Property-Porn Stars

Episódios

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  Building a Premium Agency at Speed... #52 Katie Solaru 15.09.2026 57min

  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 - Ho...
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  August 2026 Premium Property Market Report 26.08.2026 6min

  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.co...
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  Royalty, Removals, and the Real Meaning of White Glove...#49 Nicholas Illingworth, Abels Removals. 12.08.2026 42min

  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 ch...
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  Premium Market Update - July 2026 31.07.2026 5min

  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!
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  Premium Property Market Update June 2026 24.06.2026 4min

  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 😁
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  PRIME CUT 2026: What Sellers Actually Want Agents To Do... 03.06.2026 1h 5min

  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...
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  Premium Market Update - May 2026 18.05.2026 4min

  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
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  Premium Market Update - April 2026 27.04.2026 3min

  Here is everything you need to know about the premium property market for March '26, as well as the year to date (and what a year it has been!) in around 4 minutes. The results might surprise you... Thanks as always to the stats-man Simon Gates for providing the information for this update (and apologies for my croaky voice!)
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  "Getting Out of Your Own Head...and Into the Premium Market" #48 Amanda Haworth 13.04.2026 46min

  David is joined by Amanda Haworth, the Managing Director of By Design Horsham and Haywards Heath. In this episode, we cover: Why Amanda fell out of love with estate agency entirely: The struggle to find a role that matched her experience while also working around family life, and why stepping away from the industry was actually the best thing she could have done. How this podcast helped bring her back. Amanda was listening to Property Porn Stars while out of the industry, and hearing...
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  Premium Market Update - March 2026 24.03.2026 4min

  Everything you need to know about the premium property market so far this year, in 4 minutes or so. All stats provided by the man in the know, Simon Gates!
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  Prejudice, Premium Property, and Proving Yourself... International Women's Day Special Episode. 08.03.2026 52min

  A different kind of episode to the 'usual programming', but one that has huge importance. Regardless of your gender, well worth listening to, but especially so if you are considering moving into the premium market. To celebrate International Women's Day, and recorded the day after the Women in Estate Agency Conference, David sits down with three brilliant By Design MD's, Katie Solaru, Marie Fritz, and Amanda Haworth, to get into the details of what impact their gender has had on their career...
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  Premium Market Update - February 2026 24.02.2026 3min

  Everything you need to know about the premium property market so far this year, in 3 minutes... And its an interesting one - encouraging numbers in some aspects, and a clear divide emerging for which homes sell, and which don't! Stats provided as ever by the man in the know, Simon Gates, and I'll leave a link to his full market report below which is well worth a read for a deeper dive into whats going in the market. Back with another update next month! Simon's full premium proper...
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  'Hook Them, or Lose Them!'... #47 Toby Martin 18.02.2026 54min

  In this episode of Property Porn Stars, David Lindley sits down with Toby Martin, Chief Content Officer at Unchained.Marketing, to unpack the real role of video in modern estate agency. Toby shares his journey from a 13 year career in lettings to stepping into the world of marketing consultancy, and explains why video is no longer optional for agents who want to win instructions. The conversation explores the concept of Google’s “messy middle”, why 70 percent of a client’s decision is made ...
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  Premium Market Update - January 2026 30.01.2026 4min

  How did the premium property market fare over 2025, and whats it got in store for 2026? Some highlights from Simon Gates' latest premium report here, with (pretty much!) everything you need to know in 4 mins. So far...so good? Seems like lots more activity in the market after the budget/Christmas double whammy, so long may that continue! Also, some interesting stats on which months to list homes, to get the highest chance of selling...👀 Link to Simon's full report is here: ht...
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  AI: Portals, Agents Websites, And the Future... #46 Mark Burgess 26.01.2026 45min

  What will the future of property portals, of agents websites, and the industry look like when AI changes the way we live and work? What should agents be doing now to prepare for the change and keep ahead of their competition, and what shouldn’t they be doing? How do agents get ‘found’ on LLM’s like ChatGPT, how do their listings show up, and where does that leave agents websites and the mainstream property portals? I am very interested in the ‘front facing’ side of AI, and wanted to ask Mark ...
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  Stop Doing Valuations! ...And what agents should be doing instead... #45 Charlie Lamdin 22.12.2025 1h 6min

  Never one to shy away from a controversial opinion, Charlie shares his opinions (and the outcome of his testing with an estate agency business) of a new method of bringing properties to market WITHOUT conducting a valuation. Certainly a though provoking proposition, we'd love to know your thoughts on this? In this episode we cover: • Why traditional property valuations may be harming both agents and consumers • Whether estate agents should stop giving valuation...
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  Premium Market Update - November 2025 18.12.2025 8min

  What does the budget, the premium estate agency market, a life lesson from Mariah Carey, and a questionable Christmas jumper all have in common? I'm glad you asked... All of which feature in this festive Premium Market Update of course! As always, to read Simon Gates' full market report get subscribed to Premium Estate Agency News here: https://us21.campaign-archive.com/?u=db74f5b588c5289dd2935b2fe&id=88ec3e34bc
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  Stop Doing Property Videos! And other controversial opinions... #44 Sam Ashdown, of AshdownJones. 24.11.2025 1h 6min

  In this episode, David Lindley sits down with Sam Ashdown - Co-Founder of AshdownJones, a premium estate agency in the Lake District, who have enjoyed huge success since launch; doing things differently to conventional agency! In this conversation we get in to some of those different strategies, including: • From Kitchen Table to Premium Brand: Ashdown Jones launched with no premises, no investor funding and no big backing. It began at Sam’s kitchen table, proof that premi...
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  Premium Market Update - October 2025 16.11.2025 4min

  The premium market is NOT doing what you might think...! 🤔 Simon Gates kindly sent through his premium market report for the latest month's data, and even he labelled it as 'surprising'... So see what you think, and let me know 🙂 Click here: https://us21.campaign-archive.com/?u=db74f5b588c5289dd2935b2fe&id=002db01c01 to subscribe to receive Simon's full report (plus an unorthodox top tip coming into the winter period), plus some cracking content from Elaine Penhaul and Simon Leadbetter...
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  'I went from losing 30 years of memory...to coaching F1 World Champions' #43 Andrew 'Diesel' Bennett. 31.10.2025 1h

  In this extraordinary episode of Property-Porn Stars, David Lindley sits down with Andrew “Diesel” Bennett, a former police officer whose life was turned upside down when he suddenly lost his entire memory at the age of 30. Andrew shares the unimaginable story of rebuilding his identity from scratch, relearning who he was, rediscovering his family, and rebuilding his life through sheer determination. From there, he found purpose in the world of performance psychology, going on to work with O...