Blogs

Charles Leigh Sales Director at Valouran, shares his journey and advice for anyone entering the London property and real estate industry.

Alisa Zotimova, Founder & CEO of AZ Real Estate & AZ Alliance shares her journey and advice for anyone entering the London property and real estate industry.

Mark Wayne Director of Wayne and Silver, shares his journey and advice for anyone entering the London property and real estate industry.

The residential property sector is finding it harder to recruit high-calibre young staff. The number of personable, quick with a handshake, comfortable in business dress on a Saturday morning Gen Z estate agents is in short supply. For an industry that depends on a pipeline of people to build relationships, bring properties to market and close deals, that is a problem worth taking seriously. The good news is that it is solvable. Gen Z (born between 1997 and 2012) is not avoiding a career in residential property out of indifference. They need to hear a story that speaks to what they are looking for. The case for working in residential property is stronger than you think Before addressing how to attract Gen Z, it is worth remembering why they should be attracted in the first place. Careers in residential property have qualities that young professionals genuinely value, but they need to be articulated clearly by those seeking to recruit. This is a career built on human relationships. At a time when artificial intelligence is reshaping many industries, large chunks of estate agent roles cannot be automated. Someone has to sit with a nervous first-time buyer. Someone has to earn the trust of a family selling their home of thirty years. Gen Z knows that the jobs least at risk from technology are the ones that require emotional intelligence, communication and trust. Residential property is one of them. Those jobs are also neatly spread across the country, rather than having to move. A young professional might be able to rent, or even eventually buy, a property in an area which may not seem hugely desirable to those from older generations. For Gen Z they present an opportunity to build a life. There is also real earning potential, a genuine connection to one of the most significant financial decisions people make in their lives. For those who thrive there is a career trajectory that rewards performance rather than simply waiting in line. These are compelling arguments, but the industry needs to make them. Why they may not be applying (yet) Gen Z tends not to fall into careers or workplaces. They research them, and in detail. Before applying for any role, the high calibre young professionals you want to recruit will have looked at your website, checked Glassdoor, scrolled your social media and searched for your company name on LinkedIn and Reddit. If what they find is vague, dated or unconvincing, they will move on. The competition for their attention from tech, sales, media and marketing is fierce. Many career choices work out as ‘happy accidents’. As a recruitment narrative for a generation that tends to plan its next move carefully, it is not enough. Gen Z needs to be able to see a deliberate path into property. The authenticity test For Gen Z, glossy claims mean very little. A values statement in large letters on the wall of the estate agent only registers as noise. What Gen Z responds to is evidence. A short video of a 23-year-old negotiator explaining what their first year actually looked like (with all the hard bits included) will do more for your recruitment than any amount of polished marketing copy. Authentic testimony from real people, showing real progression, is what builds trust with this generation. They are exceptionally good at spotting the difference between genuine and manufactured, having had a lifetime of filtering thousands of marketing messages a day on their phones. This is not a reason to be anxious. It is an opportunity. If your organisation is a good place to work and people grow within it, show that. If your values mean something in practice, demonstrate it. The organisations that do this well will find it significantly easier to recruit. Two strategies that will make a real difference These are not theoretical suggestions. They are drawn directly from my research, and my own experience working with Gen Z and employers. 1. Be ultra-clear That means about the role, the reality and the money. When a customer wants a viewing they will not want it with an estate sitting at home talking them through the property on the phone. Gen Z will not fill in the gaps themselves. They need to know what a typical week looks like, what the commission structure is, what the base salary is during the early months and how performance is measured. Ambiguity does not read as professional to this generation, it reads as evasive. Show them a structured career progression. ‘The sky’s the limit’ is not a career path. Gen Z wants to know what the next eighteen months look like, what milestones matter and how performance opens doors. Map it out and make it easily available, in writing, from the moment someone considers applying. 2. Give them the ‘real world’ skills you need to see Fewer young professionals have had experiences of physical workplaces than you might expect, and that includes from their time at school. Hundreds of thousands of Gen Z are already registered on Companies House as a director of a limited company. That can be done from home and not in a physical, multi-generational workplace. The truth is that some of the entrepreneurial young professionals with a flair for sales who may have come your way in the past, have now set up businesses on their own. Whilst in the past estate agents might have been able to identify young candidates who already had the skills to sell in person, now it is not always so easy. An interest in selling is a good start, and past experience of doing so (even if online) is even better. As employers you might find yourself feeling incredulous about whether you should really have to teach a new recruit x, y and z. The truth is that in the modern age if you want a Gen Zer to have the skills, you are likely to have to teach them. You might have to squint a little harder to see if there is potential or a flash of personability you can do something with, and you will have to do more with them to get them up to speed. If you invest in Gen Z, expect to see results. Their academic record indicates they will learn if the resources are there. That needs to be accompanied by comprehensive onboarding and attention to every workplace skill. The firms that adapt their recruitment approach, their onboarding, their communication and their culture to meet Gen Z where they are will not just solve a staffing problem.  They will build a workforce that is motivated and well-equipped for the demands of a changing market. This is not about lowering standards or abandoning what works. It is about understanding a generation that has more to offer than the headlines suggest, and making sure your organisation is the one they choose. By Alex Atherton , author of The Snowflake Myth: Explaining Gen Z in the Workplace and Beyond , keynote speaker on Gen Z and the multigenerational workplace and former secondary school headteacher.

