The Viking Chats: navigating the choppy waters of property, technology and business

Kristjan Byfield
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Welcome aboard The Viking Chats—the podcast where property, tech, and business collide in candid, no-fluff conversations. Hosted by Kristjan Byfield—lettings veteran, proptech pioneer, and co-founder of Base Property Specialists and The Depositary—this show dives deep into the real-world challenges and bold innovations shaping the future of the housing sector and beyond.Each episode, Kristjan drops anchor with industry leaders, disruptors, and entrepreneurs to unpack the messy, inspiring, and often chaotic reality of running a modern business in a rapidly evolving landscape. Expect sharp insights, honest stories, and the occasional Viking metaphor—all served with Kristjan’s trademark wit and big-hearted honesty.Whether you’re in lettings, launching a startup, or just love a good story about navigating change—this podcast is your compass in the storm.

  1. 3D AGO

    Mintz Condition: Property, Podcasts & Saying What Needs to Be Said

    This week’s Viking Chat is full of big energy, blunt truths, and a big dose of Northern charm - because joining Kristjan is none other than David Mintz. If you’re in agency and haven’t come across David yet, you’re in for a treat. Co-host of the brilliantly unpredictable Kerfuffle Podcast, long-standing estate and letting agent, and self-confessed industry “agent provocateur,” David brings charisma, candour and more quotables than your average awards dinner. This episode is about more than lettings - it’s about how to lead with personality, build real client loyalty, and still have fun doing the job 20+ years in. Here’s what we cover: 🏡 From Listings to Loudmouth (In the Best Way) David shares how his career began, what’s kept him hooked on agency through boom, bust and burnout, and why your local reputation still matters more than your logo. 🎤 Podcasting, Provoking & Punchlines As co-host of Kerfuffle, David knows how to walk the line between irreverent and insightful. He shares behind-the-scenes moments, the catharsis of unfiltered chat, and why humour is a better culture-builder than any mission statement. 🤝 Lettings with Laughter, Loyalty & Legacy We get into the real stuff - what it means to stick around in this industry, why some agents have it and some don’t, and how being unapologetically yourself can be your biggest brand asset. Expect: Cautionary tales and comedy goldBrutally honest takes on PropTech, portals and peopleSurprising reflections on kindness, connection and showing up with consistency💬 Mintz-isms That’ll Make You Snort-Laugh From “never trust an agent with no opinions” to “the CRM isn’t broken, you just never learned to use it,” this episode is packed with one-liners that are funny because they’re true. David’s a natural storyteller, a master of banter - and beneath the laughs, a real advocate for doing this job with pride, patience and personality. 🎧 Tune in now. It’s got heart, hustle, and more sass than a morning team meeting on a Monday. #VikingChats #DavidMintz #KerfufflePodcast #LettingsLife #AgencyUnfiltered #PropertyLeadership #KristjanChats #EstateAge Send us a text

    1h 21m

  2. JAN 29

    Not Just a PropTech: Why Street Group Thinks Like a Tech Giant – with Stella Nicol

