Estate agency relies on one thing above all else: people. Whether they’re negotiating offers, navigating tenancy renewals, calming stressed landlords, or chasing contractors who insist they’re “just parking up”… your team is the heartbeat of the business.
So, keeping them motivated matters. The good news? You don’t need huge budgets, flashy perks, or a motivational speaker who costs more than your office rent.
Here’s how to incentivise your estate agency team in real, meaningful, low-cost ways.
Celebrate the Small Wins…
Cliche? Yes. Effective? Also, yes.
Whether someone’s just agreed a tricky sale, booked five valuations before lunch, or diffused a tenant meltdown with an impressive level of calm – acknowledge it.
Sales, Lettings and Property Management can all feel like firefighting at times. A bit of recognition cuts through the chaos.
Easy, free ways:
- “Deal of the Day” shout-outs
- Sharing positive landlord or vendor feedback via a companywide-email or a feedback notice board for all to see!
- Celebrating when someone finally gets that sale over the line after 12 weeks of chasing
Recognition feels good for all.
Give People Ownership…
Everyone in estate agency thrives when they feel trusted:
- Sales negotiators want autonomy with their pipeline
- Lettings teams want to run viewings and deals confidently
- PMs want control over their portfolios without someone breathing down their neck
Let them run with things. Let them lead projects. Let them bring ideas. Scrap any micromanagement.
What this could look like:
- Lettings champion for compliance or renewals
- Sales lead for community events or referral schemes
- PMs leading improvements to maintenance processes
Ownership builds pride and pride builds performance.
Encourage Development
Your team don’t need a luxury conference at The Hilton to feel developed. Often, they just want to learn something new that actually helps them in the day-to-day.
Affordable ways to do this:
- Monthly internal training sessions – sales techniques, objection handling, negotiation skills… ask them what they want!
- Shadowing opportunities across departments. For instance, sales & lettings learning from PMs and vice versa. Also, how future proof is that if everyone can do each other’s jobs?!
- Make time to attend free ARLA or industry webinars
- Sharing articles or videos that sharpen skills
Growth doesn’t have to be grand, it just has to exist.
Make Feedback a Two-Way Street
Estate agency can be emotionally demanding, fast-paced and exhausting. If people don’t feel heard, they burn out quickly.
Create simple, safe feedback loops:
- Quick monthly check-ins
- Anonymous suggestions
- Letting staff raise frustrations without fear
People stay where they feel listened to, not dismissed.
Offer Genuine Flexibility
Yes, this is a tricky one in estate agency… but flexibility doesn’t always mean working from home.
Small-but-powerful options:
- Shifting hours for personal commitments
- Quiet admin mornings for PMs to catch up without chaos
- Allowing negotiators time blocked out for pipeline calls without interruption
- Offering the odd WFH admin day where appropriate
Flexibility shows you trust people and trust is motivating.
Celebrate More Than Just the Numbers
Sales and Lettings often revolve around targets. Property Management revolves around problems.
But some of the best wins aren’t measurable.
Recognise things like:
- A viewing that didn’t convert, but the feedback was amazing
- A PM preventing a complaint before it hit your inbox
- A negotiator who handled a difficult applicant with grace
- A team member supporting someone else through a busy day
These moments matter just as much as the KPIs.
Make Work Fun
Culture is your secret weapon. People stay for a great team even when the market is tough.
Low-cost, non-cringe culture boosters:
- Monthly breakfast or coffee catch-ups
- Team voted silly monthly awards (Fastest Valuation Booker, Calmest PM During Chaos, Move In Master)
- Friday afternoon debriefs that aren’t just “How many calls?”
- Friendly inter-team competitions
A nice working environment beats a fancy perk every single time.
Show Them the Bigger Picture
In estate agency, people can get stuck in the tunnel vision of their own role:
- Sales obsess over pipelines
- Lettings obsess over renewals and voids
- PMs obsess over maintenance and compliance
Show them how everything connects:
- How good service boosts referrals
- How strong PM relationships retain landlords
- How teamwork increases lifetime client value
- Why their targets are what they are
When people understand the bigger impact, their motivation shifts naturally.
Encourage Peer Appreciation
Sometimes praise from a colleague means more than anything from a manager.
Try:
- “Teammate of the Month”
- A board where colleagues write little thank-yous
- Sharing shout-outs at weekly meetings
It makes people feel valued and connected.
Motivating your estate agency team doesn’t require huge spends, golden handcuffs, or the type of perks you see on Selling Sunset.
People want:
- To be recognised
- To be trusted
- To grow
- To be heard
- To feel part of something
If you can create that environment -consistently, genuinely, and with a bit of humour – you’ll build a team that performs at a high level and actually wants to stick around.
And the best bit?
Most of this is completely free.