Adam Phillips Founder of Phillips Harrods, shares his journey and advice for anyone entering the London property and real estate industry.

Orly Lehmann, Real Estate Advisor of DDRE, shares her journey and advice for anyone entering the London property and real estate industry.

Alex Casaki, Director of Dalham Management, shares his journey and advice for anyone entering the London property and real estate industry.

Oliver Ingles, Advisor at DDR, shares his journey and advice for anyone entering the London property and real estate industry.

Sue Fisher Head of Residential Development, Greater London and Country at Hamptons shares her journey and advice for anyone entering the London property and real estate industry.

Nicholas Cowell, Director at Cowell Group shares his journey and advice for anyone entering the London property and real estate industry.

Sian-Louise Tangney, Director at UK Sotheby's International Realty shares his journey and advice for anyone entering the London property and real estate industry.

Jon Byers, Managing Director of Anderson Rose shares his journey and advice for anyone entering the London property and real estate industry.

Becky Fatemi, Executive Partner at Sotheby’s International Realty UK, shares her journey and advice for anyone entering the London property and real estate industry.

Gary Hersham, Owner of Beauchamp Estates, shares his journey, insights, and advice for those in or entering the London property and real estate industry.

Kate Brookfield, Director and Founder of Kate Brookfield Ltd, shares her journey, insights, and advice for those in or entering the London property and real estate industry.

Discover why personal branding is your secret weapon in property. Build trust, stand out online & offline, and leave a lasting impression with every client.

Want to stand out in property? Multilingual professionals gain access to broader networks, deeper relationships, and competitive edge.

Master your interview before it begins. Discover how to ace the silent interview with tips from Collins Property Recruitment. Let's make first impressions count.

Some tips from a successful industry professional to help you start your real estate career

David Matthews, Managing Director of Dutch & Dutch, shares his journey, insights, and advice for those in or entering the London property and real estate industry.

Joanna Cocking, Head of Private Office at Hamptons, shares her journey, insights, and advice for those in or entering the London property and real estate industry.

How Ed built a flexible, high-earning career with Collins Property Recruitment

Adam Harvey, Co-Founder and CEO of Harkalm, shares his journey, insights, and advice for those in or entering the London property and real estate industry.

Jonathan Woods, Director at eXp UK, shares his journey, insights, and advice for those in or entering the London property and real estate industry.

Lisa Simon, Head of Residential at Carter Jonas, shares her journey, insights, and advice for those in or entering the London property and real estate industry.

Anthony Payne, CEO at LonRes, shares his journey, insights, and advice for those in or entering the London property and real estate industry.

Unlock the secrets to a winning CV for the property sector – tailor your profile, highlight successes, and stand out in a competitive market.

Sharief Ibrahim, Executive Director of CBRE, shares his journey, insights, and advice for those in or entering the London property and real estate industry.

Discover why our kids struggle with face‑to‑face conversation, what it means for communication skills and how parents, schools and employers can help rebuild confidence.