Press Release: London – 22 January – For Immediate Release

BestAgent, the forthcoming housing transaction marketplace founded by moving industry pioneer Charlie Lamdin, has appointed finance and operations specialist Joanna Monro FCA to its board as Chief Financial Officer.

This is in preparation for the first external investment round since its inception in 2016.

BestAgent is now in its early launch preparation phase. The funding round will grow the existing product team and recruit a new leadership team, with key roles opening up for a Head of Product, EA Industry Relations Manager, Product Partnership Manager (for the multiple partner businesses participating on the platform) and a Head of Communications to manage the extensive PR activities being prepared.

With 20 years in finance, accounting and operations, starting at global accounting network Baker Tilly, including 10 years at board finance C-suite level, with a stint at 17-branch estate agency Andrew Grant as Director of Finance and Operations, Joanna’s breadth of financial reporting, operational strategy and industry-specific knowledge lends itself to her new role at BestAgent.

Quotes

‘I was introduced to Joanna with a personal recommendation after I put out a call on LinkedIn for “the best accountant in the industry”’, said Lamdin.

‘I have had 30 years’ experience working with accountants at all levels. Joanna is in a league of her own and I genuinely can’t wait to see what we can achieve working together.’

‘First and foremost, having such an experienced, steady hand on the tiller will be of great reassurance to investors’, he added. ‘But what I’m most excited about is having someone who understands the financial workings of estate and lettings agent businesses with me to help develop BestAgent, and in particular BackOffice, into the biggest value-adding product agents have ever had available to them.’

Joanna said: ‘Charlie’s vision for the widespread benefits of faster housing transactions for society as a whole, and the potential benefits that has for social mobility and the economy, is as exciting as it is challenging. Building a thriving marketplace business on the back of helping home movers and professionals in the moving industry is an ambitious plan, but the benefits for all involved are obvious. The financials will be complex, given the number of different revenue streams, partners and products on offer, and that’s what attracts me.’

Advisory Board

BestAgent also has an advisory board of high-profile, well-known senior figures from both inside and outside the moving industry, including more than one with international recognition for being world leaders in their field.

Details of this major lineup will be announced in due course, along with provisional details of all the product partner businesses already working with BestAgent to create the transaction platform that intends to deliver on its strap line, Move Faster.

Ends.

Notes for editors:

BestAgent is a start-to-finish housing transaction platform built with the goal of halving transaction times in the UK.

Joanna Monro’s LinkedIn

After beginning his career as a derivatives broker in the city, Charlie Lamdin has been serving estate agency clients in both the UK and Australia since 1999. He is the only person to have conceived, designed and built three estate agency CRM systems, cumulatively handling millions of buyers’ and tenants’ home moves. This gave him unparalleled insight from an overview perspective of the dynamics of the home moving industry, including extensive involvement with all property portals going back to 2000.

He is also host of the popular social media channel Moving Home with Charlie, known for its blunt reporting on the harsh realities of moving home.

He is a father of three, and a private seaplane pilot.

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With a week to go, 81 attendees from independent estate agencies have so far registered for BestAgent’s “No Valuations” event.

The London 6th Nov event, sponsored by award-winning conveyancers Thomas Legal, is fully booked, with just one space left for Manchester on Tues 4th, and 3 spaces left in Bristol on Wed 5th. (If you’d like to grab one of the last places, please email events@bestagent.co.uk).

Founder Charlie Lamdin will be talking through the results already achieved by the BestAgent process, which centres around the mantra “Talk Process, Not Prices” and starts with vendor advice meetings where “No Valuations” are given, and instruction rates have increased as a result.

The strategy, first adopted by Carringtons estate agents in Kingston, has succeeded in completely side-stepping the overvaluing plague that’s slowing down transactions.

Deal times halved, fees up 50%

As a consequence, transaction times have halved, fall throughs have been all but eliminated (still zero fall throughs at the time of writing, since adopting this process in February 2025), fees are up 50% and the sign up ratio on pitch is over 90%, with little or no pushback on higher fees.

