And finally please don't compare us to Estate Agents!! ;) They get 1% of something, regardless of how low they go, with us we sometimes get a % of something if anything is left! AND we have to work on Sundays!
Going off-topic I know, but as a former estate agent of 15 years before I got a 'proper job' there are very few other businesses that will spend hundreds or thousands of pounds marketing their customer's own possession, with no money up front & no guarantee that they will get any money back afterwards. A high percentage of sales fall through & many sellers just change their minds.
British agents charge the lowest fees worldwide & only usually make any money once the sale goes through - often several months or even a year or two later. Many also work Sundays & late into the evening. These days it is a very cut-throat business with loads of stress. One large firm I worked for had a staff turnover of 200% p.a. The image of Estate Agents is way out of date. There are still some underhand agents but these are usually the large firms who dont mind how the money comes in so long as it does.
I now have my own business & still work long hours, but you wouldn't drag me back to Estate Agency.
Got that off my chest - now to paraphrase an old joke:
Q:Why don't car salesmen look out of the window in the mornings?
A:Because they wouldn't have anything to do in the afternoon!