- What is your name and what is the name of your business?
My name is Mathew Gurr and my business is Mathew Gurr Estate Agents
- What does the business do and who are your customers?
I am a local independent estate agent with over 27 years experience in the field. My customers are anyone looking to buy or sell a property in the Mid-Sussex area.
- What’s the history of the business & what’s your role within the business?
I have worked in estate agency since 1997, gaining experience with large corporate firms, leading independent agents, and launching a cold-start office. Working in both small and large teams has given me a strong understanding of how to negotiate successfully, solve problems, and help clients move on to their next chapter. This journey has led me to offer a truly personal, one-to-one service, and launch my own estate agency here in Mid Sussex, which I did in June of this year, and it is doing really well, especially given how difficult the housing market has been this year.
- How long have you had an office here at Freshmill and why were you looking for a space like this?
I moved into Freshmill in June 2025. Having started my own agency and mostly working from home (for the first time in my career) I was looking for somewhere I could come a couple of days a week to create a divide between work and home. Having worked in another serviced office in the area I was aware of how they operated, but I was really pleased to find a space like Freshmill.
- Why does Freshmill work well for you and your business?
Freshmill ticks all the boxes for me – it is a great environment to be in, it offer both community and flexibility and the location is excellent. I am aware that I can sometimes be noisy for the office sharing partner(!) so I try to avoid doing too many calls from Freshmill and instead use my time here more for paperwork.
- What is the most important lesson you have gained from your career so far?
When I had just started out in estate agency, a potential client came in. I looked at him, immediately directing him towards a colleague in lettings – assuming, from his appearance and demeanour, that he was looking to rent a flat or similar. It turned out that he actually had six properties to sell! Not only did I lose out financially that day – unwittingly passing that commission onto a colleague! – I also learnt a valuable lesson of not judging a book by its cover! Keep an open mind, you never know what someone might want or need.
- Where do you hope to be in 5 years time?
This is a very difficult question to answer at this point! Having just opened an agency of my own it is very hard to predict, and I am not sure I even want to! I am very much enjoying the journey and working for myself and we will see where it takes us. I don’t like to plan too far ahead.
- What advice would you give your younger self just starting out?
My son recently came to work with me for the day as part of a school initiative to get children to understand more about a working day and experience different careers. I have no idea what he will eventually do, but I’m a firm believer that in any job, communication skills are so important, which are a big part of what I do. He was amazing! He created a video for our social media that was the most viewed ever! He met a client and a buyer and he really enjoyed the experience. I would say to my younger self, and to young people of today, there are many different routes to get where you want to go, just because the most obvious route isn’t right for you, it doesn’t mean you won’t get there.
- What is your favourite quote/mantra?
Hard work beats skill when skill doesn’t work hard. It is so true that many of the best performers out there in any industry, are often the ones that work hard, do what they say they are going to do and do it. Having the right skill set is obviously important, but a hard work ethic will take you further.
- If you could, who would you switch places with for the day, and why?
There are so many choices; both dead and alive and people you can look at and think, what a moment that was. But, I’m going to choose either of my boys. They are 12 and 14 and I’d just like to see the world through their eyes, what school lessons are like, how they interact with teachers and to get their perspective of what parents are like. It’s only when I look in the mirror, I realise I’m not 18 anymore!
