Why Every Estate Agency Needs Its Own Luke Skywalker*

*(Even Under Emperor David Lench — Who Had a Real Light Side)

There comes a point in every career where you stop measuring progress by job titles and start understanding the value of the journey — the leaders who shaped you, the systems you grew within, the challenges you learned from, and the wider galaxy of experience you gathered along the way.

People sometimes joke that I’m the “Luke Skywalker of Arun Estates.”
Not because I own a lightsaber (still working on that), but because the arc fits: born into the lineage, trained inside the system, expanded into the wider galaxy, and now carrying the balance and perspective that only time, experience and evolution can provide.

And every Luke Skywalker has an Emperor.
At Arun Estates, that role — affectionately — sat with David Lench.

But unlike the fictional Emperor, David had a very real light side.

Property in My Blood — and My Family

Property isn’t something I trained into.
It’s something I was raised within.

Many in the industry know my dad, Paul Rooney, and I helped my brother Julian and his partner Rob in the early days of building Thakeham Homes, long before it became the respected housebuilder it is today.

For us, property wasn’t a job.
It was the family ecosystem.

Training Inside the Empire (2005–2019)

I spent 14 years at Arun Estates — my professional Jedi Academy.

I learned estate agency from the inside out:

• Brand & marketing

• Sales & lettings

• Mortgages

• Customer experience

• Compliance

• Digital transformation

• Territory & branch acquisition strategy

It was a disciplined, high-expectation environment where you didn’t just work — you developed.

Steering the organisation was David Lench — the “Emperor” of the business in the warmest, most tongue-in-cheek sense.

But unlike the cinematic version, David led with charity, people and community:

• Wards Children’s Charity

• The Rooney Foundation

• Staff and community support initiatives

And in a reference letter I rediscovered recently, he wrote:

“I wish Duncan could spread his wings and fly.”

That line didn’t represent an ending — it represented an evolution.

Expanding the Galaxy — and Learning to Fly My X-wing

My career didn’t “leave” property.
It expanded across the property and PropTech universe.

That journey took me through:

• FocalAgent — understanding the digital asset and operational engine behind modern agency

• Pass the Keys — gaining deep experience in franchising, landlord acquisition and marketplace models

• And now Homesty, where I am actively leading and building
  a go-to-market strategy, brand, CRM and digital acquisition engine from the ground up — aka my X-wing.

Homesty has been the place where everything I learned from the Empire could evolve:
fast-moving, innovative, and demanding of a different type of leadership.

The X-wing is still flying.
The wings are very much open.

Balance: What Today’s Agencies Actually Need

The power of a “Luke” figure isn’t rebellion or obedience —
it’s balance.

Someone who understands both worlds:

• Traditional offline acquisition and digital funnels

• Door letters and CRM automation

• Valuations and paid media

• Mortgages and brand strategy

• Branch operations and performance marketing

• Culture and commercial growth

• Customer trust and efficiency

• The old ways and the future of the industry

Most agencies skew one way or the other.
Very few have the ability — or the leadership range — to connect both sides of the Force.

Why This Matters in Today’s Market

The industry is facing:

• Lower instruction volumes

• Higher landlord expectations

• Rising acquisition costs

• Broken customer journeys

• Tech debt and legacy systems

• Local competition intensifying

• Brand sameness

• Team fatigue

• Changing consumer expectations

What agencies need is not another siloed specialist,
but someone who can unify:

• Valuation & landlord acquisition

• Offline + organic + digital growth

• CRM and customer journey improvements

• Brand trust & consistency

• Operational clarity

• Mortgage pipeline consistency

• Branch & territory expansion

• Vision, mission and meaning

Someone who sees the whole board — not just one square.

Final Thought: Your Business Might Need a Luke

The “Empire” of Arun Estates built strong leaders.
David Lench’s combination of commercial discipline, charity, humanity and encouragement shaped many of us — and his wish for me to “spread my wings and fly” was never about leaving anything behind.
It was about expanding perspective.

Today’s market needs that perspective more than ever.

Your business might not need an emperor.
Or a rebel.

But it may well need a Luke — someone who understands the Force from every angle, knows how to bring balance to the system, and understands brand, customer and performance to convert.

If you’d like a conversation, a second pair of eyes, or help shaping your direction, I’m always open.

duncanrooney.com

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