    What happens when a psychology student-turned-estate agent walks into the fast-evolving world of proptech? You get Stella Nicol- former Reeds Rains branch manager, Barrett New Homes sales manager, Spectre pioneer, and now one of the longest-standing team members at Street Group. In this episode of The Viking Chats, Kristjan catches up with Stella for an honest, often hilarious, and always insightful deep dive into her journey from negotiating viewings in Chester to helping build one of the UK’s most admired proptech powerhouses. From her early days “nosying around” homes and flipping through Cheshire Life for kitchen inspiration, Stella shares how her passion for property collided with a career-defining moment: cold-calling Street Group co-founder Heather Staff to ask for a job she wasn’t even interviewed for (bold move… that paid off). We unpack: The highs, lows, and total madness of front-line agency life- from dealing with the Northern Rock queues outside the office window to managing across multiple branches during the LSL takeoverHow growing up in and around homes- derelict bakeries, building sites and French vineyards- informed Stella’s love for property long before Rightmove existedHer transition from high-pressure new homes sales to tech startup life, and what it meant to be one of just five people in the early days of Spectre, when the product was a game-changer and the job was... everythingThe real difference between agents who "list" and agents who "sell"- and how a personal family experience showed just how vast the gap between an average and exceptional agent can be (yes, a shoutout to Vicky Bibiris and the Brickworks team!)Why second-time vendors and landlords with ‘burn scars’ from bad agents are the most valuable leads you’ll ever win- and how Street Group’s data proves itThe surprisingly tech-first culture of Street Group- why it feels like a genuine Silicon Valley SaaS startup that just happens to sell to agents, and how that cultural clarity drives both product development and people growthThe magic of Heather Staff and Tom Staff’s leadership- including the values, openness and obsessive customer focus that make Street a genuinely special place to work (and the largest proptech engineering team in the UK!)We also delve into the upcoming Women in Estate Agency "Not A Conference", and why it's one of the most important (and empowering) events in the industry calendar- for men and women alike. Kristjan reflects on how attending the event as a male founder, boss and father has opened his eyes to the challenges, strength, and perseverance of women across the property industry. If you’re in agency, tech, or simply trying to build a better culture in your business—this is a masterclass in passion, perspective, and purposeful growth. 🎧 Tune in for unfiltered laughs, powerful insights, and why confidence, culture and code are reshaping the future of agency. Send us a text

    1h 7m

  3. JAN 26

    From Silicon Valley to Street Smarts: Neal Bawa on Data, Development & Doing It Differently

    🎙 The Viking Chats – From Silicon Valley to Street Smarts: Neal Bawa on Data, Development & Doing It Differently This week on The Viking Chats, we go global - quite literally - as Neal Bawa, one of America’s most well-known (and polarising) data-driven real estate investors, joins Kristjan for a cross-Atlantic conversation packed with eyebrow-raising stats, uncomfortable truths, and big lessons for the UK property industry. Neal isn’t your typical investor. He’s a self-proclaimed tech geek, former Silicon Valley exec, and now the founder of Grocapitus and Multifamily University - with over $1B in active real estate projects under his belt. But he doesn’t just build properties - he builds algorithms, models and machine-learning tools that tell him exactly what, where and when to invest. And spoiler alert: he doesn’t trust anyone who invests “off gut feel.” In this fast-paced, unfiltered and sometimes jaw-dropping chat, we cover: The five-year rule that underpins every single investment decision Neal makes - and why if you’re not working to a defined hold horizon, you’re already on the back footWhy 50% of US investors are quietly exiting the market - and what the smart 10% are doing insteadThe real impact of AI on housing and development, including how Grocapitus is using generative models to identify micro-neighbourhoods years before they boomWhat the UK gets wrong about housing policy - including why Neal sees Build to Rent as the most undervalued (and poorly executed) asset class in the UKA withering takedown of poor tax incentives, weak innovation, and the British obsession with owning old homesHow international investors assess UK lettings - and why many are quietly turning their backs on outdated systems, tenant law instability and opaque regulationBut this episode isn’t all critique. Neal offers a hopeful, structured alternative for how the UK can course-correct - and how data, tech and smarter regulation could unlock not just housing supply, but long-term investor confidence. We also get personal: Neal shares how growing up in India shaped his view on housing securityThe moment he realised “playing it safe” would never build legacy wealthWhy he believes UK agents and landlords are woefully under-leveraging the power of dataThis episode will challenge your thinking - whether you’re a letting agent, investor, policy maker or simply someone trying to make sense of housing in a post-COVID, AI-disrupted world. It’s a no-fluff, high-signal conversation between two people who care deeply about raising standards in housing - and who believe the tools exist to fix the system. But only if we stop clinging to the past. 🎧 Available now wherever you get your podcasts. Because sometimes, the smartest person in the room isn’t the loudest - it’s the one with the spreadsheet. Send us a text

