Sarah Williams

Job: Office agent
Firm: Lambert Smith Hampton
Area of work: agency
Qualifications: Cardiff, BSc geography and planning; UCE, MSc real estate management

Several family friends worked in property as I was growing up – their work and lifestyle really appealed to me. After my first degree, I decided to take an MSc to gain specialist knowledge in real estate. I had three months’ work experience at my current employers, which inspired me to apply there again when I was looking for a full-time job.

Gaining confidence

My role is to sell and let office accommodation, which involves marketing property and negotiating deals on behalf of clients. I go on about three to five viewings each week and attend various launches organised by other agents. Our wide range of properties attracts many different types of occupiers and I have lots of properties on the go at any one time.

I have found my employers very helpful as a graduate: I have been given a lot of independence but there is always a network of support available if I run into problems.

Overcoming obstacles

We had a particularly challenging office property sale – there was hardly any interest in it and even after trying to auction it, we had no success. We managed to secure a buyer soon after the auction and were also able to introduce tenants to the new purchaser as well – resulting in a double fee.