Letting & Estate Agent Podcast

How well do you really know your tenancy agreements? In this episode, I chat with Grace Milham, queen of compliance, about why letting agents often overlook agreements, the risks this creates, and how knowing them inside out protects your clients and career.

Most agents chase quick listings, missing the bigger picture. I chat with Cindy Slaughter from Avocado Property about why the UK property industry struggles with marketing, how patience and CRM-driven touchpoints build trust, and why top agents act like marketers first.

Is Britain’s housing crisis driven by the market or government policy? Chris Watkin speaks with David Powell, CEO of Andrews Estate Agents, on council housing, build to rent and why well intended policies often backfire. A sharp look at supply, demand and long term solutions for UK housing.

In this episode, I sit down with Matt and Neil Baldock to unpack the numbers many agents get wrong. We explore conversion myths, hidden sale costs, and why knowing your true minimum fee is crucial to protecting profit in today’s UK property market.

UK Property Market Update The headlines for the 7th week of the 2026 UK Property Market (week ending Sun. 22nd February 2026) 🟩 Listings YTD
243k new properties have come onto the market YTD , 1% ahead of 2025, 10% above 2024, and 20% higher than the 2017–19 average. 🟩 Gross Sales YTD
167k UK homes sold STC YTD , 6% lower than 2025, 12% higher than 2024 and 20% above pre Covid norms. 🟩 Net Sales YTD 
129k UK net home sales YTD (Net Sales being Gross sales less Fall Thrus). 4% lower than 2025, 12% ahead of 2024, 29% ahead of 2023 and 17% above the 2017–19 average. 🟥 Overvaluing 47% of the homes that left UK Estate Agents books in January were withdrawn unsold. Main cause - blatant overvaluing supported by long sole agency agreements of 20+ weeks.     ✅ The YouTube Show   The YouTube  ‘UK Property Market Stats Show’ for the week ending Sunday, 22nd February 2026 (week 7) with the awesome Bryan Mansell   https://youtu.be/KPyFviSflDo Detailed Breakdown …   ✅ New Listings   •           36.4k new properties came onto market this week in week 6, slightly down from 36.5k last week. •           2025 weekly average: 30.6k. •           10-year week 7 average : 33.1k   ✅ Price Reductions   •           19.8k reductions this week •           12.2% of resi homes for sale were reduced in January. Jan 25 - 12.8%. Jan 24 - 11.1% •           2025 average was 12.8%, versus the 5-year long-term average of 10.74%.   ✅ Sales Agreed   •           26.2k homes sold stc this week 7, down slightly from 26.6k last week. •           Week 7 average (for last 10 years) : 25.5k •           2026 weekly average : 22.2k.   ✅ Price Difference between Listings & Sales •           17.8% difference (long term 10 year average is 16% to 17%). (£425k ave Listing Ave Asking price vs £366k Sale Agreed ave Asking price)     ✅ Sell-Through Rate   •           13.6% of homes on agents’ books went SSTC in January ’26. (Jan ’25 - 15% / Jan ’24 - 13.9%) •           Pre-Covid average: 15.5%.   ✅ Fall-Throughs   •           5,371 fall-throughs last week (pipeline of 422k home Sold STC). •           Weekly average for 2025: 6,100. •           Fall-through rate: 20.2%, down from 21.5% last week. •           Long-term average: 24.2% (post-Truss chaos saw levels exceed 40%).   ✅ Net Sales   •           21.1k Net Sales, down slightly from 21.2k last week •           Ten-year Week 7 average: 20.7k. •           Weekly average for 2026: 18k. •           Weekly average for the whole of 2025: 18.4k. ✅ Probability of Selling (% that Exchange vs withdrawal)   •           Jan ’26 Stats : 53.7% of homes that left agents’ books exchanged & completed in Jan. (Note this figure will change throughout the month as more Jan stats come in). •           December 60.2% / November 55.2% / October 53.3% / September: 53.1% / August :55.8% / July: 50.9% / June: 51.3% / May: 51.7% / April: 53.2%. •           Jan 25: 54.3% / Jan 24: 50.7% / Jan 23: 54.4%  / Jan 22: 68.6% ✅ Stock Levels   •           663k homes on the market on the 1st of February ’26. (660k - Jan 25) •           422k homes in agent’s sales pipeline on the 1st Feb 2026, slightly lower than 12 months ago on 1st Feb ’25 (433k). ✅ UK Rental Data •           Average Rent in Jan 2026 - £1,758 pcm (£1,739 in Jan 25) •           318k UK Rental Stock available to rent (293k in Jan 2025   ✅ House Prices (£/sq.ft)   •          January ’26 agreed sales averaged £340.73 per sq.ft. 0.63% higher than 12 months ago (£338.59) and 16% than 5 years ago (£293.54). The £/sqft at sale agreed matches the HM Land Registry Index with a 98% accuracy, 5 months in advance. That is why it is so important.   ✅ Local Focus Tooting (SW17)

