It’s been a whole decade since Jessica Gray’s mother suggested she followed in her footsteps and became an estate agent.
Despite not being able to drive at the time, Jessica applied for an estate agent apprentice role, wowed the interview panel, bagged the job and quickly worked her way up the ranks. She was hired as a full-time employee within just six months and three years later was promoted to branch manager. This month, and now sales manager for Belvoir in Northamptonshire, she celebrated 10 years in estate agency.
Jessica, who is a lynchpin to the Belvoir team, runs the sales side of the agency across three branches – Corby, Kettering and Coventry, and since she started working at the George Street, Corby, office in December 2020, the business has grown by 146%.
Jessica said:
“I believe that in this industry we change people’s lives for the better. I love the excitement of a first-time buyer or helping a family to upsize and change their quality of life. It is important to me that I have an impact on somebody that could result in long-lasting change for the future.”
Before becoming an estate agent, Jessica worked as a waitress and in customer service roles, but in her early twenties decided she wanted a change of direction. Her first step into the industry was the apprenticeship at a well-known estate agency in Market Harborough and she earned her stripes with great gusto.
Jessica said:
“Early in my career, we had a high-end builder come into the area and build six executive homes worth £600,000 each. We were struggling to sell them because he was an unknown builder in the area.
“So, I asked him to finish one for me and turn it into a show home. I then organised an Open House which gathered more than 25 viewers and we sold all six properties at the event, amounting to over £3m worth of property sold in one day! It is still one of my biggest achievements.”
Jessica was later headhunted to work at another estate agency in Corby but when the pandemic hit, she decided to take a three- month break from the industry before joining the Belvoir team.
“Coming to Belvoir was quite an achievement for me too,” said Jessica.
“I was worried about coming back into the industry and making the right decision. But I’ve felt so settled here and I’ve achieved a lot in the last two years. It’s great to be able to have such a large impact on one brand in such a short space of time.”
It hasn’t all been smooth sailing. The pandemic and changes in the housing market have presented numerous challenges for Jessica and the Belvoir team, who celebrated Jessica’s 10-year milestone with an office party, flowers and her favourite Scotch pie.
Now Jessica is looking ahead to the future, in which, as well as driving the business forward, she hopes to continue with her charity work and invest in property herself.
Belvoir Corby managing director Bobby Singh Braich said:
“Jessica is a huge asset to Belvoir and we are delighted to see her reach a decade in an industry in which she thrives. We look forward to seeing how her career reaches even greater heights in the next 10 years.”
For more information on Belvoir, visit www.belvoir.co.uk/offices/corby/ or call 01536 261666.
