Agencies & People
News covering the businesses, activities, people and personalities in estate agency and letting agency and wider residential property industry.
-
Thousands of online viewers watch agent’s spoof John Lewis Xmas TV ad
A video parodying this year’s John Lewis Xmas TV ad featuring a young boy and a monster living under his bed has now been watched by 10,000 people and attracted over 200 likes on Facebook. Helmores, which is based in the town of Crediton north of Exeter and claims a heritage reaching back to 1699, filmed its own version of the high street retailer’s advertisement almost scene for scene. Instead of a small boy it’s a George, a 40-year-old office worker and rather than a monster, it’s Ian the friendly estate agent. And as in the John Lewis original, George and Ian then go on to spend each night in George’s bedroom playing Scaletrix with his ‘estate agent’ and subsequently falling asleep during the day – at work, playing football and having his hair cut. The situation is resolved when what appears to be the man’s wife gives him a set of keys with a Helmores call card tied to it – and ends with the tagline ‘Moving home doesn’t need to be scary’. The budget version of the £7m John Lewis ad was completed on a “very small budget” in just a week by the Cornish estate agent, which…
Read More » -
Purplebricks Australia boss cashes in shares worth £146,000
The CEO of Purplebricks Australia has cashed in shares worth £146,000 after exercising his share options in the company, it has been revealed, just after the one-year anniversary of the country launch. Ryan Dinsdale (pictured, right), who joined Purplebricks in June 2016 following time spent at Virgin Money, Telstra and an online broker in Australia, has led the Purplebricks operation in Oz to recent success including, so far, sales totalling property worth $1 billion AUS. His team earlier this week reported revenues of £6.8 million and a gross profit of £3.6 million, and an average income per instruction of $5,282 AUD. He has also increased the number of Local Property Experts working for Purplebricks in Australia to 105, the company’s latest interim trading statement says. Austrian market share It also says that Australia has been more successful than the UK by one measure – market share – which is now higher than the UK 74% of the online market. At the same time Ryan sold his shares, Purplebricks revealed that a further 1.17 million ordinary share options have been exercised by “certain employees”, indicating that some original founding but non director-level staff at the company have also cashed in shares…
Read More » -
Italy Sotherby’s International Realty launches in Sardinia
Italy Sotheby’s International Realty, has launched its first office in Sardinia.
Read More » -
Independent estate agent challenged over speed-of-sale claims
Independent estate agent Curchods has got into hot water with the advertising watchdog over two direct mailshots it sent out recently. In both the mailshots the company, which has its headquarters in West Horsley and operates 21 branches across Surrey, made claims about how fast it could sell properties and exchange contracts, and also the total value of its property sales over the past 12 months. But a single complainant – presumably a local competitor – challenged whether theses claims could be substantiated, and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) approached Curchods – which is owned by parent company Simpsons Estate Agents Ltd – to investigate. Curchods, which is one of Surrey’s oldest estate agent brands with a history stretching back 75 years, agreed to withdraw the marketing material containing the claims about average speed of contract exchange. Also, the company agreed to insert qualifications into other material about the number of sales per hour it achieves and was able to prove to the ASA the number of sales it had made over the past year. On this basis, the ASA says the complaint was informally resolved. Brexit worries Curchods’ parent company Simpson Estate Agents bought the sales operation of local…
Read More » -
IAM Sold partners with Fine & Country
The outsourced auction management provider, IAM Sold is now working with the UK network of Fine & Country.
