Estate agents look at ‘image’

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33959, 27 September 1975, Page 9

Estate agents look at ‘image’

Real estate agents could no longer afford to take a narrow view of their function and expect everyone else to leave them alone, the president of the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (Mr R. B. Lugton) told the annual conference in Christchurch. The industry must improve its communications with the Government and the general public. Many people had unfavourable impressions of the profession. Those impressions had to be corrected. Mr Lugton said, “because these attitudes soon, find their way into political thinking and are reflected in Government action.”

; Community pressures were! i beginning to force all types' ■ of businesses to justify their! existence in terms of their! contribution to society. i “In a sense we wore ; : blinkers,” Mr Lugton said of! the industry’s narrow view of! . its function. He noted more State involvement in real estate. There were reports that the Housing Corporation was likely to spend a record s32m lin land transactions this year, 10 times its 1972-73 ' spending. ■ There were also reports; [ that the corporation might! become involved in land deals in areas previously the ' preserve of private enterprise. “There is no cause for panic, or for wild outbursts l in the news media,” Mr i Lugton said, “but it does , mean we as an institute have b to plan a completely different ' approach to safeguard ourj t continuing role in the years' ahead.”