The eagerly anticipated Under Offer: Estate Agents on the Job programme screened last night.
It was half fly on the wall and half mystery: the mystery being, what on earth persuaded Gary Hersham it was a good idea to appear in it?
Who might have told agent-to-the-rich Hersham (Beauchamp Estates) that he has the perfect face for television? And what do you think their motive might have been?
Suspects are not hard to find. Could it have been the much put-upon office assistant Ernesto finally getting his revenge after eight years of downtrodden suffering?
Or Kuki, the loyal driver (how many agents get driven to viewings by chauffeur?) whose waterworks may have been permanently damaged by the job: “Going to the little boys’ room is difficult,” Kuki confided to the camera. “You have to hold because Gary could come out at any minute.”
Perhaps, however, Hersham himself – described in the Radio Times as a “grandiose creep” although documentary gold – thought it was a good idea to appear on the grounds that it might convey his essential humanity.
Hmm, we’ll just park that thought.
Elsewhere, Lewis Rossiter, 30, branch manager at Bradley’s in Exeter, looked at the start as though he might get the ‘prat of the series’ award.
In fact, you warmed to him as he dropped his David Brent persona and worked his socks off to get a house sold within a tight deadline – and showed he really cared.
The lovely Lynne Blaney, of Robinsons in Spennymoor, County Durham, was another hard worker. She has to be, with a third of properties on her stock being repossessions.
She was stumped by a property on her books for four years that had had five viewings, and pulled out some marketing tricks. Unfortunately, these did not include de-cluttering, and on checking, the property is still, as they say, available.
Dave Simms in Birmingham was probably the agent most of us could relate to: experienced and down to earth, plus we were spared the sight of him cleaning his teeth (Rossiter).
So, what have we to look forward to next week? Well, Ed Mead popped up at the last moment, which is a clue.
As for the estate agency community beyond the box, what did they make of it? The EYE television critic panel delivered its verdict as the credits rolled.
Mark Hayward, managing director of the NAEA, said it was an interesting snapshot.
“Seeing estate agents in action was certainly enjoyable and I would commend the programme makers on providing an insight into the hugely diverse world of estate agency.
“The hour may not have been an entirely accurate representation of the whole industry, but I hope it is taken in the spirit in which it was made. The industry is made up of many characters and this show can naturally only portray a small selection.
“So much of the business of estate agency is by necessity less camera friendly and much of the essential behind the scenes day to day hard work associated with the sale of property, whilst absolutely essential, is never properly portrayed.
“I must say I am looking forward to the rest of the series with hope rather than trepidation.”
Trevor Kent said: “Frankly it could have been worse, a lot worse. My considerable experience of TV and our honourable profession prepared me for the worst, but I needn’t have worried. OK, Exeter’s Lewis was a bit mouthy but he got the deal.
“I loved Lynne in County Durham. She seemed a delightful lady – Beauchamp should give her a job. Mind you, one of her areas was ‘Byers Green’ – looking at some of her stock, they’d need to be.
“Finally, Dave Simms in Birmingham: what a lot of sense he talked, what a delightful manner on viewings, and how I agreed with his ‘in the property market, life is never Kirstie Allsopp’!
“All in all, if the next five episodes are as even-handed, I think we will have got off lightly.”
Andrew Bulmer, UK residential director at the RICS, said: “A lighthearted watch and thankfully not a hatchet job on an industry that wrestles not with properties so much as with people’s hopes, dreams and expectations.
“A pity there was little useful guidance on how to sort the good agents from the rogues, nor mention of the laws and regulations agents now have to work with. Overall though, an agreeable if unremarkable way to spend an hour of a Wednesday evening.”
Jan Hytch, NAEA President, said: “As we followed the first few frames of Lewis Rossiter, the self-styled ‘David Brent’, car-karaoke extraordinaire manager of Bradleys in Exeter, by the end of the programme we could see why, in the vast majority of transactions, the energy, enthusiasm and personal involvement of real people could never be substituted by interactive computer technology alone.
