An estate agent in Lancashire has reported Purplebricks customers contacting his agency worried that its recent ‘for sale’ announcement may affect their house moves.

Michael Bailey (main picture), who runs his eponymous estate agency in Preston, has told local media that he’s been contacted by vendors already signed up to use Purplebricks and paid an up-front fee who are perplexed by news that the hybrid agency is seeking a buyer.

The online estate agency hung its own For Sale board up after the publicly-listed firm issued a profits warning and said a strategic review could result in the sale of the company after instructions had taken a nosedive.

Somewhat generously, Bailey told the Lancashire Post that: “Some sellers are understandably jittery about the news that Purplebricks…may not honour their commitments.

“At this stage, I think that looks unlikely. Anyone that’s already got their property up for sale with Purplebricks should be fine, the review they’re having carried out, and any potential sale of the business that might lead to, isn’t going to happen overnight.

My advice is to contact Purplebricks and just seek a written assurance that they will continue to use their best endeavours to market all homes they currently have listed for sale.”

Echoing many traditional agents’ views on the hybrid firm, Bailey said Purplebricks’ problems stem from its over-reliance on technology and apps to deal with customers in comparison to traditional agents who prefer the ‘person to person’ approach.

“For people that don’t sell or negotiate house sales every day, [only communicating via apps] can be extremely stressful, and this is what consumers remember,” adds Bailey, whose agency is part of the Keller Williams network.

Picture credit: Michael Bailey.