Spotlight on… Stephen Tetlow

Celebrating an impressive anniversary, Steve reflects on how the property market and estate agency have changed, how some aspects are unchanged, and what keeps him interested 45 years later…

“One thing that’s changed is that we now need much more skill in managing the sale of clients’ homes. The process of buying and selling a home has, in the main, become more complicated and protracted, so now we have to mediate and keep things on track. Also, the overall amount of transactions and the kinds of clients we deal with are much more different than how they used to be. As you might expect, clients are now much more varied and diverse.

What keeps me interested is the wide variety of properties I see, but more importantly, the people I meet along the way. I enjoy the friendships created during the selling process. To my great pride, I have acted for three generations of one family, so they consider me their ‘personal estate agent’.

In my opinion, my biggest achievement is being considered an elder statesman. My experience and expertise not only helps my clients move home, but I can also share it with colleagues to develop their skills.

In my view, the principles and reasons people choose to sell and want to buy have not changed at all. They all wish to move onwards to the next stage in their life. Knowing this compels me to help sellers and equally buyers. I still feel tremendous satisfaction when handing the keys to an excited buyer!"