Shows
The Viking Chats: navigating the choppy waters of property, technology and businessAdapt or Disappear: Agency, AI & the Real Digital Threat with Russell QuirkIn this candid and explosive episode of The Viking Chats, Kristjan Byfield sits down with the ever-outspoken Russell Quirk, property PR maverick, founder of eMoov, and one of the most polarising voices in the UK residential property scene. If you’re a decision maker in estate agency, lettings, property management, or a serious residential investor—especially in London—this is an episode you cannot miss.Russell opens up on nearly three decades of property experience—from inheriting the family estate agency DNA in Fulham, to founding and scaling one of the UK’s most prominent online age...2025-07-2942 minThe Viking Chats: navigating the choppy waters of property, technology and businessThe Ball, The Buzz & The Business: What We Really Get from Industry EventsIn this special episode of The Viking Chats, Kristjan Byfield sits down with fellow Base Property Specialists & The Depositary co-founder and industry icon An Deckers (aka Big Red) for a reflective and revealing look at what actually matters in the property industry—and why showing up still makes all the difference.Fresh from the Kerfuffle Conference and the Agents Giving Ball, Kristjan and An unpack what attending industry events really offers, beyond the awards, the Prosecco and the usual photos. Spoiler: it’s not about the canapés.This episode is a can...2025-07-171h 17The Viking Chats: navigating the choppy waters of property, technology and businessDr. Rock & The Rise of Agentic AI: Neil Cobbold UnpluggedIn this electric episode of The Viking Chats, Kristjan Byfield is joined by none other than Neil Cobbold—industry heavyweight, tech evangelist, landlord, Drum & Bass DJ, and true rock superfan—to unpack what’s really going on behind the scenes in UK lettings, PropTech, and beyond.You might know Neil as the Managing Director of Reapit, or from his long tenure as the voice of PayProp. But in true Viking Chats fashion, we go way deeper than job titles. From sleepless DJ gigs to serious property pain points, Neil brings his full self to the mic in a conv...2025-07-071h 00The Viking Chats: navigating the choppy waters of property, technology and businessIntegration Nation: Why GlueDog Could Be the Future of PropTechIn this unmissable episode of The Viking Chats, Kristjan Byfield sits down with Mark McCorrie—founder of Made Snappy 360 and the innovator behind the integration tool GlueDog—for a no-holds-barred deep dive into the tangled, chaotic, and often comical world of PropTech in the UK property industry.If you've ever felt frustrated by the sheer number of logins, dashboards, and disconnected systems in your daily agency life—you are not alone. Mark’s journey from coin-operated internet terminals to pioneering virtual tours and now launching an integration solution for CRMs, is equal parts inspiring and revelatory.Over t...2025-06-3056 minThe Viking Chats: navigating the choppy waters of property, technology and businessThe Unfiltered Agent: Ben Madden on Authenticity, Leadership, and Agency Without the FluffIn this episode of The Viking Chats, Kristjan Byfield sits down with the brilliantly unfiltered Ben Madden—Principal Director at Fine & Country, founder of Digital Sparks, and all-around champion for doing estate agency differently.Titled “The Unfiltered Agent: Ben Madden on Authenticity, Leadership, and Agency Without the Fluff”, this episode is a straight-talking deep dive into what’s broken, what’s working, and what the future should look like in residential lettings and estate agency. Ben’s journey spans the launch (and exit) of one of London’s most awarded agencies, to helping shape strategy at Fine & Country, and n...2025-06-191h 01The Viking Chats: navigating the choppy waters of property, technology and businessIt’s Not a Secret: Why the Best Letting Agents Share EverythingIn this episode of The Viking Chats, Kristjan Byfield is joined by the powerhouse behind Liberty Blue, Regina Mangan, for a vibrant and unfiltered discussion that every forward-thinking letting and estate agency leader needs to hear.Titled “It’s Not a Secret: Why the Best Letting Agents Share Everything”, this episode dives headfirst into one of the industry’s most overlooked superpowers: collaboration. In a sector where many still operate behind closed doors, clinging tightly to their ‘trade secrets’, Kristjan and Regina make the compelling case that the true path to faster processes, happier clients, and a more respect...2025-06-1648 minThe Viking Chats: navigating the choppy waters of property, technology and businessAI: Get onboard or get left behind with Mal McCallion of ModelPropIn this razor-sharp episode of The Viking Chats, Kristjan Byfield sits down with one of PropTech’s original pioneers—Mal McCallion—to unpack the message every UK letting agent, estate agent and landlord needs to hear:AI isn’t coming. It’s already here.And if you’re not on board? You’re at risk of being left behind.