“Rossiter’s client – with a ten week window to sell or lose the new home she’d reserved, and with it her deposit – believed that he was the only man for the job, and that no-one would have tried harder or understood more what it meant to her to secure her dream house for her family.
“Love or loathe the character he was portrayed to be, he made it happen for her, doing the viewings and running an open house event for her, that he even dreamt about the night before!
“He got the deal over the line for her in time (just), even despite the first buyer pulling out and having to find a substitute buyer. And those of us who do this day in, day out for a living, know that only a fraction of what goes on to get a deal like that through these days, especially in that timescale, could be shown in such a programme.
“I hope the rest of the series continues to develop with less attention devoted to the obvious caricatures that documentary makers delight in seeking out to fulfil pre-conceived stereotypes, and to focus more on the realities of the vast amount of hard work that goes on behind the scenes by most ordinary high street estate agents.
“Hard work which hardly anyone – including the agents themselves – ever really shouts about.”
Its a shame the Birmingham agent didn't make it clearer why he had to swap buyers as he made out he didn't care about the older couple when they lost their purchase to start with.
You must be logged in to like or dislike this comments.
Click to login
Don't have an account? Click here to register
Gary Hersham… tidy desk = tidy mind!
You must be logged in to like or dislike this comments.
Click to login
Don't have an account? Click here to register
The first 'fly on the wall' about Estate Agents to paint a fair picture of what we actually do and for that reason, I wonder if it will be a success? The truth is rarely at the top of the list for this sort of series and I expect the knives will come out later in the series– I hope I'm wrong . I thought the characters were great and whilst I initially thought Lewis was going to be a bit of a prat, he was actually a star. Lynne and Dave were equally strong but Gary, why oh why did he agree to do this? He is without doubt a successful agent but I fear his overbearing sense of self importance has let him down badly.
You must be logged in to like or dislike this comments.
Click to login
Don't have an account? Click here to register
"I thought the characters were great"
That's why I can't abide shows that try and show the "real face of agency"
The fact is "the real face of agency" for most of us would be boring (like most sales jobs) Why do we have to watch hand picked twits who want to massage their egos and become famous to the detriment of the rest of us.
We are not "Ice road truckers" so leave the tv to Phil Spencer.
You must be logged in to like or dislike this comments.
Click to login
Don't have an account? Click here to register
wilko – "We are not "Ice road truckers" so leave the tv to Phil Spencer."
NEARLY "comment of the week", matey. Deffo had coffee spurting from every orifice on my face to that – EXCEPT the bit about the Spencer chap.
TV would be a better place without the likes, in my opinion.
You must be logged in to like or dislike this comments.
Click to login
Don't have an account? Click here to register
Agreed, but at least he seems to have been accepted by the British audience and is fairly harmless…just watch how "under offer" will morph into a TOWIE , GEORDIE SHORE, or MADE IN CHELSEA type series and make the industry look like a joke.
You must be logged in to like or dislike this comments.
Click to login
Don't have an account? Click here to register
Morning all, to the point above, I did explain, it just wasn't shown. Also once their buyer came back they also proceeded again. They record hours upon hours of footage and I guess they can't cut it into a 5 minute segment. 3 days a week for about 4 months. I have seen some of the other episodes and they don't disappoint. David Simms, Alex Smith & Co.
You must be logged in to like or dislike this comments.
Click to login
Don't have an account? Click here to register
David
Nice to see you here on Eye, and I'm looking forward to watching more episodes.
Apologies for spelling your name incorrectly earlier: it was late last night when I wrote the story and Eye's sub-editor was dining in the Long Room at Lord's. How the other half lives!
Rosalind
You must be logged in to like or dislike this comments.
Click to login
Don't have an account? Click here to register
Mr Simms
I enjoyed your contribution to the show. Well done.
You must be logged in to like or dislike this comments.
Click to login
Don't have an account? Click here to register
Looking forward to seeing the show when I fly back into the country next week. Been off selling sand to the Arabs – a bit like UK estate agency during the recession! Anyone remember those bad old days now?
You must be logged in to like or dislike this comments.
Click to login
Don't have an account? Click here to register