    33 min

  4. JAN 16

    Inside Lettings: From Rightmove to Goodlord with Costas Frangeskou

    In this episode of The Viking Chats, Kristjan Byfield sits down with Costas Frangeskou, Director of Growth at Goodlord, to explore a career that’s taken him from one of the UK’s most recognisable portals to the heart of lettings technology - and the insights he’s gained along the way. From early agency days through to his tenure at Rightmove, and now shaping the future of digital lettings at Goodlord, Costas has seen the industry from every angle. But what makes this conversation special isn’t just his CV - it’s his honest, thoughtful take on the real challenges facing agents today, and what meaningful progress looks like for an industry in flux. Whether you’re a letting agent, PropTech supplier, landlord, or anyone trying to navigate the evolving landscape of residential rentals, this episode offers clear-eyed reflection, practical strategy, and a glimpse into what tomorrow’s lettings journey could - and should - look like. 🧠 What You’ll Learn in This Episode ✅ How Costas went from agency floor to digital boardroom We trace Costas’s journey from frontline agency work into high-growth roles at Rightmove and Goodlord. Along the way, he shares how each chapter has shaped his understanding of what agents need - and what tech needs to do to be truly useful. ✅ The unique pressures facing agents in today’s market Costas unpacks how lettings teams are being squeezed from both sides: landlords expecting more service for less, and tenants demanding faster, clearer communication and higher standards. Tech can help - but only when it’s deployed with empathy and purpose. ✅ Why good lettings is still about people, not just platforms One of the strongest themes in the episode is this: you can automate process, but not care. Costas is a champion of tools that make space for great service - not replace it. He talks candidly about how agencies can stay human while staying competitive. ✅ Lessons from Rightmove that still apply today Costas shares what it was like to work at the UK’s biggest portal - what they got right, where they struggled, and how those experiences helped shape his approach at Goodlord. It’s a rare inside look at how the industry’s biggest players operate. ✅ What true partnership between agents and PropTech looks like Too often, suppliers talk at agents. Costas advocates for something different: listening, iterating, and building with the people who use your product. That mindset underpins how Goodlord has evolved - and why they’re doubling down on agent feedback. 🔍 Why This Conversation Matters Lettings isn’t getting simpler. But the agents who thrive will be the ones who think smarter - about people, process and partnerships. Costas brings a grounded, deeply experienced perspective to questions many are afraid to ask: What role should tech really play in an agency?How do we rebuild trust with landlords and tenants?Can PropTech move beyond buzzwords to deliver real value?And how can agents keep their edge in a market defined by change?He doesn’t pretend to have all the answers - but he does offer something better: clarity, honesty and practical steps forward. 🎧 Who Should Listen Letting agents navigating growth or restructuringProperty managers looking for smarter ways to scaleSuppliers and PropTech founders trying to serve the industry betterLandlords curious about the operational shifts happening in modern agenciesAnyone in the PRS or BTR space focused on service, systems and sustainabilitySend us a text