Is this the UK’s most ethical estate agency? Chris Watkin talks with David Powell, CEO of Andrews, about what ethical agency really means. From charitable ownership to customer first values, they explore overvaluing, industry change, and how profit and purpose can work together in today’s property market.

Chris Ellis questions Rightmove’s dominance, showing how off market sales, pricing flexibility and strong relationships can often achieve higher prices, challenging agents to rethink traditional property selling methods.

Why is stamp duty holding back the UK property market? Chris Watkin speaks with David Powell, CEO of a 40 branch agency network, on how this tax inflates moving costs, restricts first time buyers, and slows market movement. They debate long-term solutions, alternative revenue options, and whether reform could unlock transactions and boost the wider economy.

In this episode, we talk with Amy Rowlands, an estate agency leader from North East Wales, about one of the UK property market’s biggest challenges: staff engagement. Amy shares honest insights on recruitment, COVID’s impact, and tough lessons from staff departures, revealing why clear values, shared vision and genuinely caring for people are key to building motivated, committed teams.

UK Property Market Update The headlines for the 6th week of the 2026 UK Property Market (week ending Sun 15th February 2026) 🟩 Listings
 207k new properties have come onto the market YTD , 1% ahead of 2025, 10% above 2024, and 22% higher than the 2017–19 average. 🟩 Gross Sales
 141k UK homes sold STC YTD , 13% higher than 2024 and 22% above pre Covid norms. 🟩 Net Sales 
 108k UK net home sales YTD (Gross sales less Fall Thrus) running 14% ahead of 2024, 31% ahead of 2023 and 18% above the 2017–19 average. 🟥 Overvaluing 47% of the homes that left UK Estate Agents books in January were withdrawn unsold. Main cause - blatant overvaluing supported by long sole agency agreements of 20+ weeks.     ✅ The YouTube Show   The YouTube  ‘UK Property Market Stats Show’ for the week ending Sunday 15th February 2026 (week 6) with the awesome Simon Gates   https://youtu.be/4cx3IADq3pM Detailed Breakdown …   ✅ New Listings   •           36.5k new properties came onto market this week in week 6, slightly down from 36.9k last week. •           2025 weekly average: 30.6k. •           10-year week 6 average : 33.8k   ✅ Price Reductions   •           20.5k reductions this week •           12.2% of resi homes for sale were reduced in January. Jan 25 - 12.8%. Jan 24 - 11.1% •           2025 average was 12.8%, versus the 5-year long-term average of 10.74%.   ✅ Sales Agreed   •           26.6k homes sold stc this week 6, up from 25.4k last week. •           Week 6 average (for last 10 years) : 26.1k •           2026 weekly average : 22.2k.   ✅ Price Difference between Listings & Sales •           18% difference (long term 10 year average is 16% to 17%). (£425k ave Listing Ave Asking price vs £366k Sale Agreed ave Asking price)     ✅ Sell-Through Rate   •           13.6% of homes on agents’ books went SSTC in January ’26. (Jan ’25 - 15% / Jan ’24 - 13.9%) •           Pre-Covid average: 15.5%.   ✅ Fall-Throughs   •           5,371 fall-throughs last week (pipeline of 422k home Sold STC). •           Weekly average for 2025: 6,100. •           Fall-through rate: 20.2%, down from 21.5% last week. •           Long-term average: 24.2% (post-Truss chaos saw levels exceed 40%).   ✅ Net Sales   •           21.2k Net Sales, up from 20k last week •           Ten-year Week 6 average: 21k. •           Weekly average for 2026: 18k. •           Weekly average for the whole of 2025: 19.2k. ✅ Probability of Selling (% that Exchange vs withdrawal)   •           Jan ’26 Stats : 53.4% of homes that left agents’ books exchanged & completed in Jan. (Note this figure will change throughout the month as more Jan stats come in). •           December 60.2% / November 55.2% / October 53.3% / September: 53.1% / August :55.8% / July: 50.9% / June: 51.3% / May: 51.7% / April: 53.2%. •           Jan 25: 54.3% / Jan 24: 50.7% / Jan 23: 54.4%  / Jan 22: 68.6% ✅ Stock Levels   •           663k homes on the market on the 1st of February ’26. (660k - Jan 25) •           422k homes in agent’s sales pipeline on the 1st Feb 2026, slightly lower than 12 months ago on 1st Feb ’25 (433k). ✅ UK Rental Data •           Average Rent in Jan 2026 - £1,758 pcm (£1,739 in Jan 25) •           318k UK Rental Stock available to rent (293k in Jan 2025   ✅ House Prices (£/sq.ft)   •          January ’26 agreed sales averaged £340.73 per sq.ft. 0.63% higher than 12 months ago (£338.59) and 16% than 5 years ago (£293.54). The £/sqft at sale agreed matches the HM Land Registry Index with a 98% accuracy, 5 months in advance. That is why it is so important.   ✅ Local Focus Maidenhead ✅ Graphs https://we.tl/t-iBPqCSwjJe

