At Starkings & Watson, we’ve always believed that property is personal – and that local knowledge isn’t a ‘nice to have’, it’s essential. That belief sits at the heart of our Hyper Local approach.

Rather than covering vast areas from a single office, we operate from a number of smaller, strategically placed locations – where we see high levels of clients walking into our branch. Each office looks after dedicated postcode areas, meaning our teams live and breathe the streets, schools, pricing trends and buyer behaviour of the communities they serve. It ensures every valuation is informed, every conversation is relevant, and every piece of advice is rooted in real local insight – not guesswork.

This approach is becoming increasingly important. Recent data from comparison website reallymoving highlights a clear shift in homeowner behaviour. The median distance people moved in 2025 fell to just 10 miles, down from 12 miles in 2024 and 15 miles in 2023. In simple terms, people are staying closer to home.

When buyers and sellers are moving shorter distances, local expertise becomes even more valuable. Knowing which roads outperform, where demand is strongest, and how micro-markets behave can be the difference between a property sitting on the market or selling swiftly at the right price.

Alongside our local offices sits our HUB, offering a modern Hybrid Estate Agency experience for those large scale areas which don’t see the local traffic. This combines on-the-ground, hyper-local knowledge with centralised support, cutting-edge marketing and consistent communication. The result is the best of both worlds: a familiar local agent backed by the strength, systems and scale of a wider team.

As the market continues to evolve, one thing remains clear: people trust local professionals who truly understand their area. Our Hyper Local model isn’t a trend – it’s a response to how people actually move, buy and sell today.

If you’re thinking of selling or letting, working with an agent who knows your postcode inside out has never mattered more.