🧠 From PrimeLocation to Prophetic PredictionsWith 24+ years in property and tech, Mal’s résumé reads like a PropTech hall of fame: launching PrimeLocation, rolling out Zoopla, and building tools for Th...2025-05-231h 08The Viking Chats: navigating the choppy waters of property, technology and businessbase turns 21- the memories, the adventures and what's next with An DeckersIn this special anniversary edition of The Viking Chats, Kristjan is joined by his "work wife" and Base Property (and The Depositary) co-founder An Deckers to celebrate a huge milestone—21 years of running one of London’s most distinctive and award-winning independent lettings agencies.Expect laughter, honesty, a little nostalgia, and a masterclass in how to build a values-led business that puts people first—from tenants and landlords to the team that makes it all possible.🏗️ From Back Bedrooms to Best in ClassThis episode isn’t just a trip down memory lane—it’s a candid b...2025-05-2347 minThe Viking Chats: navigating the choppy waters of property, technology and businessAI, Authenticity & Agency: A Proptech Deep Dive with Toby MartinIn this powerful episode of The Viking Chats, Kristjan Byfield is joined by the sharp, funny, and endlessly insightful Toby Martin—a former agent turned consultant who’s on a mission to help agencies thrive in a tech-powered world.This episode isn’t just about AI—it’s about how you, your team, and your business can stay ahead of the curve, remain unmistakably human, and stop sounding like every other agent in town.🚀 AI: The New Industrial Revolution?Kristjan opens with a bold claim: AI is our generation’s Industrial Revolution—and...2025-05-2356 minThe Viking Chats: navigating the choppy waters of property, technology and businessInventories, AI & Industry Evolution — with Nick Lyons of No Letting Go & KapturIn this episode of The Viking Chats, Kristjan Byfield welcomes Nick Lyons, founder of No Letting Go and Kaptur Software, to dive deep into the evolution of the inventory sector—and how technology, AI, and data are reshaping it for agents, landlords, and property managers across the UK.🚀 From early dictaphones and manually edited Word docs to a national franchise network processing 10,000 reports a month and a platform producing 300,000+ compliance inspections annually, Nick shares how he turned a scrappy startup into the UK’s largest inventory provider—all built on three core values: reliability, accountability, and consisten...2025-05-161h 11The Viking Chats: navigating the choppy waters of property, technology and businessGame of Homes: Winning in a Tech-Driven Market with Simon WhaleHold onto your helmets, Vikings — in this latest voyage across the turbulent seas of property, technology and business, Kristjan Byfield welcomes a true industry legend (or should we say lovable rogue?): Simon Whale, known for his time at Reapit, his antics with Kerfuffle, and for generally causing "productive chaos" in the world of PropTech and estate agency.In this epic chat, Kristjan and Simon dive deep into the fast-evolving landscape of property technology and what it really means for modern estate and letting agents. No corporate spin here — just honest, practical insi...2025-04-291h 16The Viking Chats: navigating the choppy waters of property, technology and business“STOP BEING BORING!" Why Creativity, Storytelling & Brand Personality Are Your Secret SuperpowersAre you stuck in a loop of “free valuations”, “stunning homes”, and “professional photography”? Do your marketing materials look suspiciously like your competitors’? Then buckle up, because this episode of Viking Chat might just blow the doors off your agency's entire approach to branding.This week, Kristjan Byfield – industry troublemaker and Base Property founder – is joined by the ever-creative Tom Durrant, CEO of DCTR (formerly known as Dr. Photo). What starts as a friendly chat about creativity quickly becomes a full-throttle, no-holds-barred deep dive into why most estate agency branding is flat, forgettable, and dangerously dull2025-04-231h 10The Viking Chats: navigating the choppy waters of property, technology and businessBehind the Curtain of Compliance, Complaints & Change in the PRS with Tim Frome of Hamilton FraserIn this powerhouse episode of Viking Chat, industry trailblazer Kristjan Byfield sits down with Tim Frome, legal and compliance heavyweight from Hamilton Fraser, for a deep dive into the ever-evolving landscape of the private rented sector (PRS). Buckle up for a fast-paced, insight-rich ride through the trends, tensions, and tectonic shifts affecting agents, landlords, and tenants alike.Tim unpacks Hamilton Fraser’s 2024 annual report—a digital-first, data-driven, interactive document that’s setting new standards for how compliance can be communicated. From the increasing importance of alternative deposits to the dramatic rise in complaints (up 20% year-on-year and 44% over two ye...2025-04-231h 11The Viking Chats: navigating the choppy waters of property, technology and businessThe Importance of the process with Vicky BibirisIn this engaging episode of The Viking Chats, Kristjan Byfield—co-founder of The Depositary and self-proclaimed industry innovator—sits down with the brilliant Vicky Bibiris, Managing Director at award-winning agency Location Location, to explore one of the most underappreciated yet transformative elements of running a successful agency: process.Let’s face it—“process” doesn’t always sound exciting. But as Kristjan and Vicky reveal in this thought-provoking conversation, getting your processes right is the bedrock of consistent, scalable, and exceptional service in the property sector.🧩 Why Process Matters Vicky passionately unpacks why havin...2025-04-041h 02