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Behind Closed Doors

Over the years I have stood on hundreds of doorsteps.

Some belonged to grand houses with sweeping drives and manicured gardens. Others were small terraces where the paint was peeling and the doorbell no longer worked. But one thing was always the same: when the door opened, you never quite knew what you were about to step into.

Most people assume estate agency is about houses. In reality it’s about people. And people, as it turns out, are endlessly surprising.

Recently I began writing down some of the more unusual moments I encountered during my years in the business. Not the sales figures or the paperwork, but the things that stay in the memory long after the deal is done.

A parrot that answered the telephone.

Bags of cash on a pub table.

A letter that should never have arrived in the morning post.

And a photograph in a quiet living room that stopped me in my tracks.

The working title for this new project is The aGent — a small nod to the profession, and perhaps to the slightly unexpected situations an estate agent sometimes finds himself in.

I’m still in the middle of writing it, but I thought it might be interesting to share a few glimpses of the journey here on the blog as the book takes shape.

After all, every good story begins with a door.

And sometimes… with a keyhole.

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