'You have to know how to deal with people'

Gillian Flanagan/chief negotiator, Felicity Fox Estate Agents: The emotion tied up in a house sale was a surprise to Gillian Flanagan when she started working with residential property agent Felicity Fox in July 2004

. For the vendor it was a case of the agent dealing with their most valuable asset. For the purchaser it could be a dream home or dreams dashed when a property slips from their fingers. Gillian studied business and sociology at Trinity College, Dublin before joining the small agency which specialises in properties around the Dublin 8 area. She is currently studying at night for her IAVI land agency qualification.

"It's a very people-oriented job and it's varied. You're not just sitting at a desk all day. When you go to a property to do a valuation with a view to becoming the agent you're selling yourself. You have to know how to deal with people and be friendly and in good humour in sometimes stressful situations. Then you have the good phonecalls, like the one I've just made to a young couple expecting a baby. They've been bidding on a property for quite a while and the vendor has just agreed to sell it to them."