This is one of the most delightful “day in the life of an estate agent” pieces we have read in a paper.

If you are asked to do one, you might find some inspiration from the column by Sam Cooke, of Cooke Curtis & Co in Cambridge. It really is an effortless masterclass in how to come across to the public as the agent you really would want acting for you.

By no means the usual mixture of self-promotion and unlikely stories, Cooke’s working day diary combines warmth and a great sense of humour, and gives a taste of both his personal and professional life.

The day starts, as you might expect, with negotiation.

It is, however, negotiation with a nine-year-old wanting to go to school in her shorts rather than uniform.

He decides against cycling to a viewing and drives instead. His car gets stuck in traffic and he arrives two minutes late. The viewers, naturally, arrive on bikes, having ridden two miles further than Cooke drove.

He agrees to viewings after 6pm, before remembering that Mrs Cooke has to be at a PTA meeting that night: “Apparently she told me twice last week.”

After missing lunch and a long afternoon that predictably stretches into the evening, he arrives home to the “aforementioned scolding”.

It’s lovely stuff. Cooke manages to convey how much he loves his job and the patch where he works – admitting how much he likes the personal engagement with clients and being a part of big changes in their lives.

He adds: “It’s also equally not nice when it’s more negative reasons for moving – the end of relationships, financial difficulties, deaths…

“I sometimes think I might be a bit too sensitive to be an estate agent.”

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