Date Published 16 October 2021
The news this week has been full of exciting new buzz words to describe the work from home revolution that swept the UK since the pandemic began.
Words, such as "radical flexible working" and "hybrid working" are bandied about, yet buzz words aside, some of us adopted such new fangled trends way before it became 'en vogue'.
Noonan being one of them.
As I write this article I am sat in my office at home. My children have just arrived in from school sending the dog into an apoplectic frenzy of barking, tail wagging and immeasurable dog happiness that only a Labrador owner knows.
I spent the morning booking viewings, writing property descriptions, answering enquiries and dealing with solicitors progressing the sales of our clients homes, all whilst putting the third load of washing on for the day.
And I'm not alone. We are all busy mums at Noonan; two job share part time, two work from home, one works just school hours and carries on at home, the other two (the partners I might add) work a mix of home and office. Our tribe love this vibe. It's not 'radical' or 'hybrid' - its called life.
We for one are glad to see the back of the days of the 'traditional high street estate agent', with a shop front displaying homes, employees with too much gel in their hair and the over powering waft of sales targets and Lynx Africa.
Today we see a much more relaxed and honest breed of agent, more relatable and real than ever before, one based on a very personal and ‘bespoke' service.
Buyers and sellers, landlords and tenants can now choose to rely on an individual who works in synergy with their values and lifestyle, matching their desire for a quality of service rarely experienced from the corporate and discount toting online estate agencies before.
Empathy and relationships have become the new currency, with communication and transparency opening doors to homes faster than a sharp suit and clipboard has ever done.
The truth is that the Covid-19 pandemic has given people an insight into a different life - one with potentially less travel, greater flexibility and a far better work-life balance for all.
People will always need to go into offices for all sorts of reasons; younger staff to learn; older to teach; to have communication, structure and human interaction.
This latter aspect was amplified last week too, at the Conservative Party Conference, with PM Boris Johnson saying: 'If young people are to learn on the job in the way that they always have and must, we will and must see people back in the office.'
So we will continue to embrace the mix of home and office. We will promote the unabashed joy of not being tied to a desk in a corporate structure.
Because being happy and relaxed in work, means more.
The result is we understand our clients situations far better, unhurriedly looking after them, giving them proper, meaningful advice they can actually use - this being the service craved above all by the modern consumer of estate agency.
Forget new and trendy. Forget hybrid and flexible.
Here's to being decent people, proud to be great in property.