Kent estate agent Chris Ellis reveals how reservation agreements, with 94% completion, reduce fall throughs, protect buyers and sellers, improve survey conversations, and boost deal completions.

Estate agency in 2036 is under the spotlight as Chris Watkin talks with David Powell, CEO of Andrews. Drawing on 26 years’ experience, David explores the future of the industry, why accountability matters more than personal branding, and how focusing on vendor experience will shape successful, future proof estate agencies across the UK.

In this episode, we speak with Kent estate agent Chris Ellis about why UK property transactions stall. He breaks down outdated conveyancing, stretched solicitors and weak sales progression, then shares practical fixes agents can use to speed up completions, improve pipelines and keep clients happier.

Why are estate agents often seen as egotistical? Chris Watkin chats with North Wales agent Amy Rowlands about ego in estate agency, the impact of fear and rejection, and why self reflection matters. They explore personality types, people skills, lost listings and learning from mistakes, with practical insights on building stronger client relationships and better results in a competitive market.

UK Property Market Update The headlines for the 5th week of the 2026 UK Property Market (week ending Sun 8th February 2026) 🟩 Listings - Strong
170k new properties have come onto the market YTD , 1% ahead of 2025, 12% above 2024, and 24% higher than the 2017–19 average. 🟩 Gross Sales - Strong
114k UK homes sold STC YTD , 15% higher than 2024 and 23% above pre Covid norms. 🟩 Net Sales - Strong
87k UK net home sales YTD (Gross sales less Fall Thrus) running 15% ahead of 2024, 33% ahead of 2023 and 19% above the 2017–19 average. 🟩 Overvaluing - Awful 47% of the homes that left UK Estate Agents books in January were withdrawn unsold. Main cause - blatant overvaluing supported by long sole agency agreements of 20+ weeks.     ✅ The YouTube Show   The YouTube  ‘UK Property Market Stats Show’ for the week ending Sunday 8th February 2026 (week 5) with the brilliant Alice Bullard of Nested    https://youtu.be/E3iv-jQ8u2o Detailed Breakdown …   ✅ New Listings   •           36.9k new properties came onto market this week in week 5, up from 36.6k last week. •           2025 weekly average: 30.6k. •           10-year week 5 average : 33.4k   ✅ Price Reductions   •           21k reductions this week •           12.2% of resi homes for sale were reduced in January. Jan 25 - 12.8%. Jan 24 - 11.1% •           2025 average was 12.8%, versus the 5-year long-term average of 10.74%.   ✅ Sales Agreed   •           25.4k homes sold stc this week 5, slightly down as expected from 26k last week. •           Week 5 average (for last 10 years) : 24.8k •           2026 weekly average : 22.2k.   ✅ Price Difference between Listings & Sales •           19.7% difference (long term 10 year average is 16% to 17%). (£425k ave Listing Ave Asking price vs £366k Sale Agreed ave Asking price)     ✅ Sell-Through Rate   •           13.6% of homes on agents’ books went SSTC in January ’26. (Jan ’25 - 15% / Jan ’24 - 13.9%) •           Pre-Covid average: 15.5%.   ✅ Fall-Throughs   •           5,468 fall-throughs last week (pipeline of 423k home Sold STC). •           Weekly average for 2025: 6,100. •           Fall-through rate: 21.5%, slightly up from 20.5% last week. •           Long-term average: 24.2% (post-Truss chaos saw levels exceed 40%).   ✅ Net Sales   •           20k Net sales, down slightly from 20.7k last week •           Ten-year Week 5 average: 19.7k. •           Weekly average for 2026: 17.4k. •           Weekly average for the whole of 2025: 19.2k. ✅ Probability of Selling (% that Exchange vs withdrawal)   •           Jan ’26 Stats : 53% of homes that left agents’ books exchanged & completed in Jan. (Note this figure will change throughout the month as more Feb stats come in). •           December 60.2% / November 55.2% / October 53.3% / September: 53.1% / August :55.8% / July: 50.9% / June: 51.3% / May: 51.7% / April: 53.2%. •           Jan 25: 54.3% / Jan 24: 50.7% / Jan 23: 54.4%  / Jan 22: 68.6% ✅ Stock Levels   •           663k homes on the market on the 1st of February ’26. (660k - Jan 25) •           422k homes in agent’s sales pipeline on the 1st Feb 2026, slightly lower than 12 months ago on 1st Feb ’25 (433k).   ✅ House Prices (£/sq.ft)   •          January ’26 agreed sales averaged £340.73 per sq.ft. 0.63% higher than 12 months ago (£338.59) and 16% than 5 years ago (£293.54). The £/sqft at sale agreed matches the HM Land Registry Index with a 98% accuracy, 5 months in advance. That is why it is so important.   ✅ Local Focus Ashford (Kent)

From shop floor to agency owner, Chris Ellis shares his unfiltered journey through estate agency, revealing resilience, leadership lessons, mental wellbeing struggles, and the highs and lows of UK property life.

Ever wondered why so few estate agency CEOs put themselves in the spotlight? Chris Watkin speaks with David Powell, CEO of Andrews, on the power of visibility in property. From attracting clients and talent to raising industry standards, they unpack the real risks, rewards and impact of being a visible leader.

From kitchen table to thriving estate agency, Amy Rowlands shares a candid look at building a property business from scratch. She talks redundancies, early uncertainty, scaling too fast, partnerships, and finding balance. An honest, inspiring conversation about the realities of running a UK estate agency, learning from setbacks, and coming back stronger with a renewed focus on people and clients.

We talk with global real estate coach Josh Phegan at Wembley Stadium about why agents overvalue homes. They explore how data led valuations, transparent reporting and clear storytelling build trust, improve completion rates and help agents win listings with confidence.

