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What does a letting agent actually look for during a property inspection?
Last week, I went out to carry out another batch of routine property inspections across some of the rental properties we manage.
At one of them, the property was clean. The alarms were working. There were no signs of mould or mildew. Nothing was damaged.
The front garden, however, was looking a little sorry for itself.
There was a car that had been parked under a cover for quite some time and weeds had started growing around it.
As it happened, I had a bottle of weed killer in the back of my car that I'd bought for one of the HMOs we manage.
So I sprayed the weeds.
Was that technically the purpose of my visit?
No.
Will "estate agent sprayed weeds" appear on our management agreement?
Probably not.
But I was there. The weed killer was there. The weeds were there.
It seemed unnecessarily complicated to organise a meeting between the three of them at a later date.
And actually, it got me thinking about property inspections and what a managing agent should really be doing when they visit a landlord's property.
Because it should be considerably more than walking through the front door, taking six photographs and ticking a box that says "Property satisfactory."
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One phrase we hear regularly during valuation appointments is this:
"We're not in a hurry to sell."
Usually, it's followed by something like:
"Let's try it at this price and see what happens."
On the face of it, that sounds perfectly reasonable.
After all, if you're not under pressure to move, what's the harm in testing the market?
Unfortunately, in today's property market, that approach can actually end up costing you thousands of pounds.
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This week, national headlines reported that three in five homes listed for sale since January remain unsold.
At first glance, that's quite a worrying statistic.
You could easily conclude that there simply aren't enough buyers or that the property market has ground to a halt.
But from what we're seeing every day here in North Devon, I don't think that's the full story.
Yes, mortgage rates are higher than they were a few years ago.
Yes, buyers are more cautious.
Yes, the wider economy and political uncertainty all play a part.
But in my opinion, the single biggest issue facing today's housing market isn't a lack of buyers.
It's pricing.
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When the Renters' Rights Act came into force on 1st May, many landlords feared the worst.
There was talk of frozen rents, endless pet requests, tenants constantly exercising new rights, and widespread disruption to the private rented sector.
Now, six weeks on, what's our experience as a North Devon letting agent?
Honestly?
Not a huge amount has changed.
That's not to say the legislation isn't important. It is. But from our perspective, much of the panic simply hasn't materialised.
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If you've spent any time looking at property websites recently, you've probably noticed something that many estate agents don't seem particularly keen to talk about:
The market has changed.
That doesn't mean it's a bad market. It doesn't mean house prices are collapsing. It certainly doesn't mean homes aren't selling.
But it does mean we're no longer in the market of a few years ago, where properties were attracting multiple offers within days and buyers were scrambling to secure anything that came onto the market.
From what we're seeing on the ground here in North Devon, 2026 is increasingly looking like a buyer's market.
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It’s one of the most common comments we hear:
“Estate agent boards are just free advertising for the agent, aren’t they?”
And to be fair… in many cases, that’s not entirely wrong.
Estate agent boards do promote the agent. They’re visible, they’re recognisable, and yes — they’re a form of advertising. But does that mean they’re pointless for the seller?
Not at all.
In reality, boards are one of those things where every little helps.
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When choosing an estate agent, many sellers still ask the same question:
“Do you have a high street office?”
For years, a shopfront packed with property photos was seen as a sign of credibility and success. But the way people buy and sell homes has changed — and so has the way estate agencies operate.
So does a high street office really guarantee a sale? Or is it just another myth?
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There’s a moment in every seller’s journey that feels amazing — the moment an offer is accepted and a sale is agreed. I still remember a recent client who saw me in the supermarket out of hours, buzzing with excitement, shaking my hand and thanking me like the money was already in their bank account.
And I let them enjoy the moment — because that feeling is real, and it matters.
But I also had to gently remind them of something just as real:
Sale agreed is only halfway there.
Far too many people assume that once the offer is accepted, the rest is a formality — but the reality is, a surprisingly large number of sales fall through before completion.
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It’s one of those things people notice — even if they don’t always admit it.
An estate agent pulls up outside your home in a brand-new Range Rover, a high-end BMW, Audi, or Jaguar… and it inevitably raises an eyebrow.
For some, it screams success.
For others, it quietly whispers… “I’m paying for that.”
So does an estate agent’s car actually matter when it comes to selling your home?
Let’s talk about it.
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A new year brings fresh plans, new goals, and often big decisions. For many homeowners, buyers, landlords and tenants across North Devon, property is high on that list.
Whether you’re thinking about selling, buying, letting, or simply keeping an eye on the market, the start of the year is a natural time to take stock. While no one has a crystal ball, there are clear trends emerging locally that give us reason to feel cautiously optimistic about the year ahead.
Here’s our view of what the new year may hold for the North Devon property market.