    1h 21m

  5. 12/19/2025

    Annalese Walmsley: Killing the Frankenstein Stack, One Workflow at a Time

    In this episode of The Viking Chats, Kristjan Byfield is joined by Annalese Walmsley, Sales Director at Kotini, to explore one of the most overlooked parts of the property journey: onboarding. While much of the UK’s PropTech conversation focuses on portals, valuations and back-office automation, onboarding - that crucial first stage where ID checks, AML, forms, PIQs and more collide - is often held together by digital duct tape. A PDF here. A link there. A dashboard somewhere else. Annalese calls it a Frankenstein tech stack. And it’s killing agent efficiency, client confidence, and operational clarity. In this frank, funny and fiercely insightful conversation, Annalese unpacks the chaos that agents, property managers and sales teams are forced to navigate daily - and offers a smarter, joined-up vision of how onboarding can/should work. If you’ve ever lost hours chasing signatures, onboarding vendors manually, or juggling third-party tools that don’t speak to each other, this episode is for you. 🧠 What You’ll Learn in This Episode ✅ Why current onboarding processes are broken - and what it’s costing you From AML checks to PIQs and document chasing, most agencies are wasting huge amounts of time and energy just trying to get properties or applicants through the door. Annalese breaks down how this fragmented approach is not only inefficient but also creates stress for staff and confusion for clients. ✅ The power of a unified, white-labelled experience With Kotini, Annalese and her team have created a clean, branded, CRM-integrated onboarding flow that reduces friction, speeds up time-to-market and boosts conversion. She explains how this isn’t just a tech solution - it’s a brand & business enabler. ✅ How smart onboarding supports better compliance and client trust Gone are the days when compliance was a tick-box exercise. With increasing regulatory scrutiny and client expectations, having a transparent, auditable and user-friendly onboarding journey can mean the difference between a smooth instruction and reputational risk. ✅ Why monetising onboarding isn’t taboo - it’s strategic Annalese shares how Kotini enables agents to charge onboarding fees in a transparent, value-led way - often turning a compliance headache into a new revenue stream. It’s about delivering service worth paying for! ✅ The leadership lessons behind building Kotini We also explore Annalese’s career journey - from her early days in frontline agency roles to scaling with FlatFair and now leading sales and strategy at Kotini. Her take on building culture, trusting people, and navigating the messy middle of PropTech growth is pure gold for business owners and department heads alike. 🔍 Why This Episode Matters Letting and estate agents are under pressure: to do more, with less time, under tighter compliance requirements - all while delivering exceptional service. But service starts with systems. If your first customer touchpoint is slow, fragmented or confusing, what does that say about the rest of the journey? In contrast, a smooth onboarding experience sets the tone for trust, efficiency, and partnership. Annalese’s approach - and Kotini’s product - prove that with the right tools, agents can reclaim hours, boost professionalism, and even unlock new revenue opportunities, all while delivering a better experience for vendors, tenants, landlords and buyers. 🎧 Who Should Listen Letting agents and sales teams frustrated by slow onboardingBranch managers trying to improve team efficiencyOps directors and compliance leads juggling too many systemsPropTech lovers looking for smart, practical tools that actually wSend us a text

    44 min

  6. 12/19/2025

    From Deliveroo to PropTech: Graham Paterson’s Journey to Reinvent the Property Portal

    In this episode of The Viking Chats, Kristjan sits down with Graham Paterson, co-founder of the AI-powered portal Jitty, to explore how one of the property industry’s most fundamental tools - the search portal - is being reimagined from the ground up. Graham was part of the leadership team at Deliveroo, helping shape the food delivery brand’s expansion and operational excellence. Now, he’s turned his attention to property - bringing his consumer-first mindset, deep data expertise and a fresh perspective. This isn’t just a story of startup ambition. It’s a conversation about how consumers search, what they expect. And more importantly - it’s a discussion that challenges letting & estate agents to think differently about their listings, their value proposition, and the customer journey. 🧠 What You’ll Learn in This Episode ✅ Why the property search experience is broken Graham breaks down that current portals are built on filters, not feelings. They reduce people’s biggest financial and emotional decisions into tick boxes. Jitty is challenging that by using AI to create richer, more intuitive, context-led search experiences. ✅ How AI and machine learning are changing the way buyers search We dig into how Jitty uses natural language search, lifestyle context, and computer vision to understand what buyers actually care about - from kitchen layout and natural light to proximity to dog-friendly parks. Graham explains how this helps users find homes they’d never have seen through traditional filtering. ✅ What agents need to know about the next wave of portals If you’re still relying on Rightmove and Zoopla to do the heavy lifting, it’s time to rethink. Jitty isn’t just about exposure - it’s about relevance. And that relevance comes from better data, better UX, and a better understanding of what buyers and renters want. Graham explains why portals should be partners, not just platforms. ✅ Lessons from Deliveroo that apply to PropTech Graham shares how his experience at Deliveroo shaped his thinking about product-market fit, customer segmentation, data loops and operational scaling - and how those same principles are now being applied at Jitty to serve agents and consumers better. ✅ The implications for agents, landlords and property managers This isn’t just a sales or marketing conversation. The shift in search behaviour will affect how agents describe properties, how landlords present assets, and how data is captured and used at every stage of the journey. Graham shares examples of how small changes in metadata, imagery and listing structure can drastically improve engagement. 🔍 Why This Episode Matters We’re on the brink of a major shift in PropTech - and search is the battleground. The portals that dominated the last decade were built for desktop, email alerts and price filters. The next generation is being built for mobile-first users, emotionally-driven decisions and AI-powered discovery. For letting agents, this presents both a threat and an opportunity. As Graham puts it, “The buyer or renter journey is evolving, whether the industry likes it or not.” Agents who embrace these changes - who adapt their content, sharpen their value narrative, and engage with smarter platforms - will position themselves as trusted guides in a noisy market. And those who don’t? They risk being left behind. 🎧 Who Should Tune In? Letting and estate agents rethinking their digital strategyPropTech founders and early adopters watching the next wave of innovationMarketing professionals looking to understand behavioural shifts in consumer searchProperty managers and landlords curious about how search trenSend us a text

