One of the country's largest groups of independent estate agents has signed up to one of the industry's top qualifications, writes Sarah Parker.
Andrews Estate Agents has 40 branches nationwide, including some in Oxfordshire, and is encouraging all the managers of its branches to study for the Certificate of Practice in Estate Agency.
The agency's chief executive Mike Robson said: "We believe that by encouraging our senior staff to take this course we will develop higher quality estate agents, with customers benefiting from the quality of our service.
"The profession has been frequently derided for being unprofessional and ill-disciplined, even though many have signed up to voluntary codes of conduct.
Mr Robson added: "By ensuring that branch managers have a demonstrably high level of knowledge in their field, we will give customers the added confidence to choose us to handle their sales."
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