In 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 agency brands (eMoov), and now running ProperPR, a specialist agency helping property businesses stand out and be heard.

🧨 Real Disruption Has Nothing to Do with Price

Think disruption in estate agency is about slashing fees? Think again. Russell and Kristjan unpack the outdated notion that price-led models like Amazon or Purplebricks are the future. Instead, they argue that real disruption is about service, transparency, and tech-enabled efficiency.

Expect brutal honesty about what went wrong with eMoov, why most “disruptive” models fail, and why the obsession with “cheaper and better” is misguided.

🤖 AI is Coming for Your Business – Are You Ready?

Russell drops a bombshell: over 50% of agents have never used AI—and say they never will. He and Kristjan unpack what that really means for the future of the industry, particularly in a world of:

• Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO)
• AI-driven property search (beyond portals)
• Digital trust and the decline of brand-first thinking

This isn’t speculation—it’s already happening. From inventory systems using AI to streamline reporting, to agencies using ChatGPT for customer interactions and marketing, Russell predicts a seismic shift in how customers will find, evaluate, and choose agents.

🧠 Marketing, Legacy Brands & the Shift to People-First Agency

If your brand is your only differentiator, you’re in trouble. Kristjan and Russell explore why personal brand is eclipsing corporate identity—and how self-employed models like eXp, The Agency UK, and Hortons are winning by being human, visible, and tech-savvy.

Russell also shines a harsh light on legacy brands like Dexter’s, Savills, and Spicerhaart, warning that social media silence and digital obscurity are existential threats in the AI age.

📉 Conveyancing Is Broken – And Ripe for Disruption

You thought agency was clunky? Try conveyancing. From Spain’s rapid 7-day conditional contracts to the UK’s glacial, risk-averse system, this episode dives into how tech could finally shake up the archaic British conveyancing process.

Russell makes a powerful case for high-fee, high-service models—and challenges conveyancers to offer platinum-level services for those willing to pay for speed, certainty, and professionalism.

🔥 Raw Opinions, Real Talk, and Actual Solutions

This episode isn’t about buzzwords. It’s about survival, evolution, and competitive edge. Kristjan and Russell debate:

• Why relying on portals is a crutch—and a risk
• How AI search will flatten brand hierarchies
• What smart investors and landlords should demand from their agents
• Why leadership mindset—not tech—is the biggest barrier to progress

Whether you run a high street branch, manage a BTR portfolio, lead a PBSA operation, or are building a property PR strategy, this is the kind of no-filter, truth-laden conversation that will help you stay relevant.

🎧 Listen to the full episode now on Spotify:
 https://open.spotify.com/episode/3qYImM0cx92qvI7

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