Advertise on podcast: The Voice of the Agent Podcast

Estate agents are producing more video than ever, but is any of it genuinely earning attention, building trust or generating business? In this episode of The Voice of the Agent Podcast, Simon Leadbetter is joined by Chris England, founder and director of PVS Media, to discuss the difference between creating effective video and simply producing content to tick a box. Chris shares what PVS Media has learned from working with estate agents across the country, from property tours and social media videos to brand films, podcasts and major event coverage. They explore how locally focused content can help an agency become a recognisable and trusted authority, even when the video is not directly promoting a property. Simon and Chris also tackle the growing flood of low-quality content. Authentic, self-filmed video undoubtedly has its place, but poor sound, lighting, presentation and a lack of strategy can undermine the very brand an agent is trying to build. The conversation covers how to define the purpose and audience before filming, when professional production is worth the investment, and why one strong piece of content can deliver far more value than dozens of forgettable videos. A frank and entertaining conversation about making video people actually want to watch.

What if one of the most frustrating and time-consuming stages of lettings could be reduced from three or four hours of administration to around 15 minutes? In this episode of The Voice of the Agent Podcast, Simon Leadbetter is joined by Kristjan Byfield, co-founder of The Depositary, to discuss why the end of a tenancy still creates so much chasing, confusion, delay and stress for agents, landlords and tenants. Kristjan explains how The Depositary streamlines the journey from notice and checkout through to deductions, negotiations and deposit repayment. He also shares striking results from one agency that reduced its average reconciliation time from 35 days to 12 days within its first month, and then to fewer than five. The conversation explores why genuinely useful PropTech should solve real operational problems rather than simply add more features, how to win over team members who are resistant to new technology, and why successful implementation matters just as much as the software itself. Simon and Kristjan also discuss changing customer expectations, increasing regulation, complaints and compliance, and how better data can help agencies make more confident decisions. A practical and refreshingly honest conversation about removing unnecessary administration, improving the customer experience and giving property managers their time back.

How many instructions are hiding inside the enquiries your team never properly follows up? In this episode of The Voice of the Agent Podcast, Simon Leadbetter is joined by SalesRook co-founders Max Hardy and Richard ‘Remi’ Remington to explore why response speed, not simply lead volume, is one of estate agency’s biggest commercial opportunities. They discuss how SalesRook uses transparent, AI-powered WhatsApp conversations to respond to enquiries 24/7, qualify applicants, identify buyers with properties to sell, uncover mortgage opportunities and hand negotiators genuinely engaged prospects rather than another list of names to chase. The conversation covers why so many enquiries arrive outside traditional office hours, what happens to opportunities buried inside agency CRMs, whether customers prefer messages or phone calls, and how AI can support skilled negotiators rather than replace them. They also share real-world results from agencies using the technology, including faster responses, more viewing bookings and valuable instructions uncovered from leads that might otherwise have been missed. A practical conversation about AI, customer experience and turning everyday property enquiries into measurable revenue.

In this episode of The Voice of the Agent Podcast, Simon Leadbetter is joined by Matt Baldock of Charles David Casson for a practical conversation about one of the property industry’s most persistent frustrations. Conveyancing. The discussion explores why the relationship between agents and conveyancers still feels strained, what is genuinely broken in the system, and why so much poor process has simply been normalised over time. They look at upfront information, referral fees, mortgage lenders, surveys, and the gap between anecdotal frustration and structural failure. Alongside that, the conversation broadens into agency growth, self-employment, brand, and what the future of the independent model may look like. Not blame. Better process. A clear-eyed episode about friction, reform, and what needs to change if the industry wants better outcomes for agents, buyers, sellers, and everyone caught in the middle.

In this episode of The Voice of the Agent Podcast, Simon Leadbetter is joined by Kristjan Byfield, co-founder of The Depositary, for a conversation about one of the least loved, but most important, parts of the lettings process. End of tenancy. The discussion explores why deposit disputes so often become emotional, where agents add value, and why so much of the process still creates unnecessary friction for landlords, tenants and property managers alike. They examine the gap between law, contract and evidence, the role of inventories and checkout reports, and how better systems can reduce workload while improving fairness. The conversation also looks ahead to what agentic AI could mean for tenants, complaints, and the future of dispute handling. Not more complexity.Better process. A sharp and practical episode for anyone involved in lettings, property management, or the systems that sit behind the rental experience.

