Adapt or Die: Why today's estate agencies are failing to attract new talent

For more than five years, arguably longer, the estate agency industry has been starved of young, fresh, new talent. The school leavers, the sporty ones, the confident communicators who didn’t go to university but had bags of personality and drive, the very people who once queued up to become negotiators, simply aren’t coming anymore.

From the mid-1990s through to around 2020, estate agency was a natural home for ambitious and personable salespeople. Today, that’s no longer the case.

Young people aren’t rushing to join estate agencies anymore, not because they’re “lazy”, “soft”, or “entitled”, as some in the industry like to claim, but because they simply don’t see estate agency as a place that fits them anymore.

They’re looking elsewhere: to industries that feel more modern, dynamic, progressive, and flexible. To businesses that offer culture, purpose, and personal growth, and that don’t carry the outdated stigma estate agency still struggles to shake off.

And here’s the hard truth: the problem isn’t them. It’s you.

Too many agencies have failed to evolve. They still run their businesses and manage their people as if it’s 2005. They expect the next generation to adapt to their way of working, rigid hours, old-school management, uninspiring environments, rather than adapting to theirs.

If agencies truly want to attract and keep young talent, they must change how they think, lead, and operate. That means:

-Offering more flexible working hours and structures
-Creating an environment that’s inclusive, transparent, and supportive
-Building cultures where people can be themselves, and succeed regardless of privilege or background
-Modernising pay structures, career paths, and development opportunities
-Embracing technology, creativity, and purpose, not just transactions

The new generation has changed. The world has changed. If you’re still wondering why great people aren’t throwing themselves at your door anymore, it’s time to stop pointing the finger outward, and start looking inward.

They don’t need to change. You do!

Email us at info@collinspropertyrecruitment.com or give us a call on 020 7435 0309.

Collins Property Recruitment is a business with a purpose: to enable talent and businesses to meet and do great things together. We make this happen through an unrivalled network, a values-led, consultative approach and a hard-earned reputation as the go-to recruiter in property.