When Michael Peacock started his career in estate agency, technology was a long way behind current standards.
“There were no property portals like Rightmove or Zoopla. You waited with excitement for the local paper to arrive to see your listings,” he says. “The day was built around making calls and getting out on the street.”
In the early years, it meant long hours on the phone, often up to 200 calls a day, followed by afternoons spent door knocking, distributing leaflets, building relationships face-to-face and learning each neighbourhood street by street.
Today, the tools have changed entirely, particularly with the arrival of AI. But according to Michael, the job itself hasn’t.
“It’s still about trust, local knowledge and consistency. Technology supports that, but it doesn’t replace it.”
Michael joined Chase Buchanan in December 1995, at a time when the business was still growing its presence in South West London and Surrey.
Over the next three decades, he would play a central role in shaping that growth.
One of the standout moments came in 2000, when he opened its St Margarets branch, a small, highly competitive village market near Richmond.
“It’s not a big area, but we built a dominant market share,” he says. “That office became our first to reach £1m in annual sales revenue, and we did it twice.”
Chase Buchanan’s success was built not just on transactions, but on continuity.
“I’ve overseen lots of repeat instructions. This includes a house in St Margarets I sold five times over the years. That only happens when you stay in an area long enough and build long-term relationships.”
Ask Michael what sets a strong agency apart, and the answer is simple: hiring the right people.
“You can teach someone the skillset, but it’s much harder to change behaviour,” he says. “We focus on having the right people, good attitudes, good judgement and a genuine interest in clients.”
That approach has helped shape a team with deep local knowledge, where many have worked in the same areas for years.
“They know the streets, the properties and the clients. That level of familiarity is hard to replicate.”
Not every day in estate agency goes to plan. In one memorable valuation in St Margarets, Michael was warned there would be animals in the house – which were being looked after for on behalf of Teddington Film Studios. He expected the usual dog or a cat.
Instead, he found himself walking through a property that included a parrot shouting insults, a live alligator splashing in the bath and a missing snake somewhere upstairs.
“I was then asked to show a couple around while the owner took a call,” he says. “We got to the loft and there was an enormous llama wandering around.”
At that point, a film crew emerged.
“It turned out to be a hidden camera setup for the pilot episode of a BBC show. Apparently, they’d played the same prank on six or seven other agents during the day, but they told me my reactions and facial expressions were priceless.”
From ashtrays on desks to digital marketing strategies, the industry has moved on dramatically since Michael first started. But the fundamentals, he says, remain unchanged.
“It’s still about relationships. Knowing your market. Building trust over time.”
Now part of Campions Group, Chase Buchanan combines that local, relationship-led approach with the support of a wider network and infrastructure.
“It still feels like an independent business to our clients,” Michael says. “While we have the backing of a well-resourced group, that personal, hands-on service is what people value and that hasn’t changed.”