Property-Porn Stars

Here is everything you need to know about the premium property market in October 2026, a lot of change, and a lot to be aware of...

Is the premium market actually quiet, or not!? 

Lets find out. 

All stats courtesy of Simon Gates, as always. 

See you next month for another premium property market update! 

In this episode with Alison Noble, the MD of By Design in Northern Lincolnshire, we get into some fascinating topics; perhaps most controversially of all, succeeding in the premium property market with out experience...! You'll have to listen to find out more.

Plus, we cover:

- Bad experiences as a buyer that changed everything
- From litigation lawyer to financial services to premium property
- Stifled creativity in corporate life
- Why Alison switched careers into premium homes
- Netflix-style property videos and storytelling with purpose
- Vendors moved to tears on camera
- The slog, the lag, and then the traction.. the reality of building a business
- 'Don’t spend money, spend effort'
- Be the spotlight, not in the spotlight... and a different take on social media. 

Plus a lot more. This was a great conversation with a fascinating agent, and well worth a listen on your next commute, walk or gym session.

Everything you need to know about the premium property market right now, in a few minutes...

A lot of this is worth sharing in conversation with homeowners, as well as considering for your own business, especially when taking on new listings. 

All stats are thanks to the man in the know, Simon Gates 🙏

In this episode, we sit down with Katie Solaru, MD of By Design in Cheshire's 'Golden Triangle', who stepped into the premium market around 6 months ago. We find out how she has grown so quickly, both in terms of market share, and team members, in such a short space of time. 

We cover: 
- Growing to a team of four partner agents in six months without ever setting out to recruit anyone
- A first market appraisal at £2.75m, off the back of one hand-written and hand-signed letter
- How margins match markets
- The social media system behind it all: three B-roll folders, local followers over vanity numbers, and how to reach the 97% who aren't moving
- Favourite or fool, and why being visible long before the valuation decides who wins the instruction
- The only canvassing she still does, and why the open house postcard brings her more business than the listing does
- Networking that actually works in the premium market, from weekly breakfast clubs to Pilates at the Porsche Centre
- The accidental staging and styling business that started with one client going on holiday
- Person-centred planning and how therapy training makes the price conversation easier
- Choosing to be the least experienced person in the room, and what made her move to By Design
- Imposter syndrome when the problem isn't your own self-belief but what everyone else might think
- Twelve years in the NHS as a speech and language therapist, and the first property investment that went badly wrong

And a lot more. This is a brilliant, open and honest conversation, and I promise you will come away with a lot of insights from Katie. Enjoy!

Slightly longer than usual... but hopefully for good reason, there are some eye opening figures in this months market report which might be useful when in conversation with homeowners... 

So, here is everything you need to know about the premium property market in 5 minutes (🤥😂), thanks as always to the man in the know, Simon Gates for the stats. 

A link to his (very comprehensive) full report is here, if you wanted a deeper dive into the numbers as well https://bydesignhomes.com/blogs/uk-premium-property-market-update-july-2026

We speak to a lot of agents in the premium market here on the podcast, but often like to engage with those in closely related industries as there's lots that can be learned from their perspective on the same market. 

In this episode, Nicholas Illingworth of Abels shares his insights, from what is arguably the most 'premium' removals company in the UK. We get into: 

- The Royal Warrant, demystified

- How discretion is the product

- What "white glove" actually means

- The "too cheap to trust" story

- How much more Abels cost, and why people pay it

- Turnkey, taken to the extreme!

- How recommendations are 85% to 90% of the business

- Why agents should care commercially...

- The premium view on referral fees

- Hire for attitude, and the multi-brand lesson

We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we enjoyed recording it!

Everything you need to know about whats going on in the premium property market right now, plus, a summary of what has happened so far in the first half of 2026. 

Stats supplied, as always, by the man in the know Simon Gates. 

Back next month with another update! 

Everything you need to know about the premium market in 4 minutes...

PLUS some good news (😮), the most important thing for premium agents to consider right now, and a dangerous foray into politics (Simon Gates sent me the stats 3 days ago, so I had to wing that bit 😂). 

Back next month with another market update 😁

PRIME CUT 2026 is here. In this special episode, David Lindley is joined by Simon Leadbetter, Simon Gates and Elaine Penhaul to break down the Voice of the Agent Survey and what it really means for the premium property market. We get into what premium sellers actually want from their agent (spoiler: it's not the lowest fee), why the biggest brands are losing market share, how AI should and shouldn't be used at this level, and why emotional intelligence is becoming the rarest and most valuable asset an agent can have.

This conversation covers: 
- What premium sellers actually want from their agent
- Fee is only important to a third of sellers, even below £500k
- Why the cheapest agent is often the most expensive
- Premium clients want advice, not updates
- The agent as conductor of an orchestra
- The biggest premium brands are all losing market share
- Breaking into the premium market and the moat around it
- AI: automate the predictable, humanise the exceptional
- Emotional intelligence as increasingly rare capital
- A two-speed premium market

We only release one episode like this a year, so don't miss out on 2026's PRIME CUT...

There's a fair bit going on in the world right now 😅

But how has that affected the premium property market? You might be surprised.

Everything you need to know about the current state of the market, and whats happened so far this year, in 4 mins.

Thanks as always to Simon Gates for the stats - and his full report is available at the following link: https://bydesignhomes.com/blogs/april-2026-uk-premium-property-market-update