One of UK’s top agents joins ‘self employed’ hybrid agency

Mark Bentley, the immediate past president of the National Association of Estate Agents, has become the highest profile agent yet to join the new eXp UK brand, which formally launches this week.

eXp UK is an agency brand with roots in the US but working as an independent operation in the United Kingdom led by Adam Day, a veteran of three online estate agencies. 

An announcement about the agency was made in June but formal recruitment only began six weeks ago. 

Day says “dozens” of agents have responded to his posts on social media; he expects many more to sign up after a formal launch in London on Friday and a series of ‘discovery events’ in the next few days.

Mark Bentley’s support is a key development for the fledgling brand. Early next year he will operate his own firm called Mark Bentley Ltd powered by eXp UK.

“I was also impressed that only people with good estate agency experience are allowed to join eXp UK and that they must adhere to the NAEA Propertymark and The Property Ombudsman Code of Practice. As part of my involvement in the business, I will certainly be encouraging those agents joining eXp UK, to become members of NAEA Propertymark” says Bentley.

“I’m really looking forward to working with Adam and all the other agents around the country, and I’d encourage agents who are perhaps watching from afar, to get in touch and find out how eXp works” he adds.

Day himself comments: “As you can imagine, Mark had a number of opportunities from various other estate agency businesses, having been the past president of the NAEA, so to have joined us at such an early stage of our business, shows that we’ve been putting the right foundations in place. 

“I think if any agent out there has been watching and wondering whether eXp is the right sort of business model to be getting involved with, then you only have to see someone of Mark’s calibre joining, for affirmation that this model can be successful. It adds huge credibility to our business which, in my opinion, is the next evolution of self-employed estate agency where agents can actually create an acceptable work-life balance, as well as earn decent money in return for the work that they do.”

Another named who has signed up too eXp UK as a self-employed agent is Ian Dobrin, who previously had his own estate agency business and more recently was the recruitment director at Connells Group.

The eXp discovery events will see Day and many of his new recruits, including Mark Bentley, visiting Leeds tomorrow, Birmingham on Wednesday and Bristol on Thursday, as well as the official launch party in London on Friday.

“There are still a few spaces at each of the events, so we’d love for agents to come along and check it out, even if they just want to see what the competition is up to” says Day. 

You can book tickets for Leeds here, Birmingham tickets here and Bristol tickets here.

You can see details of the free London launch party here.