UK Property Market Update The headlines for the 4th week of the 2026 UK Property Market (week ending Sun 1st February 2026) 🟩 Listings - Strong. 
133k new properties have come onto the market YTD , already 1% ahead of 2025, 14% above 2024, and 28% higher than the 2017–19 average. 🟩 Gross Sales - Strong
 89k UK homes sold STC YTD house , 19% higher than 2024 and 27% above pre Covid norms. 🟩 Net Sales - Strong
 67k UK net home sales YTD (Gross sales less Fall Thrus) running 21% ahead of 2024, 38% ahead of 2023 and 23% above the 2017–19 average. 🟩 Overvaluing - Awful 48.4% of the homes that left UK Estate Agents books in January were withdrawn unsold. Main cause - blatant overvaluing supported by long sole agency agreements of 20+ weeks. Discussed in greater length in the YouTube video     Detailed Breakdown …   ✅ New Listings   •           36.6k new properties came onto market this week in week 4, up as expected from 35.2k last week. •           2025 weekly average: 30.6k. •           10-year week 4 average : 33k •           Year-to-date (YTD): 133.1k new listings, 0.1% above than 2025 YTD (132k), 13.9% above 2024 YTD (116.8k) and 27.5% above the 2017–19 average (104.4k)   ✅ Price Reductions   •           20.5k reductions this week •           12.2% of resi homes for sale were reduced in January. Compared to Dec 7.6%, Nov 8.8%, Oct 12.8%, Sept 14.1%. Jan 25 - 12.8%. Jan 24 - 11.1% •           2025 average was 12.8%, versus the five-year long-term average of 10.74%.   ✅ Sales Agreed   •           26.1k homes sold stc this week 4, up from 24.6k last week. •           Week 4 average (for last 10 years) : 24.4k •           2026 weekly average : 22.2k. •           YTD: 88.8k gross sales, which is 7.7% behind Week 4 YTD of 2025 (96.2k), yet 19.1% ahead of wk.4 2024 (k) and 26.6% above the 2017–19 average (70.1k). •           Thoughts - January 2025 was an exceptional month as we had the stamp duty deadline for April 2025 - here it was a good sales month. To be ahead of 2024 and pre Covid years by such an amount is good to see.   ✅ Price Diff between Listings & Sales   •           Average Asking Price of listings last week £416k •           Average asking price of Sales Agreed (SSTC) last week was £355k •           A 17.1% difference (long term 10 year average is 16% to 17%).     ✅ Sell-Through Rate   •           13.6% of homes on agents’ books went SSTC in January ’26. (Jan ’25 - 15% / Jan ’24 - 13.9%) •           Pre-Covid average: 15.5%.   ✅ Fall-Throughs   •           5,336 fall-throughs last week (pipeline of 482k home Sold STC). •           Weekly average for 2025: 6,100. •           Fall-through rate: 20.5%, slightly down from 21.5% last week. •           Long-term average: 24.2% (post-Truss chaos saw levels exceed 40%).   ✅ Net Sales   •           Big jump in net sales from last week. 20.7k, up from 19.3k last week and 15.8k the week before). •           Ten-year Week 3 average: 19.5k. •           Weekly average for 2026: 16.7k. •           Weekly average for the whole of 2025: 19.2k. •           YTD: 66.8k, which is 6.7% behind Wk.4 of 2025 (71.6k), 21% ahead of wk4 2024 (55.4k) and 23% ahead of wk4 2017–19 (54.2k).   ✅ Probability of Selling (% that Exchange vs withdrawal)   •           Jan ’26 Stats : 51.6% of homes that left agents’ books exchanged & completed in Jan. (Note this figure will change throughout the month as more Feb stats come in). •           December 60.2% / November 55.2% / October 53.3% / September: 53.1% / August :55.8% / July: 50.9% / June: 51.3% / May: 51.7% / April: 53.2%. •           Jan 25: 54.3% / Jan 24: 50.7% / Jan 23: 54.4%  / Jan 22: 68.6%   ✅ The YouTube Show   The YouTube  ‘UK Property Market Stats Show’ for the week ending Sunday 1st February 2026 (week 4) with the brilliant Iain McKenzie   https://youtu.be/2lqWNQLVFRU