Agencies & People
News covering the businesses, activities, people and personalities in estate agency and letting agency and wider residential property industry.
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US giant Keller Williams launches in UK high streets
A fresh wave of competition is set to hit the UK’s high street estate agents as US giant Keller Williams opens two offices in the UK. Following another year of growth, productivity and profitability gains in 2014, Keller Williams now claims to be the largest real estate franchise by agent count in the world. The Austin, Texas-based company added a net gain of 17,000 associates in 2014, increasing its worldwide associate count to more than 112,000, and now it has its eyes firmly set on further expansion by opening an office in London and another in Leeds over the next fortnight. “We’re number one and we’ve just begun,” co-founder and Chairman Gary Keller (left) said. “Keller Williams truly is a company built by agents for agents,” he added. “We’re all agents. And we share the same mindset, values and vision.” Franchising of estate agents has long been big business in the US, but it is now growing increasingly popular here in the UK, as a growing number of national and international firms view the franchising route as the best possible way to expand their own businesses in the UK. Century 21, is another American real estate agent franchise company that…
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Sellers warned to beware of agents who list homes on OTM
Homeowners who want to sell their properties could miss out on potential buyers, as thousands of estate agents continue to stop listing homes on either Rightmove or Zoopla, as a result of OnTheMarket.com’s (OTM) ‘one other portal’ rule requiring their member agents to stop advertising on either website, Zoopla has warned. Various agents have in recent weeks stopped listing properties with Rightmove, but it is Zoopla that has been most affected by the new OnTheMarket website, with a larger share of agents opting to cancel their subscriptions to Zoopla, in accordance with OnTheMarket.com’s strategy. Ian Springett (left), Chief Executive of OnTheMarket.com, in a press conference recently, said that OnTheMarket “want to keep growing” and get to the “number two position” in the portals market “as quickly as possible” and at the expense of Zoopla. But by preventing their member agents’ from listing homes on both Rightmove and Zoopla, which between them get more than 100 million hits a month, Zoopla argues that OTM is restricting consumer choice and the potential market reach of those vendors and landlords trying to find buyers or tenants for their properties. Lawrence Hall (right) of Zoopla said, “Marketing a property as widely as possible is…
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Connells eyes ambitious growth strategy
Connells plan to open as many as 75 new lettings branches in 2015, as part of the firm’s ambitious expansion plans, having already enjoyed an exceptional year of growth in 2014. Connells Group’s multi-million pound lettings expansion programme continued to gain momentum last year after achieving a total of 68 new lettings branch openings and a growing number of lettings acquisitions in what continues to be one of the largest lettings expansion projects ever undertaken by a UK agency. “2014 was an exceptional year of growth for the Connells lettings business and 2015 shows no sign of slowing down,” said Stephen Nation (left), the Group’s Lettings Managing Director. “We had a record number of new branch openings, both in existing and new locations, achieved key acquisitions with a good geographical spread and appointed Mark Chatterton as Corporate Lettings Director to lead our growth. Our aim for 2015 is to continue this rapid expansion plan with a further 75 new lettings branches added to our local branch network.” Testimony to the Group’s already strong presence in the lettings market, Connells Group Lettings recorded a 20 per cent rise in the number of homes to let coming onto the market and a…
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Romans acquires Drummonds
The Romans Group last week announced another significant step in its expansion strategy with the acquisition of Drummonds in Caversham. Expanding its portfolio of estate and letting agencies has been high on the agenda for the Romans Group with seven successful acquisitions already under its belt over the past year or so and a £12 million finance facility from its bankers available for more business purchases. “Romans’ recent growth and ongoing success made it clear to me that this would be a smooth move that would really benefit my clients,” said John Grimes, Founder of Drummonds. “Their experience in the local market place really stood out to me and I know everyone will value the state of the art facilities and extensive advertising campaigns Romans offer from their Caversham branch.” The Caversham-based agency is now fully-incorporated into the Romans Caversham branch which has been established in the town since 2009. Many of the agents have worked in Caversham for over a decade and have vast knowledge of the local property market. As all acquired agencies, the team at Drummonds will now benefit from investment in Information Technology, training, intensive marketing and the numerous services also available to customers on top…
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Agents’ Mutual’s ‘one other portal’ continues to have an impact
Agents’ Mutual, the collective of estate agents launching a challenger property portal, OnTheMarket.com, with a view to breaking the so-called duopoly held by Rightmove and Zoopla continues to have an effect on the market with its ‘one other portal’ rule requiring their member agents to stop advertising on either Rightmove or Zoopla, despite the fact that the website does not launch until Monday 26th January 2015. In the past few days Chestertons has announced that that they will no longer be listing properties with Rightmove, while CKD Galbraith will be leaving the Zoopla Property Group (ZPG). Chestertons, a founding member of Agents’ Mutual, last week announced that it will be advertising on the Zoopla and Prime Location websites from January. It is widely acknowledged amongst the industry that Zoopla and its premium PrimeLocation website has taken substantial market share and is now the strongest performer in London. This is one of the main reasons for Chestertons choosing Zoopla Property Group. Robert Bartlett (left), CEO of Chestertons and a Founding Director of Agents’ Mutual said: “We have looked carefully at data collated over the past 12 months and the numbers clearly show that our properties get more views and our clients…
