Rightmove branch numbers dip, but is it too late for agent campaigners?
Big falls that #SayNoToRightmove groups had been hoping for following portal's re-instatement of full fees has yet to materialise, latest research shows.
Agents who are members of – or have sympathy with – the ‘SayNoToRightmove’ campaign will be buoyed by the latest branch total figures taken from the Rightmove.
Latest figures from live feeds from the portal compiled by Richard Dixon of The Yorkshire Property Guide for The Negotiator reveal that the portal’s estate agency count has increased by 23 branches over the past month.
The decrease will be succour for the four SayNoToRightmove groups and their efforts to persuade more agents to quit the portal, and the funds and time they have committed to organise the campaign.
But it’s not the significant increase that many had hoped for – and represents less than 1% of Rightmove’s total customers count.
This decrease in branches is largely down to a handful of counties which have seen reductions.
These include Essex (-6), Gloucestershire (-4), Herefordshire (-6), Lancashire (-4) and South Wales.
“These Rightmove figures are depressing because they show an industry that is utterly addicted to, and dependent upon, this website,” says Dixon (left).
“Challenger portals such as Boomin solve nothing – knowing Rightmove as we do, they will counteract its launch with is a massive publicity campaign to reach the end user.
“They know they must keep the general public on side to win any battle; but they’ve got the money to do it.”
But the reason for the reductions aren’t recorded – and may include both agents quitting the portal but also those closing down or selling up to a rival.
Read the Yorkshire Property Guide.
My biggest concern at present is Zillow’s September pivot, yes it is not really a portal, more a Star Wars Death star hoovering up all the processes in the residential ecosystem, but until recently it was benign towards agents or realtors. Now its model is we will sell the properties on our property ‘coat-hangers’ ourselves, bye bye agents.
So the question is which portal will turn from gamekeeper – our business is based on agents, to poacher – our business is based upon the general public listing on our brand and we will circumvent the agents.
Yes Rightmove is the opiate addiction of many an agent, but it is the evolving models of portals and platforms which will be the real battleground of the next three years, with technology doubling in reach every year, far outsripping a 2001 legacy model portal based on twenty year old thinking.
Agents still have the chance to support the only 100% owned and controlled platform, PropertyMutual.com, instead of falling under the spell of another investor run and ultimately controlled portal…
Seems Im not the only one….
Quote from a FB page today
“A bit slow on the up take here, but Jesus Christ! I’ve just notice rightmove have put their rates back up to normal since last month with no warning!!
Come on guys now is the time for war. We
Need this whole group to say today that you put the rates back to where they were or we give you notice today. Enough is enough. After all, what’s this group for?
Pointless us all saying we’d leave if the rates go up and then don’t.
I’m getting on the phone to them today and saying just that. If we all do it today we will get results, so who’s got the balls?
Some how I don’t think half of you on here will which is pointless having this site and means rightmove win. 🙈
19years I’ve been paying these arse holes and this is how they treat us.”
If agents had any sense, they’d ditch all “bot ons” and that would take 30% straight off their bottom line! wake up.
Lets see what happens when the next invoices drop on the mat during the next lockdown!