For well over the asking price (breaking local records), quickly, and at 2%+ fees...

This is genuinely a masterclass (a bit of a controversial word!) but there is so much to take away from this for agents, regardless of the market you're in. 

In this episode, David sits down with Simon Cowie, MD of By Design in Warwickshire and Sutton Coldfield, and Alex Wilcocks, Co-Founder and MD of Burbeck Interiors, to share their strategies for a huge success for a special property in the midlands. 

What went well, what didn't, what they'd do again, and what they wouldn't - our guests share their strategies in detail, and this insight is worth its weight in gold for any agents operating, or aspiring to operate in, the premium property market.

Industry veteran David Brierley has enjoyed a fascinating and varied career throughout the industry so far; agent and supplier, high end and 'online', independent and corporate, and from trainee to mentor, to name only a few. 

On a non-industry related note, David is an adventurer, and an avid sailor - accomplishing things that frighten me just to think about... sailing the crocodile (and humungous oil-tanker!) ridden Panama canal in a catamaran, and voyaging across an ocean where the nearest landmass is 400 miles away, 6 miles of ocean beneath you, and the nearest humans to you...are in the international space station! 😳

This is a great conversation, touching on:

David's journey through corporate, independent, start up, online agency, premium agency, supplier...what hed do again, and what he wouldn't! 

The easyProperty deal.

Meeting a billionaire, and how they think.

Sales vs Managerial roles; how to retain your best talent.

The art and science of salesmanship. 

Promotions...! How to promote salespeople, and manage managers...

What I learned on my adventures: oceans, crocodiles, oil tankers, and the remote place on earth! 

And the role of fear... in business, and in your personal life; how to harness it. 

Benefit from David's 40 years in business, as he kindly shares some of the best things he has learned in arguably one of the most varied and interesting careers in the industry. 

Mark Burgess, CEO of Iceberg Digital, is focussed is on applying the future of technology to the estate agency industry. After the last few years of exponential advances in tech, this is a crucial conversation for agents to hear, regardless of whether you are on the front lines or in a strategic role. 

What the future of technology in our industry will do, and how the best agents leverage it today

How consumers make decisions over which agent to invite to a Market Appraisal

The fallacy of touting strategies

A business journey from magazines to AI, and everything in between.

What the best entrepreneurs taught Mark about structuring a successful company... and what are the things estate agents get wrong most!

Technology causing deflation, instead of the inflation we are used to

How to find, and leverage, a network of experts to improve your business

Plus, how to think, and act, strategically rather than reactively in your company, which is arguably even more valuable insight than the vision of the future of technology. 

Don't miss this episode! 

We are joined by Paul Jamieson, Sales Director at 20ea, who shares some invaluable listening for anyone operating in the premium market, both from your own business perspective and some great stats to inform clients with courtesy of Paul and 20ea.

Amongst a lot else, we cover: 

- Some suprising stats around the growth of the premium market
- Is the premium market growing faster or slower than the volume market?
- What does 2025's market look like?
- Are premium homes actually selling, is there demand? 
- The shocking effect the length of time to complete is having on the market
- Should premium agents be reducing prices more?
- How to demonstrate your value against competitors (and the market in general)
- Self-employed agents performance vs traditional models

Not only is the data shared (some of which is very surprising) but some actionable tactics of how to use this information with clients too. Definitely not one to be missed as 2025 kicks off.... 

Stats breakdown:
£1,000,000+ Market
January to November 2024
Data Source: 20EA

Supply (New Instructions)
Volume: 89,511
+12% 2023
+83% 2019

Demand (SSTC)
Volume: 41,557
+16% 2023
+71% 2019

Fallen Through
Volume: 6,666
+9% 2023
+78% 2019

Price Changes
Volume: 46,448
+12% 2023
+115% 2019

Exchanges
Volume: 26,910
+6% 2023
+49% 2019

Withdrawn
Volume: 51,154
+12% 2023
+60% 2019

Likely to Sell (Exchange)
34.5% 
-3.3% 2023 
-4.4% 2019

Available Stock
Volume: 48,378
+11% 2023
+74% 2019

SSTC Stock
17,558
+24% 2023
+132% 2019

Price Change %
34% of properties have had a price change (typically
reduction)
+1% 2023
+9% 2019

Fall Through %
23%
2% better than 2023
2% worse than 2019

Self Employed Agents Market Share
1.4% 
+16% 2023
+194% 2019

Online Agents Market Share
0%
0.1% in 2023
1.2% in 2019

Time to Sell (NI – SSTC)
3.3 months
17% slower than 2023
19% slower than 2019

Time to Exchange (SSTC -Exchange)
4.1 months
1% slower than 2023
37% slower than 2019

Time to Move (NI – SSTC)
7.4 months or 225 days
8% slower than 2023
5% slower than 2019

This is something very different to our 'usual programming'...but I really recommend you listen to this! 

We are joined by Psychotherapist, Author, and Podcaster Ella McCrystal, who shares some incredible insight into how our brains work and how we can re-mould it to improve our work and personal lives...

As a total newbie to this whole subject, I found this conversation incredibly interesting, and there will definitely be some actionable tactics you can employ in your day to day life from this episode. 