Read More » -
Andrews hires former Waitrose MD as new Group Chairman
It’s all change at the top of Andrews Property Group after it was announced that Group Chairman Jim Glover (pictured, middle) is to stand down with immediate effect and will be succeeded by Steven Esom (pictured, right). Unusually, Esom does not have a property background and instead comes with a career in the retail sector, notably at Sainsburys, Marks & Spencer and Waitrose where he was Managing Director. “Andrews Property Group stands out within the property sector as a firm built on integrity and deeply-held values,” he says. “This makes it a both unique and interesting company to join and I’m very much looking forward to bringing my skills and experience to play with the entire Andrews’ team.” Jim has done much of the preparatory work of Steven, transforming Andrews over the six years he’s held the chairmanship. This has included developing a strategy for the charity-focussed business, rebranding its logo and other corporate visuals and bringing David Westgate (pictured, left) on as Group CEO. Queen and county Jim Glover is not remaining in the industry and will be instead be representing the Queen in Surrey as its new High Sheriff. “Andrews has gone through a huge period of transition…
Read More » -
allAgents reinstates ‘majority’ of negative Purplebricks reviews after negotiations break down
Reviews website allAgents has reinstated Purplebricks’ reviews on its site including “the majority” of the negative ones and half of the questionable ‘five-star’ postings that sparked a two-month spat between the two organisations. allAgents says it has not reposted half of the ‘five star’ reviews after the people who originally wrote them failed to respond to checks by the reviews website’s team, and that it will in future only be accepting reviews from vendors who have sold their homes via Purplebricks or “withdrawn from the agreement with Purplebricks”. “We will continue not to allow duplicate postings by the same client for the same transaction. This will give a more complete picture of Purplebricks’ service, as customers may feel very different at the end of the process, than they do at the pre-sales stage,” says allAgents’ Martin McKenzie. This would appear to end the three-month long dispute between Purplebricks and allAgents, which saw the hybrid agent threaten legal action over 26 negative reviews posted on the agent reviews site. Negative reviews Purplebricks claimed the negative reviews were fake and, after allAgents investigated each one, only three could not be verified as real. A further five were also taken down by allAgents…
Read More » -
Purplebricks revenues in UK more than double
Purplebricks has revealed its interim results for the past six months ending October 31st which include UK revenue up by 118% to £39.9 million and a doubling of its Local Property Expert team to 650. Its overseas operations in Australia and the US are doing well too including revenue of £6.8 million in Oz and “solid progress” in the US where it now has 40 ‘local real estate experts’. But it’s most successful market remains the UK where Purplebricks has increased average revenue per instruction by 14% to £1,138. The UK operation also now claims to have 74% of the hybrid online agency market, with the next largest behind it, Emoov, a minnow by comparison. Online reviews One item sticks out in the results – Purplebricks’ reliance on its controversial listing with Trustpilot, on which it highlights a ‘five-star’ rating in all three markets. No mention is made of its recently-reinstated listings on allAgents. Purplebricks says that once the results are finalised it expects to report revenues of £84 million and £12 million in Australia. “We continue to win UK market share from traditional operators in what is a challenging market and consolidate our leading position with competing digital and…
Read More » -
UK’s largest franchise agency group to become leading mortgage broker
Belvoir is to roll out its recent-acquired mortgage broker business Brook Financial Services across its 300-strong branch network of four brands – Belvoir, Northwood, Goodchilds and Newton Fallowell – in a bid to become one of the high street’s larger agency mortgage brokers. The announcement, which will help reassure City investors following Belvoir’s recent failed attempt to merge with Martin & Co parent company The Property Franchise Group, reveals that the roll-out is beginning with its most sales-focussed brand, Newton Fallowell. It has 39 branches in Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Rutland and Staffordshire and was itself bought by Belvoir in July 2015. Brook, which trades as the Mortgage Advice Bureau and is based in Barnsley at a business park (pictured, above), was bought by Belvoir for £2 million in July this year and its services are now available within 25 of the Newton Fallowell branches, including 17 new ones since Brook was acquired. This, coupled with more business from independent estate agents who use Brook’s services, helped the financial services firm write new business worth £570,000 over the past two months, putting it 40% ahead of its performance last year. “The roll out to the Newton Fallowell offices is underway…
Read More » -
Beauchamp Estates merges with Hanover West End
Beauchamp Estates has merged with boutique agency Hanover West End. Hanover directors Alex Bourne and Richard Douglas remain as directors in the new business.
Read More »