The 'Roaring Twenties' - the start of a decade of modernity for the property industry?

Today marks the end of the decade. Tomorrow morning, the ‘2010’s’ will be gone in the blink of a hungover eye and, by the time we’ve come to our senses, most of us will be back at work, heralding in a new decade - ‘the 2020’s’. I feel like starting a petition for the marketeers of ‘UK PLC’ to reignite the idea of the ‘Roaring Twenties', minus the Great Depression of course.

The history books tell us that the ‘Roaring Twenties’ were marked by a general feeling of novelty associated with modernity and a break from tradition. I sense that this could be particularly apt in the property industry in the coming years and, for me, exciting as I leave one of the largest, traditional companies for a small one, fizzing with technological innovation. An important aspect of modernity is that everything about the world (including the way we do business) is open to question.

Working at the coal face for nearly twenty years, I’d arrived at the gut feeling that traditional, high street agency has enjoyed its best days. Not doomed, just needing to be different. Sales volumes have dropped and the cost of running a London office is high, very high. That combination has placed a choke-hold on the industry and only the strongest (or fastest to innovate) will survive. To be moving back to the private rented sector, a sector which has doubled since 2002 thanks to a combination of choice and necessity from the public, to a lean, entrepreneurial, nimble, tech-savvy business is exciting.

Nine weeks of gardening leave has been an amazing privilege. Precious time with my wife and newborn baby and time to enjoy hobbies. I’ve run 100 miles, walked my Cockerpoo, played the guitar, cooked and enjoyed chatting to strangers. Alas, the garden is still a mess! However, I’m ready to get stuck in again. This coming year/decade, I’m looking forward to marching to a different beat, on new streets with some new faces (and some old too!). I start at Rentify on Thursday, based in Shoreditch and very much look forward to connecting or reconnecting with you.

Here’s to ‘The Roaring Twenties’ again. Happy New Year!