Commenting on the selection of agents who have registered, Charlie said “There are some very good independent, owner-managed agents around the country, who aren’t getting the instructions or the fees they deserve, almost entirely because of the widespread practice of wild overvaluing by desperate agents.”

As has been shown with Carringtons, the BestAgent process completely sidesteps that problem.

With the same number of new leads, but with higher instruction rates, larger fees, and better sales rates, the results are transformational not only for Carringtons, but for their staff and clients too.

“It’s made our job fun”

“My favourite unexpected outcome of working with Carringtons has been how they say that this process has removed virtually all the usual stress they endured, and it’s made their job fun. The feeling of knowing that all their sellers are genuinely happy and have enormous respect for what this agent has achieved is the icing on the cake.” Charlie added.

BestAgent will now be expanding the project with agents in other areas, on a one-off basis, to prove that the approach works in any market, and that good agents no longer need to overvalue to win business.

Agents, not conveyancers, are at the centre of all transactions

“Estate agents are at the epicentre of all parties to every transaction. As such, they are the only industry in a position to fix the housing market congestion, more than conveyancers, government or lenders. The key to returning transaction times to the sensible 10-week time frames of the 90s is to help the public find more agents who understand how to deliver these results.” said Charlie.

“That’s why the website is called ‘BestAgent’. We want to put the idea into the public’s head that their choice of agent is pivotal to their move.”

Email events@bestagent.co.uk to reserve one of the last places if you’re an independent agent owner-manager

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4, 5, 6 Nov: BestAgent Process Onboarding Day – How BestAgent’s ‘No Valuations’ process transformed every aspect of sales in under a year.

What it is: A free, confidential 10am-2pm in-person, invite-only event for owner-managed independent agents from England or Wales.

Manchester Tue 4 Nov

Bristol Wed 5 Nov

London Thu 6 Nov

Charlie Lamdin will show how Carringtons (Kingston) have transformed their results in under a year, and are on target to multiply their turnover several times within 2 years, by adopting the BestAgent ‘No Valuation’ process taught by Charlie himself.

Gleaned from 25 years of observing the practices of hundreds of top agents around the country, The ‘No Valuations’ process results in much shorter transactions at higher fees, and almost zero fall-throughs.

Overvaluing is widely recognised as a destructive industry habit, clogging the market with unsaleable properties, reducing transaction volumes and threatening estate agency businesses. This is particularly worrying as we face falls in activity due to budget uncertainty and economic decline.

Learn how Carringtons uses this process to consistently create a market of competing buyers for every property they launch, ensuring a choice of buyers, fast deal times and so far, zero fall-throughs.

Andrew Hill of Carringtons will share their experience of adopting the ‘No Valuation’ process, and how it’s changed every aspect of their business. They’ll also be taking questions about how they implemented the changes, and the lessons along the way.

Sales times halved, fees up 50%, almost no fall-throughs

Carringtons’ Key achievements since Feb 2025:

1. Average fee up by over 50%, continues to rise.
2. Time on market down from 100+ days to 28.
3. Time to exchange down from 115 days to under 70 days
4. Fall-through rate currently remains at zero for all new instructions taken on under the new approach.
5. Appraisal to instruction rate is now over 90% (for accepted clients, rejecting unrealistic sellers)

Starting in December 2025, BestAgent is launching a one-time, 2-year programme for a limited number of suitable candidate businesses who wish to escape the overvaluing problem and achieve their full potential.

The purpose of the programme is to show that Carringtons’ success is not a one-off, and that this process works in any market, any location, and at any mainstream market price level. Therefore it is in BestAgents’ own interests that every agent who joins the course succeeds in at least doubling their turnover, but ideally hitting the 4x target at the end of the 2 year programme.

The biggest surprise

A spokesperson for Carringtons said “Until we began this process, the big overvaluing corporates were making things impossible and killing our pipeline, and the local market. Six months in and we’re selling everything faster at higher fees. Once you get used to the differences, you realise the strategy of transparency really appeals to sellers and buyers alike, and the markets natural forces take over and people can move. The biggest and most welcome surprise is the number of new business opportunities falling into our lap on the back of this process.”