In this episode of The Voice of the Agent Podcast, Simon Leadbetter is joined by Graham Paterson, CEO and co-founder of Jitty, for a conversation about the growing role of AI in property search. Not as theory. As behaviour. The discussion explores how AI is changing the way buyers search, what makes Jitty different from a traditional portal, and why the future of discovery may look very different from the model the industry has relied on for years. They look at habit, adoption, information asymmetry, and the likely shift from fixed search filters to guided discovery. Along the way, they ask a bigger question: if AI becomes the starting point for search, what happens to portals, agents, and the structure of the market itself? A practical conversation about technology, timing, and what the next phase of property search may actually look like.

In this episode of The Voice of the Agent Podcast, Simon Leadbetter is joined by David Opie, owner of Today’s Media and editor of Today’s Conveyancer, for a practical conversation about one of the property industry’s most persistent problems. The home moving process. The discussion explores why the relationship between agents and conveyancers so often feels strained, where delays really come from, and why the system still starts too late for everyone involved. They look at the role of communication, referral fees, staffing pressures, technology, lender influence, and the growing case for instructing solicitors at the point of listing. Not blame. Better process. Grounded in industry research and real experience, this is a clear-eyed discussion about what needs to change, what already is changing, and how the sector moves forward from here.

In this episode of The Voice of the Agent Podcast, Simon Leadbetter is joined by Chris Harmer of The ESTAS Group in conversation to explore a topic often talked about but rarely understood properly: customer service. The discussion moves beyond the idea of “good service” during smooth transactions and focuses on the moments that actually define it — when things go wrong. They unpack why negative feedback is not something to fear, but something to use. From turning complaints into opportunities, to understanding the real impact of how issues are handled, the conversation highlights a simple truth: service is proven under pressure. The episode also explores:⭐ Why complaints are often more valuable than compliments🔁 How to turn unhappy clients into long-term advocates📣 The amplified risk of poor service in a social media world🧠 Why most businesses collect feedback but fail to act on it⚙️ What high-performing companies do differently when things go wrong Drawing on real-world examples, including how major brands handle negative reviews, this is a practical and honest conversation about what service actually looks like in practice. For agents and business owners alike, it is a reminder that reputation is not built when everything works — but when it doesn’t. A must-listen for anyone serious about delivering service that lasts.

What does a good lettings business look like in 2026? In this episode of The Voice of the Agent Podcast, Toby Martin is joined by Sophie Lang, co-owner of multi-award-winning Lang Llewellyn & Co, to go deep on the realities of running — and growing — a lettings business in the year ahead. Using fresh insight from the January Voice of the Agent report, the conversation explores why landlord numbers are proving more resilient than headlines suggest, how agents are turning the Renters’ Rights Act into a growth opportunity, and why education — not fear — is the key to winning new instructions. Sophie shares practical, hard-earned experience on converting self-managing landlords, managing expectations around rents, and why many landlords exiting the market are being replaced by a more professional, business-minded generation. The episode also tackles some of the industry’s most uncomfortable questions: 🏠 Is 10% really enough for full management? 📉 Why let-only services may be living on borrowed time 📈 How acquisitions can outperform organic growth 🧠 What makes a lettings book genuinely valuable ⚖️ And how to future-proof your business without panic This is a candid, experience-led discussion for lettings professionals who want clarity, not chaos — and a reminder that while 2026 will bring change, it also brings opportunity for agents who are prepared. 📊 Download the full January Voice of the Agent report here: https://www.weareunchained.co.uk/thevoiceoftheagent

Estate agents don’t need more tech, they need less friction. In this episode, Simon is joined by Victoria Lambden, Business Development Lead at GlueDog (and a former estate agent who’s lived the spreadsheet-and-duplicate-data nightmare). Together they unpack why so many agencies keep adding tools… yet don’t see the output improve, and how the real unlock is integration. You’ll hear Victoria’s “traffic light” way of spotting bottlenecks, why integration is finally shifting from “nice-to-have” to non-negotiable, and what proptech should feel like when it’s working properly: it disappears into the background. They also get into: ✅ PropTech overload (and how to audit your stack without losing the plot) ✅ Why teams use less than 50% of their CRM ✅ Training, adoption, morale, and the human side of tech change ✅ AI in agency: brilliant assistant, terrible replacement agent If you’re still typing the same address 16 times into 4 systems, this is a must listen.