    1h 7m

  7. 12/18/2025

    Scaling with Soul: Rethinking Success in Estate Agency with Matt Giggs

    In this inspiring and refreshingly candid episode of The Viking Chats, Kristjan Byfield is joined by Matt Giggs - founder of The Giggs Group, industry coach, and one of the UK property sector’s most passionate advocates for purpose-driven business. Matt’s journey from high-street negotiator to regional director to founding his own multi-branch agency group is not your typical “scale fast, sell hard” narrative. It’s a story of self-awareness, service and sustainable growth - built on values, not just valuation targets. This episode dives deep into what it really means to grow a business in the property sector today - beyond the ego, the awards, and the obsession with volume. If you’re an agent, director, or supplier trying to navigate the pressures of scale without losing sight of your principles, this conversation will resonate hard. 💡 What You’ll Learn in This Episode: ✅ Why scaling isn’t just about size - it’s about substance Matt unpacks how many agents chase growth for growth’s sake - and end up with broken culture, exhausted teams and poor service. He shares how The Giggs Group took a different path: focusing on quality of experience, clarity of vision, and people who care. ✅ The biggest blind spots in estate agency leadership From underinvesting in people to ignoring the emotional toll of performance culture, Matt shares hard-earned insights into what trips up even the most ambitious business owners - and how to build resilience the right way. ✅ The power of language, honesty and accountability Matt explains why how we speak as leaders shapes the culture we create - and how even subtle shifts in tone, transparency and expectations can unlock massive gains in team morale, performance and retention. ✅ How to attract (and keep) the right people Forget hiring for “experience” - Matt talks about the importance of values-alignment, emotional intelligence and long-term development. He shares how his group nurtures talent in a way that builds real loyalty and consistency. ✅ Why community and customer experience still win In an age of proptech platforms and lead generation noise, Matt believes the best agents are still those who show up, listen hard and deliver better. He explains how his team uses hyperlocal trust-building to win instructions without needing to race to the bottom on fees. ✅ Letting go of the need to be ‘liked’ as a leader This one hits hard. Matt opens up about his own leadership journey - from people-pleasing to purpose-driven - and how embracing uncomfortable conversations has made him a better leader and human. 🧭 Why This Episode Matters The UK estate and lettings landscape is noisy, fragmented and often driven by the wrong incentives. Awards, rankings and flashy marketing often mask deeper dysfunction: high turnover, low trust, and leadership burnout. Matt Giggs offers a different path. His approach is rooted in service, structure and self-awareness. He doesn’t pretend it’s easy - but he proves that doing things differently can lead to better business, stronger teams and a reputation that lasts. Whether you’re managing a branch, launching your own agency, or leading a supplier business, Matt’s lessons on growth, courage and clarity will push you to think deeper and lead better. 🎧 Who Should Listen: Directors scaling multi-branch agenciesNew founders building culture from day oneTeam leaders navigating performance pressureSuppliers wanting deeper, values-aligned partnershipsAnyone ready to redefine what agency success looks like in 2025Send us a text

