Types of Estate Agents in the UK
Overview
The population of the UK is estimated at 60,000,000 people with an area slightly smaller than the area of Oregon. Greater London is estimated to be around 7,500,000 people.
Estate Agents
The number of Estate Agents offices in England is estimated to be around 11,000. Each office tends to employ between 1 and 5 sales agents which are likely to be paid on a part salary and a part commission basis. The average office has about 50 active property listings at a time.
The top ten estate agency chains own 27 per cent of the estimated total estate agency offices in the country. In addition to the larger estate agency chains, there are many small independent estate agents who operate in local areas and own only a few offices or a single estate agency office. A growing trend is for smaller estate agents, while remaining independent, to belong to affinity groups with other independent estate agents. This enables their properties to be marketed not only through their own offices but also through those of the other group members. The top 8 affinity groups make up 37 per cent of estimated total estate agency branches in the country. The remaining 36 per cent of the market is composed of completely independent Agent offices.