Estate Agents deal with so many emotions - with their clients and their teams - using Ella's knowledge can help manage these more easily. In this conversation, Ella answers our questions on: 

• Fear, imposter syndrome, anxiety - and how to overcome them
• Fight & flight responses, where they come from and how to manage them
• Real 'authenticity' and how to be truly authentic (including on socials!) 
• Your 'energy' (you'll have to listen to understand what we mean by this subject!) 
• How to protect your mindset from clients who offload their problems onto you
• What is your core self (and why that matters)
• Belief systems
• And how to leverage these through social media strategies too.

We hope you enjoy listening to this conversation as much as we enjoyed recording it, and finishing the year on a particularly special episode. 

A big thank you to everyone who has listened or watched Property-Porn Stars this year, we hugely appreciate it and look forward to creating more content in 2025 - we've got some special stuff planned! 

Check out Ella on Instagram where you can find links to all her work: https://www.instagram.com/ellamccrystal/?hl=en-gb

Richard Austen, MD of By Design in South Cambridgeshire, explains how he cold-started his premium estate agency business from zero to £15,000,000 instructions in a matter of months. 

Transitioning from the volume market to the premium market, as explaining how the sales training he received in the motor trade before that, Richard takes us on the journey, the highs and the lows, of his journey in the world of high-end homes.

In this conversation we cover: 

What service levels are expected - and is Selling Sunset to blame? 

Doorknocking - the RIGHT way

The increasing standards expected in marketing

Transitioning into the premium market

How to cold-start in the premium market

Managing social-media pages, both personal and professional

Online and offline marketing strategies

Managing rejection

'Second-hand' instructions

Review plans with vendors

And so much more. Special shout outs to Christopher Watkin and James Skudder. Full podcast live now, check it out! 

Matt Strafford is the co-founder of Dream Home Films, one of the premium property industry's leading photography and videography companies (as well as being a lead singer in the band!). 

In this podcast we delve into what Matt sees from the behind the lens, what the best agents are doing in their property marketing, and what the future of videography, social media, and property marketing looks like...! 

More than that, Matt's background in the music industry is fascinating, and how he combines that creativity with a shrewd business mind is very interesting... 

All that, plus: 

-What the best agents, and the 'pros', do on camera for maximum benefit

-Managing rejection, and building resilience

-How to be natural on camera

-The knack of 'trusting the process'

-Hiring, firing, and expectations of team members

-The importance of a 'Director' in videography

...and loads more besides, 

Check out this excellent, and very different, episode - available now on all streaming platforms! 

James Cooper, MD of By Design in South Devon, talks Matt and David through how he was instructed on £18,000,000 of instructions in the first 10 weeks of his business launch, his journey into premium agency and how he has been so successful in it. 

If you are in residential agency, and you are interested in moving into the premium market, or want learn from one of the best in the market, this is a great episode to listen to. We discuss: 

How property brochures not only have a role in this new world of A.I., but how to use them to win instructions! 

Can one person run both a premium brand, and a residential brand?

How to use a network of professionals around you to generate more business

What a 'genuinely personal' service means for premium homeowners

International - working with overseas clients

'Traditional estate agency, modern technology'

Generational difference in estate agency today

And so much more besides. 

Available now on all streaming platforms. 

This is the story of how my brother, Sam, took the opportunity, when it presented itself, to attempt a summit of Mount Everest - a climb 8,848 metres above sea level, or 29,032 feet, and whether he succeeded or not. 

It is a fascinating adventure in so many aspects, the extremes, the endurance and the experience, and although it was a story I wanted to hear from him directly, we actually recorded this episode for just one persons benefit, as you will hear. 

I am very fortunate to have a podcast, so although this episode is explicitly 'non-business' I wanted to use the platform to share with anyone who wanted to listen (and, in my opinion, it is worth a listen!). 

A few points to consider before listening: 
- firstly, trigger warning, (which feels weird to say) but there is quite a lot of death mentioned in this podcast, some quite graphic and at times horrifying, pretty much all towards the second half of the episode. 
- On that note, this is longer than the usual episodes, at about 2 hours. We didn't really care how long it took, it was more important for us (and its intended audience) that we did the subject justice. 
- Although you can watch this on YouTube, I probably wouldn't recommend it. It's just me and Sam sat in our parents house (not the usual studio in Canary Wharf), so not a lot to see! 

Simon is a brilliant premium agent, bringing his talent as a designer into the world of agency, not only from a visual perspective but also by creating a formula for generating new business. Simon Gates often uses Simon Cowie as a case study with his clients, and in this episode we go into why, and a load more besides, including:

• How to launch properties, and effectively manage the 'when can you get it on the portals' question from vendors.
• How to use social media as an estate agent...when you hate social media! 
• How to gain up-front marketing contributions from clients, and exceed their expectations in doing so.
• Pricing strategies and client retention.
• The importance of branding, and experience, in estate agency.
• What 'the line' is with social media.
• ... and what Selling Sunsets taught Simon about agency...!

Simon kindly shares so much insight in this episode, its one not to be missed.