The age of opportunity: Who will win & lose in estate agency's new era?
Technology has transformed the industry in many ways, but good old-fashioned agency has been thrown out with the bath water, writes buying agent Sophia Wade.
Sophie Wade is Managing Director of property search agency Inspired Spaces. In 1998 Sophia started work at Sullivan Thomas, Fulham, (now Carter Jonas), before moving to Hamptons International, at their prestigious High Street Kensington office. She remained with Hamptons until she decided to set up her search agency in 2003 (formerly Sophia Wade Property Services). In 2019, Sophia turned her hand to commercial lettings, building another successful business. However, her real passion still laid with residential property. In 2021, she sold out to her former business partner to focus solely on her real passion buying incredible property on behalf of clients.
What to read next
Rise of the Broker: How the business of prime London agency has changed since 2000
Alexandra Goss charts the changing face of luxury property agency over the last 25 years, from the mainstreaming of buying agents & the introduction of private offices, to the rise of independent brokers.
From strategic hires to the rise of self-employed agents: Andrew Deverell-Smith on the real estate recruitment trends to watch
Is it time to hunker down or level up? Recruitment guru explains how top property firms are taking different approaches to challenging market conditions.
International Women’s Day 2023: Wisdom & career advice from inspirational real estate leaders
'I feel that being a woman in property is a super-power'
Most read
Super-prime broker Fatemi reports £700mn deal run
£100mn-plus sale among standout transactions as UK Sotheby's exec flags changing UHNW property tastes.
Industry Panel: How 15 prime resi leaders would redesign England’s property tax system
Exclusive PrimeResi survey finds most respondents favour shifting the tax burden away from transactions and towards property ownership - but opinion is split over abolishing SDLT altogether.
By PrimeResi
UK Sotheby’s adds new directors covering PCL & West London
Luxury brokerage extends recruitment drive across prime postcodes with brace of sales appointments.
‘Buyers today have more choice than ever before’: Savills global resi chief on the battle for international wealth
Interview: Victoria Garrett discusses London’s place on the world stage, Dubai’s next phase, the impact of tax & geopolitics, and how developers are catering to an increasingly discerning clientele.
How super-prime apartments played a key role in London’s £1bn Peninsula
HSH’s accounts reveal just how important the luxury resi element became to the landmark Hyde Park Corner project.
New homes specialist returns to Savills
Resi development sales consultant rejoins after three years with other agencies.
By PrimeResi
London’s property bubble has well and truly deflated, says UBS
UK capital sinks into low-risk territory a decade after topping global property danger list.
In Pictures: Inside Christian Bense’s new Park Hyatt show homes
South African designer kicks off series of interiors collaborations at new high-rise addition to London’s luxury branded resi scene.
Historic Yorkshire estate hits open market at £25k per month
Agency says it’s one of the first times a country estate of this calibre has been marketed in this way.
Investor snaps up nine Notting Hill flats in £11mn bulk deal
Agents flag renewed appetite for bulk resi acquisitions from overseas investors as prime London rents climb.
By PrimeResi
LATEST ARTICLES
Industry Reactions: Mortgage approvals drop to lowest level since 2023
Fresh Bank of England data suggests home-buying activity is slow and slowing.
By PrimeResi
Alexander Main brings in senior hire for big lettings push
Former Domus Nova & Foxtons operator joins line-up to lead ambitious two-year-old agency’s new division.
Where did the Knightsbridge buyer go? James Moran on PCL’s shifting geography
Middleton Advisors' London sales boss explores the changing fortunes of one of the capital’s most famous enclaves - and where today’s moneyed purchasers have been turning their attention.
By James Moran
‘Rural landlords are faced with a double whammy’: Research flags huge EPC upgrade premium for country homes
Countryside properties cost substantially more to bring up to EPC C than urban homes, according to an analysis of more than three million certificates.
By PrimeResi
New chapter for historic West End publishing HQ
Resi developer used the Bloomsbury building's former occupants as 'a distinctive starting point for the project.'