Straight talking isn't an attribute that's normally his colleagues that when selling property they should act only for the vendor and not be swayed by the promise of follow-on sales. Judging by the thunderous applause from the audience, it's an issue that is particularly relevant at the moment, when a dog-eats-dog element has crept into the estate agency business. We think this is most evident in the area of the sale of land for new homes developments. Such is the scarcity of housing sites around Dublin that the agent selling any parcel of land very often offers it around quietly to a chosen list of house builders before it goes on the market publicly. In some cases, the site may never come on the open market, although often this suits vendors very well, particularly religious orders who don't want to draw attention to huge value of their property.

This tactic often ensures the agent is appointed sales agent for new houses built on the land. Nothing wrong with that - except some of the smaller house builders complain they are constantly left out of the loop. Some agents also feel that they don't get a chance to pitch for the new homes business.