Estate agents and any dress code

But more often than not the two go together. If people look professional, they work in a professional manner - and the reverse. Of course there are always the exceptions to the rules, but overall, professional dress and professional efficiency go together
I’d like to agree with you @Monica but look at those half wits who apply to be on The Apprentice.
Sharp suits, bodycon dresses, vertiginous heels and IQs of the average domestic mutt. (Unkind to dogs)
Just looking the business does not mean doing the business.

I agree with making an effort to look professional and appropriately dressed for work, whatever your role. Having said that, with many different looks and styles available to women to choose from, I hope I'd always be understanding towards people who don't get it quite right all the time. A pleasant, professional manner is just as important I think.

I agree.

Cossy

Personally, I don’t care how ANYONE dresses. I care about their attitude, their work ethic and their skills and knowledge. I think that’s far more important than how one dresses. Anyone can LOOK professional, but can they act it, be professional and know their stuff?

But more often than not the two go together. If people look professional, they work in a professional manner - and the reverse. Of course there are always the exceptions to the rules, but overall, professional dress and professional efficiency go together.

I do not think women should feel pressured to wear any specific style of clothes, but I think, just like men they need to bear in mind their working environment when choosing what to wear and how to wear it.

When I worked in an engineering company in a male environment, I dressed in a manner that made it clear that I was professionally at the same level as the men around me. This meant, 30 years ago, wearing suits and tailored clothes. However I never tried to sink into the background and wore suits and accessories in the vibrant colours I always wear. A balance needs to be struck between being yourself and, in a work environment, dressing appropriately.

Was she wearing expensively creased linen. No I do not think so. When I described her as looking as if she had just got out of bed, I meant just that, she looked more crumpled than creased,

I didn’t wear linen for work because it would have looked like an old rag before I arrived at the office. A professional woman should get it right . She’s always in competition with men in a decent suit and polished shoes. Many things in life are much easier for men and in my experience women have to make a greater effort in every way.

Were the "loose, creased, shapeless dress" and wrap linen by any chance? They say linen "creases in an expensive way" but perhaps you didn't appreciate that. I agree with you that male estate agents are usually sharply dressed in business suits. Women seem to have more choice when it comes to work clothes. It's not always easy to get it right IMO.
I don't personally believe women should feel pressured to wear makeup for work.

Before I even see an estate agent, I look at their Rightmove etc. blurbs. Basic mistakes to me indicate a generally sloppy attitude, and I’ll choose another.

Talking of teachers' attire, when I took over a school in 1990s, (from a male Headteacher), the staff asked me if they could start wearing trousers. I said no, because I was worried they might end up looking scruffy. Roll on 10 years or so and I relented, as smart dark trousers became very fashionable and stylish. Things move on.

Trouble is, before they start working for you all you have to judge by is their appearance. If I hadn’t looked the part I couldn’t have expected new clients to place their instructions with me. If you were going to spend many millions of pounds on a development site and then millions more carrying out building works, would you be happy if I turned up to meet you looking like an unkempt hippy, whereas the men competing with me would have been wearing sharp suits?

Personally, I don’t care how ANYONE dresses. I care about their attitude, their work ethic and their skills and knowledge. I think that’s far more important than how one dresses. Anyone can LOOK professional, but can they act it, be professional and know their stuff?

Judy54

Never judge a book by its cover. When our neighbours house was up for sale a very smartly dressed estate agent arrived and upon seeing Mr J doing some work in our garden asked him if he was the gardener. No Mr J does not normally do the gardening in a suit and tie!

The mother of our buyer turned up unexpectedly and asked my husband if he was the builder. No, he was just clearing out the garage.

Baggs

*not an agency he would want to buy a house from*

What a peculiar way to judge whether a house is suitable for your needs.

We weren't doing that. He was concerned that any negotiations or arrangements we had with such a company as part of a buying process, might be as sloppily conducted as their representative presented and behaved.

As it was the house was unsuitable and we also decided that the town was unsuitable for reasons quite unassociated with the estate agent.

Never judge a book by its cover. When our neighbours house was up for sale a very smartly dressed estate agent arrived and upon seeing Mr J doing some work in our garden asked him if he was the gardener. No Mr J does not normally do the gardening in a suit and tie!

Baggs

*not an agency he would want to buy a house from*

What a peculiar way to judge whether a house is suitable for your needs.

