Interview with Emma Hopkinson – Battersea’s Lettings Manager extraordinaire...

Emma Hopkinson never planned to be an estate agent. But now she’s hooked! We spoke to her about the industry and why she loves working for Eden Harper...

What do you like best about your job?

I really enjoy the variety of properties and the wide range of people I deal with on a day to day basis. No two days are the same - which makes this job really interesting. I work with a team of great people and we all pitch in and help each other out. Even after being in the industry for a number of years, I still find situations which challenge and surprise me. From working with my team to thinking outside the box in order to let a challenging property, to liaising with property management to find solutions to problems – there’s never a dull moment! A great sense of team morale in the office really helps me enjoy work even on days when things get a bit tough. Another perk of the job is the reaction from clients I get when we’ve done a great job in securing them the best tenants for their property.

How did you get into being an estate agent?

I think like a lot of people in the industry, it happened by chance. But once I had started working in property I was hooked. There are very few careers which provide such variety and opportunities and it would be impossible for me to go to a bog-standard 9-5 job after my experience at Eden Harper. I love the fact that success is directly linked to the effort and desire to succeed and you certainly reap what you sow! I’m quite a determined person, so I see this job as a daily challenge and want to do better each day and the rewards of having this attitude are amazing.

What’s special about working in Battersea?

Battersea is such an exciting place at the moment with the regeneration of Nine Elms and the Power Station development. It’s not just the Power Station itself but the buzz it is creating in the area is amazing. Not only are we seeing a completely different type of market to previous years but the interest in the area means that it is impossible to predict what is going to happen from one week to the next. While this can be slightly nerve-wracking, it also creates such a great feeling of anticipation as to what will happen next. For the first time, Battersea is the go-to area to live in and the taboo of crossing south of the river is long gone - in fact there is a queue of people lining up to get involved in the community here.

What makes you good at being a Lettings Manager?

I think this is probably a question for my team! I’m a very calm person which is key when working in a fast-paced environment. Even if a negotiator panics, I’m really good at putting things in perspective. I’m also democratic, I like the team to (at least think - chuckle) that they have an opinion and their input is important. We spend more time with our colleagues than with anyone else, so it’s important that there is a light hearted yet motivated atmosphere among the team. Normally if the team are laughing it’s at me (not with me I might add). On a more serious note, I have pretty good legal and industry knowledge so can generally be counted on to provide an answer - even to the most random of questions.

What’s your proudest moment working for EH?

I have done so many things here which I am proud of. They range from personal achievements, to helping a member of my team achieve a goal etc. This makes it impossible to choose just one thing. I’m a really big believer that every little milestone is important and contributes to the bigger picture so I would say that I have had many great moments here.

What are your goals for 2014?

My priority is to drive the team forward and to make this year better than 2013. Realistically, I just want to keep providing our clients with the high level of personal service that keeps them coming back year after year.

Funniest moment at EH?

Ironically, my funniest moment happened this morning. One of our property managers discovered a rather large spider lurking on the stairs. There was a lot of screaming, laughing and at one point five girls poking the spider with an umbrella - although I’m not sure what they thought that may achieve. Luckily our property manager, Claire, took control of the situation. It was very funny though - where were the big strong directors when we needed them...

For more information about lettings, you can call Emma on 020 3514 4137.