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Agents announce major acquisitions
Carter Jonas has announced that it has agreed a deal to buy the New Square Holdings Group comprising two Cambridge based property companies, while Brown and Merry, which is part of the Sequence UK network, has acquired Berkhamsted and Chesham based independent estate agent, Adrian Cole & Partners. Carter Jonas’ acquisition of Januarys, the commercial and planning consultants, and residential sales and lettings agency, Bradshaws, will be effective from 30 January 2015, and will increase Carter Jonas’ team of property specialists based in Cambridge to 80. Over the coming months, the various business streams of the two firms will combine to produce a multi-disciplinary property consultancy, covering the eastern region with offices in: Cambridge, Bury St. Edmunds, Peterborough, Long Melford and Northampton. Mark Granger (left), Chief Executive, Carter Jonas, commented: “The acquisition of Januarys and Bradshaws continues the growth of our presence in the eastern region that has included other purchases in the last few years, namely Jeffersons Commercial, and the rural business, HW Dean. It is very much in line with our national strategy.” This latest deal follows a series of recent acquisitions by Carter Jonas including Sullivan Thomas, the residential business based in Fulham, Parsons Green and Wandsworth;…
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Hunters continues expansion
Hunters continued its rapid expansion in 2014, with no fewer than 37 new branch openings for the year. Hunters’ offices opened their doors across the country in counties including Greater London, West Midlands, County Durham, Berkshire, Suffolk, Herefordshire, Wiltshire and Lincolnshire. Having opened its first branch 22 years ago in York, Hunters, one of the UK’s fastest growing independent franchised estate agency groups, now has close to 130 branches nationwide. The expansion is set to continue this year with plans already in place to open offices in Oldham, Dewsbury, Amersham, Chesham, Leighton Buzzard and Forest Hill during the first quarter and further 50 openings to follow over the year in locations including Hackney, Dartford, Twickenham, Edgware and the Wirral among others. Kevin Hollinrake |(left), Managing Director and Hunters Founder, said: “Network growth is at an all-time high, with no other agency growing at the speed we are. These office openings are designed to complement our existing network. However, it is not just about being the biggest estate agency; it is about being the best. I believe that much of our success lies in our infrastructure – our independently owned franchised branches are run by business owners who are experts in…
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American realtors – the same as us… but different
We Brits often look cynically at the way USA estate agents work. American Realtors go to great lengths to deliver extraordinary customer service, yet some of the initiatives employed might be regarded by some as cheesy or outdated. I wanted to investigate whether the latest techniques and concepts used by agents across the pond might be usefully employed in the UK – the National Association of Realtors annual conference was the place to find out. NAR, the largest estate agency trade show in the world, is inevitably focused on the US market. Nevertheless I spotted a handful of progressive British agents there. Interestingly these tend to be agents who are successful here, in part due to their open-minded approach to embracing ideas they see working overseas (eg Newmans, Sarah Mains, Robinson Jackson, Martyn Gerrard and suppliers such as Reapit) and they continually research new approaches to differentiate themselves. The four-day event, in a 1.1m sqft venue with 400 exhibitors, attracts 20,000 delegates attending seminars presented by over 200 speakers, including astronaut Capt. Mark Kelly and former US President Bill Clinton. There is clearly an appetite for personal development and the best attended seminars were those by high profile trainers such…
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‘Under Offer: Estate Agents On The Job’ hits the screens
A NEW SHOW for BBC Two will unlock the doors to the estate agency profession by giving viewers exclusive access to the working lives of 11 estate agents from across the whole country as they help their clients in their efforts to become home owners. Under Offer: Estate Agents On The Job, a new six-part weekly series, airs this week, and will feature a wide range of personalities working within the estate agency sector, all sharing the same goal: to get their clients what they want. This major new series follows the highs and lows of the people that broker property purchases, with the various fortunes of estate agents across the UK put in the spotlight. Estate agent to the wealthy, Gary Hersham, operates in some of the UK’s most expensive postcodes. His latest instruction, a £39 million town-house complete with eight-bathrooms, private gym and cinema, is up for grabs in Mayfair W1 – the heart of prime central London. It is a very different world for Lynne Blaney in Spennymoor, County Durham – where houses start at auction for £1. Exeter, Devon, one of the UK’s most desirable places to live, sees rookie estate agent Lewis Rossiter juggling two deadlines…
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New year… New job?
As midnight approached and the final minutes of 2013 ticked away, what did you pledge to achieve in 2014? Whether it was losing weight, joining the gym or giving up smoking, many people aim to make a fresh start when the clocks strike on the 31st December. In addition to some of these most popular New Year’s resolutions, many people will have vowed to improve their professional lives this year by finding a new job that better suits their career ambitions and salary dreams or expectations. Thankfully, especially for those seeking a job-related change, unemployment is falling, with the latest figures showing that it declined from 7.8 per cent in the second quarter of 2013 to 7.6 per cent in the three months to the end of September – its lowest level in four years. 40% of all agency jobs are now filled by rookies or trainees as there aren’t enough experienced staff. The latest data from the O nce for National Statistics showed that the recovery in the economy generated a significant increase in job creation during the summer with an extra 177,000 people in work. The UK’s increasing population means that a record number of people – 29.95 million – are currently in work with the employment rate now lower than it was before the severe recession of…
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