Reflecting on a defining year for Aucoot

I’d like to start this message with a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has been following our progress over the past 12 months. Those who have followed our journey will know I acquired Aucoot in spring 2024, making this the first full year we can look back on.

While we haven’t deviated much from what I hoped we would be able to accomplish 12 months ago, we have seen the team and brand grow much faster than I could have imagined. Built on a vision to represent exceptional homes differently, we have worked tirelessly to redefine expectations for an agency through a modern, editorial-led approach.

While 2024 felt like the year we were getting up and running, 2025 felt like the year we could show everyone what we could achieve.

Our year started with a move into our new light-filled studio in Canonbury Yard, Islington. It represents a commitment to a part of London I know so well, having spent the past 15 years covering it in some capacity. Full of creative talent, it has become a joyous place to work, and we look forward to sharing more about our recent refurbishment, which is now in its final stages.

As I wrote 12 months ago, it was certainly difficult to project what type of property market we might see in the year ahead. However, one thing I was quietly confident in was that, following the general election, we would see a relatively calm market leading up to the spring, creating a catalyst for moving. So often, a political or economic hurdle faces us in the first part of the year, which tends to raise the handbrake while people wait to see what it may mean for them financially and emotionally.

While market conditions mattered, we were equally focused on building a creative team capable of refining how we tell stories. We believe the homes we sell and feature are more than properties. They reflect our clients’ lives, and the architects and designers they have chosen to work with. Often, the materials used or the furniture within a space carry histories of their own, and these are worth sharing. Through our journal, photography and film, we set out to bring those layers into view. The challenge – and the opportunity – is to consider how a home might be sold through the story it tells.

Our best example of this in 2025 came unexpectedly when, in February, I was called by architectural designer and co-founder of Openhouse magazine, Andrew Trotter. Together with Marcelo Martinez, they had decided to sell their first project together, Casa Soleto. Located in Solento, Puglia, selling a home like this was certainly not on our agenda. However, after speaking with Andrew and discussing how we believed a house like this should be sold, we all agreed it would be a perfect opportunity to showcase what we could accomplish through storytelling, photography and film.

We set to work by meeting Andrew and Marcelo in Puglia, capturing content that we launched to our combined social audiences. Our film received over 100,000 views and enquiries poured in from all over the world. Even though this was a listing in southern Italy, our promise to the client remained the same: we would manage the whole process, ensuring that all viewings were overseen and held by the team. Following a number of planned visits, we agreed a sale in July, completing this landmark transaction in October. It was a highlight of the year to be involved in the sale of such a special home.

Back home, momentum across the business was building nicely as our brand presence grew, as did our team. In May, we promoted Leanne into a sales role, joining me, Dario and Akua. Leanne has worked alongside me for the past 10 years and has always had a passion for sales. As we got busier, it felt natural to transition Leanne into this role, providing her with an opportunity to build on her unique operational experience.

On the creative side, under the stewardship of Charlie, Head of Brand, and Rob, our Head of Creative, we decided it was time to invest further in our editorial output and hire a full-time Creative Editor. After a series of interviews, we were delighted to offer the highly talented Hannah Nixon a role on the team, with a focus on expanding how we communicate with our audience. Our main aim was, and remains, to deliver high-quality content that you feel excited to read or watch. You may notice that more often than not, our newsletters are led with stories rather than properties, giving you interesting and original design-focused stories to discover.

Over the summer, we saw our YouTube channel surpass 500,000 views, highlighting the demand for well-told stories related to the homes we represent. Growing this part of our offering remains a big focus for our creative team in 2026, and we are especially excited about a new film launching on Boxing Day. Be sure to check it out if you get the chance.

Further highlights included listing The Old Byre on the Isle of Wight, a three-times RIBA award-winning project, alongside Greenview and Butterfield House – both architect-led, award-winning self-builds that further reinforced our position in this space. While all unique in their own style, these homes shared one thing in common: a dedication to thermal responsibility. As demand for sustainable homes grows, we have enjoyed becoming experts in homes that have a positive environmental impact.

In the autumn, for the second year running, we partnered with Open House Festival – this time sponsoring the Remarkable Homes collection – while also hosting an event in collaboration with Concrete Communities at the Atelier Ellis studio. Moderated by Leanne Cloudsdale, the panel – myself, Cassandra Ellis, Soroush Pourhashemi and Irenie Cossey – explored the question: What makes a remarkable home? It’s a theme we’ve returned to time and again throughout the year.

As we review the year in full, the trend that has underpinned our success is the increasing demand for beautiful, turnkey homes. With renovation costs continuing to rise, we have seen many turn to fully renovated homes for reassurance. While there will always be those who love the thought of a renovation, there is now much more focus on finding homes that require very little structural work.

Looking ahead, there is much to share. In January, we will be welcoming new members to our team, bringing us to 10 across sales and creative. We will be introducing these additions on Instagram over the course of the month. A new-look website is also on its way, including an International page designed to showcase our work further afield.

It just leaves me with the pleasure of wishing you all a very Merry Christmas. I hope our paths have an opportunity to cross in 2026.

Dan