The article fails to mention that the median pay for a UK real estate agent is ~£40,000/year, while the average is much lower than that. Which means that only a minority of agents are actually successful. So, if you are interested in working with an agent to sell your property or to find a property to purchase, do some research and choose an agent who has a track record of consistently closing transactions in the area that you are focused on - not choosing a friend or family member who maybe has sold 2 houses a year, or who tries to leverage that personal friendship or blood relation to guilt you into hiring them to be your agent.