What’s actually happening in the property market — and how do agents really feel about 2026? In this episode of The Voice of the Agent, Toby Martin and Simon Leadbetter unpack the January 2026 Voice of the Agent report, focusing on residential sales and lettings, and cutting through the noise to reveal what the data really says. They explore agent confidence, transaction levels, fees, competition, and growth expectations — and why the market feels cautious on the surface, yet quietly optimistic underneath. You’ll hear why many agents grew in 2025 despite negative headlines, what the data reveals about house prices and rental values in 2026, and where the biggest opportunities (and risks) lie for agency owners right now. The conversation also digs into the structural realities of estate agency: 🏠 Why sales-only businesses remain exposed 🔁 Why lettings still underpin long-term business value 💰 How fees really work across price brackets ⚔️ Just how competitive most local markets actually are 📈 And why finding new vendors and landlords remains the industry’s biggest challenge This episode is less about predictions, and more about perspective. If you want to understand where you sit relative to your peers, and how to use insight rather than instinct to guide decisions in 2026, this one’s essential listening. 📊 The full report is available free on the Unchained website 📩 Subscribe to the newsletter to receive future reports early

What if you could understand who lives in a property before you even walk through the front door? In this special episode of the Voice of the Agent Podcast, we share a standout clip recorded live at the Voice of the Agent Conference at Bletchley Park, featuring Ben Nicholas, Head of Property and Real Estate at Experian, in conversation with Simon Leadbetter. Ben reveals how Experian Mosaic uses household-level data to build a far deeper picture of the people behind the properties — from lifestyle and behaviour, to communication preferences and likely next moves. In one jaw-dropping moment, Ben describes how Mosaic accurately predicted his own age, family setup, home type, and shopping habits… just from his address. The conversation explores why property has lagged behind other industries in adopting this kind of customer insight, how agents can move from property-led to people-led marketing, and why understanding your audience makes everything you do more relevant, more efficient, and more effective. After the clip, Toby returns to explain how Unchained has partnered with Experian to make this level of insight accessible to estate and letting agents — without the traditional corporate-level price tag — and how combining customer insight with AI can supercharge your marketing. The Voice of the Agent, full live videos: https://www.weareunchained.co.uk/tvota-2025-video Unchained CustomerDNA Reports: https://www.weareunchained.co.uk/unchained-customer-dna

Estate agency is a trust business… and whether we like it or not, trust often gets decided before you’ve even said hello. In this episode, Simon Leadbetter is joined by Alex Wood of Alexandra Wood Bespoke — the first female Savile Row tailor and a “menswear visionary” who’s built a modern luxury brand in a world of tradition, hierarchy, and (let’s be honest) a lot of blokes. They get into: 🧠 Why first impressions still matter in 2026 (even if you hate shopping) 🧥 How to look credible, modern and human — without trying too hard 👔 Suits vs hoodies, ties vs open collars… and the real crime: the badly fitting suit 🧳 Capsule wardrobes, decision fatigue, and why “quality costs less” over time 🎯 Dressing authentically: finding “you” rather than copying a trend 🌟 Plus: who Alex would most love to tailor for (hello Idris 👀) 📚 Pre-order Alex’s book at alexandrawoodbespoke.co.uk And don’t forget to subscribe to Voice of the Agent on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts for more data-led insights, guest experts, and conference highlights.

Why does buying or selling a home still feel harder than it should? And if conveyancing causes so many delays, why don’t we just… remove it from the equation? In this episode of the Voice of the Agent podcast, we drop you straight into one of the most talked-about moments from the Voice of the Agent Conference at Bletchley Park. It’s a live panel debate exploring the relationship between estate agents and conveyancers, what’s broken in the home-moving process, and what “best practice” actually looks like when everyone’s under pressure. Hosted by David Opie, the panel brings together Clare Yates, Matt Baldock and Simon Thomas, representing frontline agency, legal expertise and customer experience. Things really heat up when Russell Quirk throws a hand grenade of a question into the room: if other countries can complete transactions in weeks, why are we still stuck with a system that takes six months — and should estate agents just do the whole job themselves? After the clip, Toby Martin unpacks what you’ve just heard and connects it to the hard data from Part Four of the Voice of the Agent Report, revealing how long transactions really take, where communication breaks down, who consumers blame when things go wrong, and what the minority of smooth-moving chains are doing differently. If you’re an agent, a conveyancer, a lender, or someone currently stuck in a chain wondering why nothing has moved for weeks, this episode will feel uncomfortably familiar — and genuinely useful. You can download the Voice of the Agent Reports for free at https://www.weareunchained.co.uk/thevoiceoftheagent

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