Charlie Lamdin said “This process came from working with hundreds of different agents over 25 years, and combining the best ideas from all of them into one strategy. Good agents who deliver great results, deserve to make a great living, and you can’t do that unless you’re charging at least 2%. Sellers will pay that, provided they’re sure you’ll deliver. It’s a win, win, win.”

On a podcast interview with Matt Giggs, Christopher Watkin said (of the process): “This particular agent is one that’s known by me, and I know the people there. I’ve looked at their stats using Twenty EA, and what Charlie’s saying is true.” Matt Giggs replied “So it’s verified?”. Chris replied, “It is.”

Christopher Watkins also said, in a comment on a post on LinkedIn: “when I look at it, there is something that needs to be looked at in the technique Charlie talks about. If you are open minded, have a listen. Go in with open eyes and an open mind, and make your own decision on it.”

Who should apply: Owners of above-average quality, independent estate agencies anywhere in England and Wales, where overvaluing is affecting your business and your local market.

How to get your invite:

Email events@bestagent.co.uk today with basic details of your estate agency (name, location, website) and which location you’d like to attend (Manchester 4 Nov, Bristol 5 Nov, London 6 Nov). Please comment on how overvaluing is currently affecting your market or business. If less than half of your stock is under offer, you’re a good candidate.

You will get a response confirming your invitation, with full details of the location and agenda for the day.

If places are oversubscribed, they will be allocated to qualifying agents on a first-registered basis.

Note: This event focuses on helping established independent agencies; future sessions may include startups and self-employed agents.

Watch this livestream with Charlie and Carringtons reviewing progress 6 months into the process.

The post Press Release: Agents to hear how “No Valuations” process halved deal times, bumped fees 50%, eliminated fall-throughs appeared first on BestAgent.

A uniquely passionate lineup of moving-industry change-makers gather to discuss how agents can double transactions and fee income, in a way that will spark change across the housing market and bring the improvements most agents and all movers want to see.

The Event – Agents Only

Every agent in the UK can attend this online conference at no charge and engage live with the speakers. Registration is essential and only active estate agents can attend.

Its sole purpose is to be the most valuable day of insight and inspiration agents have ever had. It’s aimed as much at ambitious employees as it is business owners and directors. The target audience is all agents who care about customers and want to see better service levels across the moving marketplace, along with rising fee income and transactions.

The live online event starts at 9am and runs throughout the day. “Agents time is their most valuable resource, so as a thank you, we’re offering ‘Lead Credits’ that can be used for buying leads from BestAgent to agents who register early and use their time attending the event.” explained BestAgent Founder Charlie Lamdin.

“Whether you’re a seasoned pro, or a junior negotiator just starting out on your agency career, you can attend free and put your questions to the live speakers.” said Lamdin.

The Best-Ever Speaker Line-up.

The speaker line-up, including Daniel Daggers of super prime agent DDRE Global, Nathan Emerson (Propertymark CEO) and Richard Donnell (Zoopla research director), as well as industry regulars Christopher Watkin and Russell Quirk, is a striking one.

Lamdin said “The sheer level of passion for change among all the speakers is palpable. My hope is that, perhaps for the first time, when agents hear what they have to say, they might actually start to believe that change is possible, after 25 years of total stagnation in our industry’s progress. No one here has been paid to speak or is trying to sell anything. They are all generously giving their time and sincerely want to help agents and the market as a whole to improve.”

“I have attended countless industry events over the years, always enjoyable, but never resulting in much change or improvement. It’s time for a breakthrough.” added Charlie.

With speakers from agency, industry bodies, marketing, PR as well as conveyancing, lending and broking, all bases are covered on the goal of halving transaction times.

Speakers also include: Adam Day, leader of eXp UK; Perry Power of Power Bespoke agents; Arjan Verbeek, Founder and CEO of Perenna Mortgages; Ash Borland, mortgage broker business coach; Katie Griffin, owner manager of Sawdye & Harris estate agents; Martin Stewart of London Money FS; Katie Fox of Katie Fox EA Poole; and Simon David, CEO of Thomas Legal.

