This has been a mostly very difficult and uncertain period for the industry.

While a decisive general election has given agents more optimism for 2020, the last couple of years have been hard going.

But while businesses have closed completely, branches shut and jobs lost, other agents have started up and created employment – and are testimony to enterprise.

A good example is Aspire Sales and Lettings, in Oundle, Northamptonshire.

It was launched by Emily Hannan after she had to take time out of the industry.

Hannan sold her previous business in Enfield, north London, to Countrywide in 2012.

She was then placed under a restriction against trading for the next five years, during which time she became a mum and worked in other jobs.

Notably she worked at the local council in the social housing sector, inspecting private landlords’ properties, and also worked as a surveyor and EPC assessor.

Hannan then decided to take the plunge and set up her own letting agency, initially working from home before launching on the high street in the summer of 2018.

She spent several months setting up her business, paying particular attention to the website. She also risked a lot of her own money – initially £35,000 to get the business up and running, and in total £160,000.

She said that there were already four established letting agents in Oundle, but only one of them was lettings-only.

Looking at the market split, she found that most rental properties were actually handled by agents outside the town.

She said: “These agents were obviously offering services that landlords felt they could not get from the four local agents. For me, it was enough to know and understand that there was a chance for a letting agent to service landlords differently.”

She targeted 24 lettings in the first year, but managed 49, and in February 2018 expanded her business to include sales after having only ever done lettings in an 18-year career.

In the first year, Aspire sold 24 houses.

This year, the business has expanded to employ five members of staff, while the office itself has had to be extended.

Hannan says she has set out her stall as trying to be different – and this is very clear when you see her ‘windows’, both the internet and Aspire’s shop windows.

A local artist paints a ‘property of the month’ to go on the window, while currently, the artist has done a snowy Christmas scene.

Hannan said: “Our window is more than just a window to display our beautiful homes, it is our opportunity to smile to the public.

“We are in a bit of a goldfish bowl in the office and it seems that as a new estate agent we have broken down barriers and people don’t just come in to sell or rent out their homes but they stop to say hello.

“We listen to everyone and it seems to work.”