Karl Judd on culture, scalability, and the future of agency

“When we automated our viewing feedback process we were able to eliminate 45,000 outbound calls a year. This freed up thousands of hours for negotiators to pivot from routine follow-ups to revenue-generating client interactions.” Karl Judd, Ashtons.

Season 3 of the Estate Agency Leaders podcast is officially LIVE.

If you run an estate or letting agency in today’s market, you already know that staying ahead requires more than just standard sales tactics. It demands forward-thinking leadership, robust systems, and a relentless focus on growth.

In this weeks episode Ian Preston joins Karl Judd, CEO and Group Founder Ashtons

This episode features an in-depth conversation with Karl Judd, CEO and founder of Ashtons, exploring how a people-first culture and a measured leadership approach built the top-performing estate agency in Hertfordshire.

Judd discusses his transition to CEO, sharing how strategic delegation and embedding clear company values allow the team to drive a ambitious 50% revenue growth target over the next five years.

The discussion dives into the evolving role of technology and automation in real estate, detailing how eliminating repetitive, low-value tasks, such as saving 45,000 manual viewing feedback calls, enables negotiators to increase fee generation by up to 60%.

Additionally, Judd shares his vision for the future of the high street, moving toward centralised operations while providing clients with round-the-clock transparency through digital tools.

---

---

Estate Agency Leaders is the definitive real estate podcast for UK property professionals. Hosted by Ian Preston, this leadership podcast delivers honest conversations with forward-thinking agency owners and innovators.

While other real estate agent podcasts focus on basic sales, we explore how elite leaders build culture, drive performance, and embrace CRM technology to stay ahead. From independent branches to national networks, get practical insights from those shaping the future of property. Join us and take your seat at the table with the people moving the industry forward.

Discover more podcasts by Ian Preston in The Hub