hybrid estate agents
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Latest property news
Has a plucky plumber put some hybrid estate agent business models in doubt?
A plumber who took 'employer' to court over his entitlement to holiday and sick pay may trigger a rethink at many hybrid estate agent headquarters.
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Latest property news
Hybrid estate agents – if you can’t beat ’em, might as well join ’em?
A new deal between Reapit and OneDome now enables agents to give their customers a Purplebricks-style hybrid estate agent service.
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Latest property news
Countrywide to refashion hybrid offering and beef up lettings
Countrywide’s plan to turn its business around has been revealed, including the company’s intention to relaunch its hybrid online offering. As part of its ‘back to basics’ plan, the company also says it intends to begin recruiting again at a local level and wants to revive its lettings business. “We are focused on restoring lettings capability back at regional, area and branch level and in our customer service centres,” the company says. “We believe that continued growth in the rentals market provides huge opportunity for operators who deliver the highest levels of compliance and service to landlords and tenants.” Other changes include plans to decentralise its operations, give branches more information to help them measure their performance against local competitors and relaunch its ‘hybrid’ online offering. Online players “Previous management believed that it too should offer a digital fixed fee proposition in order to compete with the online players,” the company says. “The resulting hybrid digital fee proposition, however, led to confusion for our customers who expected to receive a full service at a reduced fee.” The other key new focus for Countrywide will be to restore its revenue pipeline of ancillary income from services such as conveyancing and mortgages,…
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Latest property news
Online and hybrid estate agents are ‘good for the industry’, says Andrews boss
The industry should recognise that online and hybrid estate agents are a “positive threat” and the traditional agents who carry on regardless won’t survive. That’s the view of David Westgate, the Chief Executive of Andrews Property Group (pictured, standing left), who says online competition is good because it’s “shaking us all up a bit and forcing us to think dynamically about how we move our businesses forward,” he says. “It’s a threat, but it’s a positive one that enables us to get sharper and focus on what our customers’ needs are. For me, it’s about how Andrews responds to this ‘threat’.” David, who recently received a long-service award to mark his 20 years at the firm, has overseen the introduction of an app (pictured, below) for its customers to help them manage viewings and review offers which, he says, already has 2,700 ‘live’ vendors. “We recognise that a lot of customers haven’t got the time to, or just don’t want to, talk to us directly so that’s why we developed the app,” he says. “The first thing is to define what the customer wants, then launch a service to match that through the appropriate channels. “If someone wants to come…
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Features
Will all agents be hybrid soon?
How far will you go down the digital route to hybrid estate agency? Andrea Kirkby’s research indicates seismic change is coming.
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Guest Blogs
Can smaller agents take on the hybrid agent big hitters?
After watching the recent Haye vs Bellew Heavyweight boxing fight, it became to me clear that bigger isn’t always better when it comes to the hybrid agent. During my time working agency side, I gained first-hand experience of the shift in customer expectations. Unrivalled customer service is imperative but now it needs to be coupled with a reduced and fixed price tag. This has brought about the rise of the online-only and hybrid agent. We’ve seen an exciting couple of weeks in this space. Countrywide, the heavyweight champion, has now tested its hybrid offering and continues to roll it out. LSL, the contender, is hot on Countrywide’s heels, declaring its interest in the online/hybrid market and hinting at revealing its hand shortly. In the Purple corner… deep pockets and the ‘commisery’ (or ‘commisery TM’ we hasten to add) led campaign has helped Purplebricks secure a stake in the UK market and embark on Australian and soon American adventures. It’s advertising succeeding in two things, raising awareness of the brand and educating the public on a fixed fee service backed by a convenient consumer facing dashboard. Three heavyweights These three heavyweights are slowly lining up knock out blows. How can a…
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