‘There is no end to the love story. Just a turn of the page and a new chapter’

EDITOR’S COMMENT Not so long ago this issue of EG was set to be the last. The last ever, in fact – a grammatical no-go that I’ll let go just this once.

As we – and you – got our heads around that, the team at EG went into full planning mode and started preparing to give you a legacy issue. A final issue that you could treasure just a little bit more than you treasure every issue.

You, like us, were taken aback by the news. Your love for the institution that is the EG, the Estates Gazette, bombarded us from every direction. It can’t be, you said. Let it continue, you pleaded.

Well, I’ve always said great power lies in this wonderful sector, and I’ve used this space more than a few times to bang on about how real estate has the power to bring about great change, to be a force for good, to change people’s lives. And I know I’m the last person you would ever expect to be smug (stop laughing), but if I’ve ever earned the chance to say, ‘I told you so,’ that time is now.

There is no longer any need for us to pull together a legacy issue. We no longer need to use these pages to remind you of the impact EG has, that this industry has, or to fill these pages with your stories of what Estates Gazette has done for you.

There is no end to the love story. Just a turn of the page and a new chapter.

So instead of your love letters to EG, let me – just one last time – write a love letter to you. A few lines, which I ask for you to take as they are meant. A heartfelt, honest reflection of what I believe this industry to be. My authentic view of what I believe this industry should be proud of, and of how it should see itself. And, of course, just a little nudge towards what I hope will be real estate’s next chapter.

As I reflect on 20 years of life at EG, I think about how changed the real estate sector is. I think about the conversations I would have as that young journalist who begged to join the team back in 2004. Back then I would walk into a room filled entirely with men. And yes, they were blue-suited, shiny-shoed and to that twentysomething girl, very middle-aged. Today it is so different – mid-forties is definitely not middle-aged! But in all seriousness, those rooms largely don’t exist anymore. We know real estate still has a long way to go on EDI and we know that pushing diversity is going to get harder, but our industry has come such a long way. Rooms are filled with men and women and are not entirely white. The suits still exist, but the footwear is cooler.

But almost more importantly than what the sector is starting to look like, is what the sector is starting to become.

Whereas 20 years ago, all we talked about was deals, deals, deals, now we talk much more about the impact real estate has. We talk about the role of real estate in saving our planet, in making us healthier, or keeping us safe. We talk about transformation and innovation. A realness has been added to real estate. Watching that journey, helping to tell that story has been an honour and a privilege.

But the journey is certainly not over for real estate. This sector has so much further to go and so much more it can do. And we know the journey will have its twists and turns, that things will likely get harder (again) before they get better.

But my final poke is to remind you of your importance. Of how what you do, what every single one of you does, matters, regardless of what role you have in this industry. This industry touches every single person on this planet. It matters to every single person, whether they know it or not. That is a huge responsibility. Wear it with pride. Wear it with honour. And wear it with love.

Until the next chapter,

Sam.