compassionately minded estate agency. We believe that kindness is a competitive advantage in an industry where people are facing one of the most stressful decisions of their lives. Our aim is to treat people with respect, something that estate agents are not generally known for.”
AH – “What was your background, what led you to come up with The Mindful Estate Agent concept?”
CE – “I have been an estate agent for 17 years. It was never the active plan originally; I fell into it really. I had always wanted to be a town planner, having studied Geography at Newcastle University. But I graduated in the 00’s and I struggled to find a job with a council. In the end I got a job with a local estate agency on Grey Street in Newcastle where I cut my teeth in the trade. After a bit I moved to London where I had a fun few years working for Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward before working for a local Estate Agency in Highgate. I enjoyed helping people in a stressful situation. But I found the job high pressure and pretty cut-throat and salesy – I struggled with the ethos of it.When I moved to Modern House it was considered very niche in the industry – they had a very different take on things which I found inspirational.In the end I was made redundant from Modern House which proved to be a bit of a shock and a big moment in my life. I took time out from work for a bit whilst I figured out what I wanted to do. My first plan was to combine the buying and selling agent roles which is not usually done in this industry. After thinking things through I wanted to incorporate all I had learnt from my experience but place well-being and mindfulness at the forefront of everything.”
“Traditionally estate agencies are focused hard on the ‘transaction.’ As a result, the process is a bit of a sausage making machine.”— CHRISTIAN ELDERSHAW
AH – “ How does your business model differ to a traditional Estate Agent ?”
CE – Traditionally estate agencies are focused hard on the ‘transaction.’ As a result, the process is a bit of a sausage making machine. Estate agencies have weekly targets for views, price reductions and sales conversions. Employees compete with each other to close certain deals and are rewarded for meeting and exceeding targets. I always thought the incentives here were wrong – the focus is on business growth as opposed to the customer. In contrast my intention is to always limit the amount of people I work with in selling and buying houses. I need to give myself the time to focus deeply on each person/family to ensure I am giving them a truly bespoke service. I never pressurise people in making decisions and pride myself in giving honest, objective advice that is right for them, not just for me.
AH – “Have your client’s needs changed as a result of the Co-Vid 19 crisis?”
CE – “I’ve definitely seen people eying up properties with potential for home offices/garden sheds/ studios – working from home is becoming commonplace now. More people are moving out of major areas and health and wellbeing is becoming increasingly important to people – they want places with good air quality and close access to green spaces. There has been a scurry of recent activity whilst people make the most of the latest stamp duty holiday and thankfully, I am pretty busy after an initial dry spell at the beginning of the pandemic.”
CHRISTIAN’S WAY OF WORKING :
1) We give truly honest advice so clients can make an informed decision on choosing a home (a critical decision on their life.)
2) We never rush or pressurise clients in their decisions.
3) We make the journey of choosing a new house and selling an existing house exciting and fun – it’s a chance to re-discover who you are and your deepest aspirations and dreams after all!
Get in touch with Christian if you are interested in buying and/or selling your house – he is lovely and will have a no obligation chat about your thoughts.
Space A and Christian are exploring a collaboration together to work with people to find and enhance their dream home. Email us- ‘hello@spacea.co.uk’ or ‘christian@themindfulestateagent.com’ to hear more and follow our instagram pages - @studiospacea & @mindfulestateagent