    1h 19m

  8. 12/18/2025

    From Agency Leader to Industry Voice: Angi Cooney Unfiltered

    In this episode of The Viking Chats, Kristjan Byfield sits down with the bold, brilliant and unmistakably real Angi Cooney - property industry veteran, cultural architect, former MD of C Residential, and a woman unafraid to speak her truth. From building a beloved local agency brand from scratch to leading with compassion in a sector too often ruled by numbers, Angi has always done things differently. Now, having stepped away from the day-to-day of running a business, she’s reflecting on the highs, the lows, and the lessons - and sharing her views on what the lettings and estate agency world desperately needs to hear. This episode is raw, insightful and full of truth bombs that will resonate with anyone who has worked in or around the property sector. Whether you’re a business owner, negotiator, property manager, or just trying to figure out how to survive and thrive in an evolving landscape - Angi’s voice is the voice you didn’t know you needed. 🎯 What You’ll Learn in This Episode: ✅ How Angi built one of the most respected independent agencies in her region Angi shares how C Residential was born from a kitchen-table vision, grew through community connection and transparency, and became a local powerhouse by focusing on people, not just pipelines. ✅ The power (and pressure) of leading authentically We explore how showing up as your full self as a leader builds trust, loyalty and results - but also brings challenges, especially in an industry still wrestling with ego, tradition and toxic behaviour. ✅ When it’s time to let go - and why that can be a power move Angi talks candidly about the decision to step away from her agency, what it cost her emotionally, and how she’s now embracing a new chapter as a mentor, trainer and advocate for positive change. ✅ What today’s agencies get wrong about culture From burnout to bullying, micromanagement to metrics obsession, Angi unpacks why many agencies still struggle to create workplaces where people genuinely want to stay - and what true culture-building actually looks like. ✅ Why fees and figures don’t define your business success Angi makes a compelling case for purpose-led leadership - not as fluff, but as strategy. She explains how values like care, respect and fairness drive performance when they’re real (not just a poster on the wall). ✅ Her hopes for the next generation of property professionals We dive into Angi’s passion for mentoring, her views on the skills that really matter, and why authenticity, emotional intelligence and resilience need to be core traits of tomorrow’s leaders. 💬 Why This Episode Matters Lettings and estate agency are at a crossroads. There’s more regulation, more tech, more complexity - and yet too often, less humanity. Angi Cooney stands for something different. With years of lived experience, battle scars, big wins and bold choices, she’s a walking masterclass in leading with heart, operating with integrity, and being unafraid to say what needs to be said. This episode isn’t about KPIs. It’s about what kind of leader you want to be, and what kind of business you want to build. It’s for the owners questioning their next move.  It’s for the managers trying to inspire.  It’s for the rising stars looking for real role models.  And it’s for anyone tired of the old playbook, ready to write a new one. Send us a text

    1h 2m
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About

Welcome aboard The Viking Chats—the podcast where property, tech, and business collide in candid, no-fluff conversations. Hosted by Kristjan Byfield—lettings veteran, proptech pioneer, and co-founder of Base Property Specialists and The Depositary—this show dives deep into the real-world challenges and bold innovations shaping the future of the housing sector and beyond.Each episode, Kristjan drops anchor with industry leaders, disruptors, and entrepreneurs to unpack the messy, inspiring, and often chaotic reality of running a modern business in a rapidly evolving landscape. Expect sharp insights, honest stories, and the occasional Viking metaphor—all served with Kristjan’s trademark wit and big-hearted honesty.Whether you’re in lettings, launching a startup, or just love a good story about navigating change—this podcast is your compass in the storm.

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