Much has changed since Linda Rance started selling houses, but one thing has remained unaltered: her love of helping people find the perfect home.
Linda started at Broseley Homes in 1986 when The Pet Shop Boys and Wham! were amongst the biggest names in British music.
She soon moved onto Ideal Homes, which was acquired by Persimmon Homes in 1996.
Today Linda is Persimmon South East’s longest serving sales advisor and is currently working at the builder’s hugely successful Waterside at The Bridge development in Dartford in Kent.
“My children had grown up and I got into it through a friend who was a sales advisor,” remembered Linda, aged 64. “I’ve had various job titles over the years including sales negotiator and sales executive.
“What I really love about the job is helping people. They come in often with a vague idea of what they are looking for. To help them get what they are striving for is quite satisfying.
“People are much more clued up about buying and selling property these days. When I started people didn’t know much at all.
“Today they tend to come in much more informed about the process and with a much more positive attitude.”
Linda, who lives in Upminster in Essex, has seen the highs and lows of the property market over her 28 years of service. But she believes the biggest change she has witnessed is the improved conditions for workers on site.
“One of the really positive things I’ve seen has been the vast improvement in the awareness of health and safety and the welfare of staff,” she said.
Linda said she had never considered leaving the company as she enjoys her job so much.
She said: “When you enjoy something, you never want to leave. I’m coming to an age where you start to think about the next stage in life, but at the moment I’m very happy and still enjoy coming into work.
“Waterside at The Bridge is a very busy development – one of the busiest I’ve worked on, certainly – and that makes every day interesting.”
Andrew Shankster, managing director at Persimmon South East, said: “Linda is one of our longest serving members of staff on the sales team and she is full of enthusiasm.
“It’s clear that her main goal is helping people in their quest for a perfect home. Having experienced people on board like Linda, with the knowledge they bring, is vital to the success of Persimmon Homes.”
Waterside at The Bridge forms part of The Bridge, a 264 acre site beside the QE11 bridge with new homes, commercial space and a host of innovative facilities including acres of open public space connected by waterways, footpaths and cycle routes.