Are you looking to stay ahead of the competition and ensure compliance with upcoming changes to the UK property market?

Join Ed for the la...

Meet Rebecca Marsh: The Property Ombudsman with a Remarkable Journey

In the latest episode of Ed Talks, Ed sits down with Rebecca Marsh, t...

You may have read about how a trial in Cheshire was dramatically cutting property fall throughs and completion times - Ed first talked to front...

It's a hot topic - the private rental sector and what is happening with landlords?
In this episode Ed in this solo episode. Ed spent many years as part of...

In this episode Ed talks to the original property auction expert, David Sandeman. David is the founder of the Essential Information Group aka. ‘The...

Does the British public need to understand the process of buying, selling and owning a home better? A big yes - knowledge is power!

In thi...

No one knows the answers (and problems) better than Vanessa Warwick. As a portf...

Ed talks to someone he’s been very impressed with – Ed talks to Phil Priest (founder of 4Corners Property) and is the man behind it all. Plus, see how you can join in with the trial.

The trial has conclusively shown that simply asking buyers to pay for an upfront search reduces fall throughs to zero and takes weeks off completion! Here he explains what he’s doing and adds in a free PIP vault data room.

Given the paucity of progress from the recent Digital Property Market Steering Group meeting, it perhaps reminds us that in a largely analogue world, keeping it very simple helps.

Watch the video version here.
Contact Phil about joining the trial here.

Speed of transactions has been a hot topic for years and Ed first talked to front line practitioner Peter Ambrose in Dec 2020. So what has changed, if anything, in three years from a conveyancing perspective?

As CEO of The Partnership, with 48 lawyers and assistants, as well as a software business Legalito (making tried and tested conveyancing software available to all), Peter is well placed to comment and usually doesn't hold back.

There's some good empirical data in this discussion, as well as some home truths. Given the substantial amount of hot air delivered on the subject, an objective overview of what's REALLY happening 'behind the scenes' is overdue.

Property Industry Eye article Ed refers to at the beginning: https://propertyindustryeye.com/would-no-sale-no-fee-conveyancing-help-speed-up-housing-transactions/

It's a hot topic - the private rental sector and what is happening with landlords?
In this episode Ed talks to Ben Beadle, CEO of The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA). The largest membership organisation for private residential landlords in England and Wales, supporting and representing over 100,000 members.

Ben reminds us first that he's a landlord himself with a strong background in housing and property management, so plenty of insider knowledge to draw on.

Interestingly - Ben actually met up with Ed to record this episode straight after speaking with Government about issues and changes happening in the PRS! So fresh from the big meeting, he was ready and open to discuss pressing topics such as Section 21 - at the end Ben is asked what he thinks being a landlord will look like in 24 months time.

  Available to watch on YouTube.

A reflective episode from Ed in this solo episode. Ed spent many years as part of the Douglas & Gordon family so is understandably sad to see the company end this month. 

Ed explains how D&G stood for strong, old-school values. 

We hear about fond memories, mentors and legends who impacted Ed’s career journey and even how some of his biggest competitors at the time turned into life-long friends. 

Estate agency life was certainly very different back in the late 70s, 80s and 90s. 

Did you work as an estate agent during that time, in the ‘golden era’? We’d love to hear some of your thoughts on how things have changed - if you think they have?

Read Ed's article: RIP Douglas & Gordon

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In this episode Ed talks to the original property auction expert, David Sandeman. David is the founder of the Essential Information Group aka. ‘The only place you will find virtually every property auction in the UK’. THE go-to place for auction data: www.eigpropertyauctions.co.uk

David’s advice is who you need when considering taking the still somewhat esoteric leap into buying or selling at auction. With over 30 years' experience and insider knowledge, he certainly has a comforting way of explaining complicated legal processes and methods into something much simpler and less daunting, with examples. Covering controversial topics such as ‘Modern Method of Auction’, what to look out for and what not to miss… or as David explains, “ALWAYS check the clauses and for missing paperwork in the legal documents, there may be a vital page or two missing.”

If you are considering entering the world of property auctions, or would like to expand your knowledge, don’t miss out on this.

Watch the episode here: https://youtu.be/oR04LtQ7r5o

Does the British public need to understand the process of buying, selling and owning a home better? A big yes - knowledge is power!

In this episode, Ed talks to Paula Higgins - CEO of The HomeOwners Alliance (A solid place for trenchant advice on buying, selling and owning a home) https://hoa.org.uk/

With 10 years of experience and a background as a civil servant, Paula knows her stuff and has an eye for detail.

Ed and Paula dive into what it takes to be a buyer or homeowner these days, reflecting on how previous generations had such a different experience, compared to both Ed and Paula’s children’s realities when navigating property in today’s era.

They both bring strong points to the table, discuss current government/property policy and address the elephant in the room – is The HomeOwners Alliance up against Estate Agents? For instance – they point out Estate Agents don’t like talking about certain things up front, like fees.

As always, Ed is keen to gather the best nuggets of advice from his guest and bring them to you. If you own, buy or sell property, this will be helpful.

A big thank you to Paula for taking the time, it’s been insightful and important to lift the lid on this topic.

This episode is also available to watch to on the Viewber YouTube channel here.

No one knows the answers (and problems) better than Vanessa Warwick. As a portfolio landlord, media personality and founder of well supported landlord forum www.propertytribes.com, she's uniquely placed to give a succinct and salient view.

Landlords have witnessed extraordinary times in the last 2 weeks when it comes to Tax, Legislation and Regulation.

Vanessa confesses, “it’s the first time I’m starting to feel buy to let is becoming unviable. What has happened in the last 2 weeks has sent shockwaves through the Buy to Let community. A roller-coaster and I’m seriously thinking about jumping off.”

Not only this, but landlords have dealt with incredibly tough challenges with Covid, Brexit, energy crisis and the Ukraine/Russian war impacting the sector.

There are solutions and better options though - Vanessa explains what is best to do during these times if you are thinking about investing.

Shortly after this episode was recorded, Vanessa attended and voiced concerns to the Ministry of Housing, Community & Local Government at the Tory Party Conference, which she discusses during the episode.

An educational, insightful and honest episode. We will all learn a thing or two.

Watch the full episode here: Brutal times for landlords. An unmitigated disaster. Why? - Ed Talks to Vanessa Warwick - YouTube

Ed talks to someone he’s been very impressed with – James Tickell, Founding Partner of Campbell Tickell (https://www.campbelltickell.com/) 

Campbell Tickell is a multi-disciplinary management and recruitment consultancy focusing primarily on the public and not-for-profit sectors. Ed’s interaction with James has been on the property side with particular emphasis on Social Landlords and Housing Associations.

Established for over 20 years, they have worked with more than 900 organisations throughout the UK, Ireland and beyond, with central and local government, housing associations, care providers, sports and leisure bodies, charities, and commercial organisations such as housebuilders and developers, contractors and legal firms.

During this candid and insightful conversation, James leans into the social housing sector in detail. We learn more about how it works, is different from the PRS, challenges they face daily and how the more pressing issues post pandemic, Brexit, the Ukrainian invasion and even global warming are affecting social housing. 

James tells it how it is – something you don’t often hear.

One thing shines through, when things get tough this sector pulls together.

The episode has been one of the most eye-opening and important conversations to date on EdTalks. We thank James for taking the time to share his knowledge.