I agree this is a silly attitude. Estate agents compete in a market with others for your custom. It is a personal choice which one you choose, and we all make personal choices based on subjective opinions.
In the end you are buying a house, not person.

not an agency he would want to buy a house from

What a peculiar way to judge whether a house is suitable for your needs.

untidy pre-raphaelite hairdo (long hair and tight curling, no make up and a pale uninteresting face.

Tut tut. How shocking, especially the having a pale uninteresting face. Shouldn't be allowed.

I wonder if any of the men would be judged to have pale and uninteresting faces if they hadn't been "polished" enough.

I had no objection to her style of clothes, but she looked scruffy and untidy, which also showed through in a rather offhand manner showing us round the house, as DH said, not an agency he would want to buy a house from.

I think there is a balance to be struck between being free to do as you please, and remembering in a situation like this that you are providing a service to the public and need to take your customers requirements into account.

Sad if a pale and uninteresting face disqualifies anybody from doing their job!
She can’t help her face anymore than any of us.
The rest is a question of taste , clearly her clothes were not to yours.

I described her face as pale and uninteresting because it was. I actually found it disconcerting. If the agent had been a scruffily dressed man I would have said the same. Except that none of the male estate agents we have dealt with have been scruffy.

As I made clear, I do not have fixed idea that people should be dressed or look a specific way, but as GSM has said; A sloppy appearance makes one wonder if the standard of service is equally sloppy.

In fact DH, who didn't notice specifically, how the agent was dressed, commented afterwards that he was not impressed by that specific estate agency (the company). Essentially he got the same message I got.

I have found the estate agents we have employed good and effiicient. To begin with they preferred to show people around the house themselves and we went out but, after they couldn't show someone round, and they asked me to do it and they have been happy ever since for me to show viewers round our house. So presumably I met their high standards.

The Estate Agent is just a facilitator as far as I'm concerned, I've never noticed any either male or female employees that I would have deemed scruffy.

The agents that sold our last house annoyed me on two counts, nothing to do with their clothes. Firstly I had to get them to rewrite the spec several times. It occurred to me I should have done it myself and got them to copy what I'd written, "but then again what am I paying them for" thought I at the time. . They left out some salient facts which I wanted included, such as state infant, junior and senior school a mere five minute walk away, similarly the same for the station, 30 minute journey to London, nearby very largish town a 15 minute walk with great shops including John Lewis, Marks, riverside restaurants. Lovely local high street 20 minutes walk, or 5 minute drive, nearby Royal Park. It's as if they assumed every prospective purchaser was local and would know all that, which of course that's often not the case and "please can you take some photos of the communal grounds that lead down to the Thames" which they hummed and hahed about, "we only take 7 photos, we find those are enough" was their standard riposte. Then without notifying us they also advertised our house with their sister company which specialised in homes with river settings. We didn't even know they were an associated company, we just saw our house on Right Move with, what we thought at the time, was a separate agency whom we hadn't instructed. In the end, they achieved the asking price but not without a kick up the proverbial.

As for the house we bought the vendors showed us around, in our previous neck of the woods, the estate agents want their sellers to disappear somewhere. The vendor gave us some invaluable information such as the local GP Village Health Centre were somewhat under subscribed.

Interesting topic . Yes the males are always smartly dressed compared to the females . And I agree a smart appearance inspires confidence.
Working in Dentistry I always wore a uniform ,and was taught to have clean hair and nails, minimal makeup and no jewellery . But when I visit a hospital I’m stunned at how scruffy many clinical staff are. And don’t get me started on staff wearing their uniforms outside of the hospital grounds !!!

I’m all for people who claim to be professionals dressing like professionals and not as if they are on a beach or cutting their grass. In an attempt to kick against bowler hats and umbrellas too many men opt for what they consider “smart casual”
Sadly in the UK the concept of “smart casual”:can be a mystery.

Young male estate agents trying to look “smart” have also been known to have a reputation for wearing white socks with their unfamiliar (often shiny) suits (“Suits YOU sir?)
So much so my friend named her (female) cat Wayne because she had white socks.

Ww have had a lot to do with estate agents over the years and I have to say this is not my experience. Sharp suits and stilettos seem to have been the norm. However, I suppose the important thing is can she do the job for you. I have no problems with BoHo if the work gets done. I have to say I am slightly disturbed by this judgemental OP especially the 'pale uninteresting face'. We can't all be stunners and she might be ill if she is pale. Cut her some slack - we don't know what's going on in other peoples' lives.

Hmmm 🤔 I’m not sure that women (in particular) should be voicing criticism towards another woman because she had a pale and uninteresting face ……whatever her occupation was.