Estate agency should be one of the most innovative industries in Britain. Instead, in many respects, It’s moving backwards. Every estate agent claims to be different. The reality? Most look remarkably similar.

The best agencies are defined by their people. Behind every successful business is a capable, experienced and motivated team. But while many industries have embraced innovation, transparency and better customer experiences, estate agency has been painfully slow to evolve.

In some areas, it has actually gone into reverse.

Selling a property privately was once considered unusual. Today, it has become an increasingly popular option for homeowners who value discretion, control, and access to serious buyers. Across Surrey and the wider South East, more sellers are choosing to market their homes off-market rather than listing publicly on property portals.

The UK property market has changed significantly over the last decade, with more homeowners choosing to sell privately rather than advertising on the open market. Off-market property sales are no longer limited to celebrity homes or ultra-prime London mansions.

If you follow the Surrey property market closely, you may have heard the term “off market property” used by estate agents, buying agents and developers. But what does it actually mean, and why are more homeowners choosing this route?

Surrey has long attracted buyers looking for space, privacy and strong long term value. What many do not realise, however, is that a proportion of the most desirable homes are never publicly advertised. They are sold quietly, introduced to selected buyers and agreed without ever appearing on the major portals.

Moving to Surrey from SW London postcodes is not a new phenomenon as many Surrey homeowners have taken that same journey down the A3 from Fulham, Putney or Earlsfield or down the A217 from Wimbledon, Clapham and Battersea many years ago.

Many commentators have already read the last rites to buy-to-let property investment, citing successive governments’ relentless persecution of the private landlord over the past decade. I prefer to think of the sector not as dead, but as a giant nonchalantly sleeping.

The importance of understanding how monarchical, political and military history has shaped British architecture and the modern housing market is often undervalued.

As someone passionate about both property and history, I feel well placed to help homeowners and selling agents understand how the period of a property has shaped and will continue to shape the dynamics of the homes we own, buy and sell.