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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 takeover
• How growing up in and around homes- derelict bakeries, building sites and French vineyards- informed Stella’s love for property long before Rightmove existed
• Her 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... everything
• The 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 it
• The 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 growth
• The 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.

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