Oli Bates - Founder - 4Walls

Has anyone struggled with estate agents? 

Oli Bates did and has founded 4WALLS because of it. 

The best person to sell their property is the seller. Yet for years, we’ve let strangers walk in and talk about your home in hope that someone might like it enough to buy it.

And over the years, your property has become a number rather than a home. 

Build relationships, keep investors in the loop and let them come to you.

We spoke about:

- The central London tax. Nothing costs you more than wanting to be more central. Fancy a nice meal or drinks? Add 20% to the costs. Yep, that’s ‘central London tax’.

- The frustrations of the real estate industry which led to the obsession with a problem. Through Oli’s on experience of selling property he realised people the average market wasn’t getting the best advice and sales were taking far too long to complete. 

- Changing consumer behaviour and looking at for the potential consequences of doing so. Most people might be fine with the idea of leading viewings, but what about the maybes? We spoke about the essential aspects of keeping in touch with the seller experience to understand the potential impacts of a changed behaviour. 

- Raising money. Build relationships, keep investors in the loop and let them come to you. Investors are interested in what they can’t get more than what’s knocking on their door. Use this to your advantage. 

- Founder events. I’ve been vocal about this myself, but founders can fall in the trap of feeling busy and productive just by attending events. Do your research, plan your attendance and be prepared to network well. When you’re starting out, sure, go nuts - but when you’re looking to grow, your time is best spent speaking to customers, shipping product and iterating. 

Proptech is a challenging space with plenty of space to disrupt with the right focus.

If you’re looking to sell your home, check out 4WALLS - you’ll save heaps of time and money. Even better, you’ve got Oli and his team to see you through it all! 

Thank you to Vestd for supporting our series!