The Call to Action: End Excessive Overvaluing and Double Transactions, by participating with BestAgent

Lamdin says the potential exists for all agents in the country to double their transaction volumes, and that any agent that wants to can start on this straight away without having to wait for others. “The combination of price transparency, well-informed movers and better prepared agents can transform pipelines within weeks.”

Richard Donnell will share data showing the potential demand for double the current transaction levels, as well as how badly overpriced properties cause a slowdown in pipelines, increase fall throughs and take potential sales out of the running.

Founder Charlie Lamdin will unveil how any agent can use BestAgent to help end excessive overvaluing and double fee income, alongside whatever they currently use.

Charlie will also share details of how business owners who choose to join BestAgent Club can participate in future dividend payouts.

How BestAgent enables agents to force change for the first time with the new Public House Price Index

BestAgent is the “biggest piece of tech the residential property market has ever seen” claims Lamdin, who says he will reveal why on BestAgent Day. “The vision is a fairer moving marketplace, free from corporate control, where agents who consistently deliver better results for clients will be easier for movers to find. The goal is 10 week transactions for forward thinking movers and agents, by building the transaction process into the platform.”

“But the only way to break the current stranglehold by the worst offenders of mass, excessive overvaluing to win instructions that are then locked into 5 or 6 month sole agency contracts, effectively taking those listings out of play for transactions, is to shine the spotlight of transparency on them with a public house price index, of exchange paid prices.”

“We already have conveyancers and agents agreeing to supply their exchange prices to the index on an ongoing basis. We will be calling on all agents to submit their exchange prices to the index through their BestAgent BackOffice account, in return for early access to index data for their area.” explains Lamdin. “Agents who participate will get a ‘transparent agent’ badge on their listings on BestAgent Property.” he added.

Ending excessive, dishonest overvaluing for good

“We’re not trying to take away the optimism of a good agent who wants to get the best price the market will pay for a property. On the contrary, the goal is that agents will be able to achieve best market price for clients more quickly, by listing at more realistic prices and getting competing buyers, which is the only way to be sure best price has been achieved.”

BestAgent is the first property site where movers can go to find moving professionals they can actually trust to provide advice that’s in their best interests, not just be sucked into a funnel and upsold to.

Viewing and instruction leads are offered to agents on a pay-per-lead basis with transparent pricing, where all agents pay the same price and there are no corporate discounts.

BestAgent All Homes Index

BestAgent Club

For agents who want to actively support BestAgent’s endeavours and help accelerate progress, Charlie formed the “BestAgent Club”. A £100 per month, cancel anytime, community who want to share stories on efforts to end overvaluing and double fee income, help shape future policy, and become eligible for revenue share for any referral income generated from their listing on BestAgent Property. Agents who choose to join on or before BestAgent Day will receive double or triple rewards to thank them for their early support. Full details of membership can be found on bestagent.club

The post BestAgent Day: a turning point. The most important estate agency industry event in 25 years – Wed 4th Sept appeared first on BestAgent.

Charlie Wright – Founder of BestAgent

BestAgent has built a new, much easier way for all agents and movers to find each other, in a way that levels the playing field for agents of all sizes.

It’s simply called BestAgent. The consumer proposition: Find your agent, find your home. It is due for public soft launch in early 2020.

It contains:

1. A prospecting directory of all UK addresses with owners’ names

2. A directory of all residential sales and lettings agents

3. A complete inventory of all currently available sales and lettings properties.

The primary objective is to help sellers and landlords find their best agent at the first attempt, speeding up the process of selling or letting, and reducing lost instruction rates for agents.

The secondary objective is to help get average agents commissions for sales back up to 2% or more, from better informed customers who understand the value they are receiving.

Vendor and Landlord “invitations to pitch”, some by video or audio, will be made freely available to any and all agents covering the area, although contact details are kept private.

Agents will be able to respond privately by video message with a personal pitch. Clients can then compare personal pitches and choose which agents to invite in for an appraisal.

People want to know who’s coming to their home.

Agents will be provided with a login to their BestAgent BackOffice account, where they can see their automatically-imported listings and access a range of optional CRM and marketing tools, such as portal uploads, applicant matching, print marketing, and an agency website, all available either free of charge, or on a pay-as-you-go basis.

The future of agency is personal. Get involved.

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