Unfortunately, our experience with Starkings & Watson, Poringland, was extremely disappointing. We instructed them on 6 March 2026 under a 20-week sole agency agreement and relied on their professional advice regarding valuation, marketing and sales strategy. The property was initially marketed at £725,000 on their recommendation. When interest failed to materialise, we were advised to reduce to £700,000 and then £675,000, with the expectation that this would generate more interest and viewings. We followed that advice in good faith and reduced the asking price by £50,000. Despite this, after approximately 14 weeks we had received only two viewings and no offers. Our concern is not that the property failed to sell. No estate agent can guarantee a sale. Our concern is the level of communication, buyer qualification and overall management of the instruction. Much of the information we received consisted of online portal statistics showing how many people had viewed the listing. What we repeatedly asked for was meaningful analysis. How many were genuine buyers? How many were contacted? Why were people not booking viewings? Was the issue price, presentation, competition or something else? We never felt these questions were properly answered. We also made it clear that our preference was to accommodate viewers who had already sold, were sold subject to contract, or were actively on the market. On more than one occasion, prospective viewings appeared to involve individuals who were simply considering selling or looking around before listing their own property. When we challenged this and cancelled unsuitable appointments, the response from the office was noticeably negative. The feedback from the two viewings also raised concerns. One viewer wanted space to keep chickens and a larger garden. Another felt the property was overlooked. Both issues were apparent from the marketing materials and, in our view, should have been identified during the qualification process before viewings were arranged. As our concerns grew, we attended a meeting on 11 June 2026 to discuss the lack of progress and explore an early termination of the agreement. We left feeling even more frustrated. Despite raising concerns about communication, follow-up activity and buyer qualification, we were informed that we would not be released from the contract. We have since instructed that the property be removed from the market, yet remain tied into the agreement until the end of July. One final concern arose when collecting our keys. We observed keys being stored in an open basket within the office and labelled with property addresses rather than anonymous reference codes. As homeowners, this raised concerns regarding key security. The most disappointing aspect is the feeling that valuable time has been lost. Having followed the agency's advice, reduced the asking price by £50,000 and allowed them to lead the process, we reached the summer market with only two viewings and no meaningful progress. Based on our experience, we would not instruct Starkings & Watson again and would not recommend them to friends, family or other homeowners considering selling their property.