Agencies & People
News covering the businesses, activities, people and personalities in estate agency and letting agency and wider residential property industry.
-
Exclusive: Howsy buys Upad out of liquidation and re-employs staff
Howsy CEO Calum Brannan says the Upad brand and website will be operated as a complementary business and that the acquisition includes Upad's landlord database.
Read More » -
Online estate agent convicted of £5,000 fraud
Online estate agent Claire Louise Ainsworth has been convicted of fraud totalling £5,000 in her absence after failing to turn up to court. The online agency she runs is based in the Lancashire town of Oswaldtwistle and redirects its website to Rightmove microsite where it lists nearly 60 properties, and has sponsored several local events in the past. The 35-year-old was accused of fraud by false representation after pocketing £5,000 while brokering a house sale, a charge her legal representative says she denies. The hearing at Blackburn Magistrates Court (pictured, above) heard that Ainsworth told the vendor of a property that an offer of £80,000 had been received, but told the prospective purchaser the asking price was £85,000 and, when the sale went through, she took the £5,000 difference for herself. The court heard also heard that she told the buyer to pay £80,000 online to the vendor’s solicitor and £5,000 in cash to herself. After hearing evidence and representations from her defence and the prosecution, magistrates have now convicted of the fraud and she will be sentenced at a later date. Ainsworth did not turn up to the hearing. Paolo Passerini, defending, said on the day of the trial…
Read More » -
Young estate agent reveals some naked ambition with unusual promotion idea
Liam Stanbridge and his colleagues at Brock Taylor are to bare all for a naked calendar promoting local businesses in and around Horsham in West Sussex.
Read More » -
Trustpilot reveals how its ‘star rating’ system really works for agents
It has been revealed that estate agents who use Trustpilot to promote their businesses can ‘game’ the platform because the reviews company gives newer customer reviews greater weight when awarding an overall ‘out of five’ score. The policy has been revealed by the Advertising Standards Authority during its investigation into the new eMoov, which has been using links to its Trustpilot page to promote the business. Out of the 2,179 reviews on its Trustpilot page, only 80 have come from clients dealt with by the new incarnation of the online agent, while the rest were generated while it was operated by eMoov Ltd, which is currently in administration. The ASA has told a complainant about the use of old reviews that it has held ‘detailed talks’ with both Trustpilot and the agency. Aggregate score During these talks over the past six weeks, the ASA was told that the overall aggregate score award by Trustpilot was influenced unduly by the most recent reviews, rather than older ones. ”We are therefore satisfied that there is not a source of concern here at the moment and so we are not investigating this further,” the ASA has said. But the complainant, Andrew Stanton, has…
Read More » -
Estate agencies facing worst recruitment shortages ‘in a generation’
Anthony Hesse, MD of leading recruitment firm Property Personnel says candidates face more choice, and agencies need to expand talent pool.
Read More » -
Why do so few online agents make any profit?
A traditional cold-start agency can attain profit within two years, so why has only a handful of online agencies done it many years after starting up?
Read More » -
Senior Keller Williams director leaves to join Fine & Country
Nicky Stevenson has a long track record in agency and business growth and has been brought on board to help expand the Fine & Country business.
Read More » -
Agency buys up lettings rival despite ‘most challenging times’ following tenant fees ban
Portsmouth firm Bernards recently opened a fourth branch and has now acquired The Flat Agency including its management portfolio, two directors and one member of staff.
Read More » -
Too many negotiators ‘hide behind emails’
A senior and experienced estate agent has backed the traditional estate agency model, claiming that the high street is not doomed, technology is only useful when it frees up negotiators to spend more times with clients, and that newspaper advertising remains a useful marketing tool. Gavin Human (pictured, above) has joined Cambrdige firm Hockeys as an associate partner after a career at several high-profile agency names including Connells, Fine & Country and, most recently, at Countrywide brand Tucker Gardner. Human joins 130-year-old Hockeys at its new branch on Mill Road in Cambridge. “I truly and honestly believe that by using traditional estate agency methods mixed with modern technology and implemented by a fantastic hard working team, Hockeys will prove that not all estate agents are the same,” he says. Technology “I don’t believe a modern estate agent needs to be in an office all day, particularly with the technology that we’ve got,” he says. “However, I still think that it’s really important to support the local high street, and to be actively involved in the local community, being the local property expert on your door step.” Human also says that despite all the tech available to estate agents, nothing beats…
Read More » -
Property predictions: will 2020 be a ‘Boris bounce’ year?
2020 is starting with bags of optimism following the General Election. But does it point to a 'turning point' year for property?
Read More »
