Utterly Indispensable Podcast for Estate Agents

Most estate agents didn’t get into this business to drown in admin… yet somehow that’s exactly what happens.

In this episode, I’m joined by Bronwyn Schmidt, Operations Director at VA Central, to unpack what actually happens when agents stop trying to do everything themselves.

We talk honestly about:

Bronwyn brings real-world insight from working with over 200 UK estate agencies, and we get into the practical realities – systems, onboarding, CRMs, productivity, and why your support team doesn’t need to sit in your office to deliver a better service.

If you feel busy, stretched, or trapped inside your own agency, this episode will make you rethink how you build your team – and your business.

Less graft. Better systems. Smarter growth.

Aarti Patel isn’t just impressive. She’s one of those rare people who walk into your world and remind you what’s actually possible.

 Her property journey didn’t begin with fanfare. It began with a disaster. The kind of disaster that sends most people off to lick their wounds and mutter “never again.”

Aarti did the opposite. She treated it like tuition. Learned the lessons. Then used those lessons as rocket fuel.

 Today she’s a force of nature — a developer, the mind behind Aarti Auctions, a marketer, a founder many times over, and someone who understands how to carve out a niche so sharp it could take your finger off. She’s used social media to generate opportunity most agents dream about. She’s built partnerships. She’s created momentum from thin air. And she’s done it all with integrity, optimism and a ridiculous level of resilience.

 Her story is one of reinvention, bravery, and backing yourself even when the evidence isn’t exactly cheering you on.

If you want inspiration, you’ll get it.

If you want practical insight, you’ll get that too.

But above all, you’ll hear from someone who proves — emphatically — that a “Life by Design” isn’t a slogan. It’s a decision.

 A cracking listen.

Estate agents love the thrill of the chase. Listings, negotiations, deals — that’s the fun bit.
Compliance? That’s the part that keeps everyone awake at night.

In this episode, Amy Shields, former estate agent turned Smart Compliance powerhouse, pulls back the curtain on the side of agency most people avoid until it’s too late. From AML pitfalls to the fines agents don’t believe they’ll ever get, to the uncomfortable truth that yes, prison is technically on the table… this conversation is a masterclass in what every agent should know but most never learn.

Amy’s journey from frontline agency to compliance expert is surprisingly relatable, surprisingly human, and occasionally absolutely terrifying. This episode should probably have been released on Halloween; the jump scares are real, and the consequences even more so.

If you’ve ever thought, “I’ll deal with compliance later,” listen to this before “later” becomes a very expensive word.

Alex Pelosi-Buchanan is one of those leaders who doesn’t hide behind buzzwords or corporate gloss. He’s honest, sharp, commercially switched on and absolutely obsessed with doing agency properly — no shortcuts, no fluff, no ego.

In this episode, Alex takes us behind the curtain of what it really takes to build momentum in today’s market. We dig into leadership, culture, standards, growth, accountability, and the uncomfortable truths most agents avoid because they’re easier not to talk about. Alex tackles all of it head-on.

This is the kind of conversation estate agents should be having more often — practical, grounded, and full of “why aren’t we all doing this?” moments. Whether you’re running a single branch, growing a team, or scaling a brokerage, there’s a stack of insight in here that will sharpen your thinking and challenge you in the best way.

Alex is sharp, fair, and frighteningly clear-headed. You’ll finish this episode with a stronger sense of what good looks like and how to actually build it.

Jack Durkin didn’t just launch a self-employed brokerage… he built a model that actually works. In a world where every man and his dog is suddenly a “broker,” Jack and his team at The Avenue are quietly rewriting the rules of what a high-quality, high-fee, hyper-local agency can look like.

In this conversation, Jack opens the bonnet and gets right into the engine of the modern brokerage movement — where it works, why it fails, and what agents consistently get wrong. We talk Purplebricks (the good, the bad, and the burnout) , the “day one panic,” why consistency beats cleverness, and how a single great instruction can feed you for months.

Jack explains the Avenue’s obsession with quality over quantity, why saying no is a superpower, how to set standards without becoming a dictator, and why the future belongs to agents who go small, hyper-local, and specialist.

We also dive into the realities behind onboarding, culture, recruitment filters, and what it really takes to help an agent build a six-figure (and maybe one-day seven-figure) business without losing their sanity in the process.

If you’re running a brokerage, thinking about starting one, or wondering how on earth to stand out in a crowded self-employed marketplace… this episode will give you a ton to chew on.

Kirsty Franks doesn’t just “do marketing.” She dissects it. Rebuilds it. And then plugs it directly into the bloodstream of an estate agency so it actually drives revenue, not just noise. As Founder and CEO of Frank Marketing, she’s spent years helping estate agents and property professionals grow market share, sharpen their message, and turn half-baked ideas into campaigns that actually land. Strategy first. Creativity second. Results always. In this episode we get properly under the bonnet of estate agency marketing. What works. What doesn’t. What agents think matters but really doesn’t. And what they ignore at their peril. Kirsty brings straight-talking insight, loads of experience, and more common sense than most “gurus” put together. I probably am a bit biased — she’s annoyingly brilliant — but listen anyway. You’ll come away with a bucketful of ideas and a much clearer view of what great marketing should look like in our industry.

This week I chat with Garrett Maroon — an agent, coach and all-round good guy from Virginia who built his business the hard way… then figured out how to do it the smart way.

After burning out working 100-hour weeks, Garrett rebuilt his business around one simple principle: success isn’t about doing more, it’s about doing it better. He now generates all his leads through referrals and has created a business that serves his life — not the other way round.

We talk about how he made that shift, the systems that drive his referrals, and what UK agents can learn from the US brokerage model as it continues to gather pace over here. It’s an honest and practical conversation packed with ideas you can put into play straight away.

This week I chat with Chris Webb — founder of The Estate Agent Consultancy and one of the sharpest minds in our industry. Chris is known for driving growth for small and solo estate agencies. But this conversation goes beyond the polished professional image.

Chris lets his guard down and shares the story behind the career; the experiences that shaped him, the mistakes that taught him, and the insights that every ambitious agent can learn from. With over 20 years in the business, he’s seen it all, done most of it, and now helps others grow smarter, faster, and stronger.

If you’ve ever wondered what really goes on behind the calm exterior of a true professional, this one’s for you.

Tom Greenacre has done what many talk about but few pull off — built a thriving brokerage from scratch under the Yopa umbrella. From his early days at Countrywide to the chaos and colour of Purplebricks, Tom’s seen every version of estate agency. In this episode, we unpack how he’s created a business within a business — the highs, the mistakes, and the reality behind the glossy LinkedIn posts. We also tackle the uncomfortable truth about why so many brokers fail, and what separates the ones who last from the ones who vanish. If you’re thinking about going self-employed or creating your own brokerage model, listen to this before you jump. It’s honest, practical and might just change how you see the game.

Charlie Lamdin is one of the industry’s most outspoken outsiders — a man who’s never sold a house, yet has spent 25 years studying the people who do. Founder of BestAgent, self-taught “wannabe world-changer,” and serial survivor of business bruises, Charlie’s mission is bold: to tear down the barriers that keep agency unfair and rebuild it around trust, transparency, and process.

In this episode, we dig into his philosophy of “talk process, not price,” why he thinks the industry’s obsession with competition is killing service, and how failure and frustration shaped his determination to change it.

Whether you agree with him or not, Charlie will make you think differently about what estate agency could be.