"When you try to be the agent for everyone, you end up becoming the best estate agent no one has ever heard of"
- Chris Webb - The Estate Agent Consultancy
One of the biggest frustrations I hear from estate agents across the country is that “no one knows who I am” in the local market. Many agents feel stuck in a rut, spending hours chasing their next instruction instead of attracting business more organically. Over time, this relentless game of ‘cat and mouse’ can become exhausting and demoralising, leaving many agents questioning whether their efforts are making any meaningful impact in the local community.
In my experience, this problem typically stems from one of two core issues within an estate agency. The first is simply not doing enough marketing to generate the number of leads needed in the business. However, the far more common issue is that an agent’s marketing is spread so thinly across a large area that it fails to make a lasting impact on the average homeowner in any one location.
The result is often a diluted message and minimal brand presence, leading to that all-too-familiar feeling of disappointment when the phone doesn’t ring as often as you’d once hoped. On the surface, it seems logical to think that covering a big geographic area will lead to more opportunities for instructions. After all, the more houses there are to sell, the more chances you should have to win business, right?
Unfortunately, the reality is quite different. When you try to be the agent for everyone, you end up becoming the best estate agent no one has ever heard of. Without a clear focus, you blend into the background of agents out there, and, crucially, homeowners are less likely to remember your name when they decide to sell their home. This is when brilliant expressions such as: “social media doesn’t work in my town” and “direct mail doesn’t work around here” start to surface.
Having a defined core area is the foundation of any estate agency marketing plan. By narrowing an agent’s focus and establishing a strong presence within a specific community, you create more visibility and, more importantly, more trust with local sellers. The goal should be to become so well-known in your area that when someone decides to sell, your name is the first one that comes to mind.
Whether that’s erecting boards, leaflet dropping, door knocking, or posting on social media—homeowners will see your branding repeatedly. Consistency builds familiarity, and familiarity builds trust, which is ultimately what you want as a business.
Nurturing this core area also allows you to develop expertise in the hyper-local market, helping you stand out even further from your local and national competitors. When you can speak knowledgeably about market performance in a particular postcode or even a single street, you build trust faster. Sellers want to feel confident that their agent understands not just general market trends but the nuances of their local area—and why it would be perfect for the next owner of their home.
This focus also creates a compounding effect. The more concentrated your marketing becomes, the more you will be seen, remembered, and recognised as the agent of choice in that area.
When you establish yourself as the go-to agent in a specific community, it becomes easier for satisfied clients to refer you to their friends, neighbours, and colleagues. Reputation spreads more quickly when it is concentrated. If you are consistently delivering results in one part of town, it won’t take long before your name becomes associated with success in that marketplace.
Over the years, I’ve worked with many estate agents who historically tried to cover huge areas—whole cities, towns, and even entire counties. They felt like spreading far and wide would give them more chances to win business.
But when we narrowed their focus to a much smaller area, their results completely changed.
Many of these agents now cover such compact areas that they can walk to 90% of their instructions. They’ve become hyper-local experts, and because they’re so visible, they no longer need to chase as much—most of the business they need now comes directly to them.
The result? More instructions, stronger fees, and less time wasted on low-quality leads from far-off areas where they had no real visibility.
Ultimately, the goal is to dominate the attention of sellers in your local area. When you focus your efforts on a core area, you move away from being just another estate agent and start becoming the default choice for sellers in that niche. Visibility, expertise, and word-of-mouth momentum all compound when marketing is concentrated.
Trying to be something for everyone often leaves you struggling for instructions. But when you commit to owning your core area and doubling down on it, you build a reputation as the go-to expert—something every agent strives for.
