online agencies
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Latest property news
Is there a future for online agents? Howsy CEO makes his case
Calum Brannan says there may be questions over online and hybrid sales agents, but lettings platforms like his have a 'bright future'.
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Features
The demise of the online estate agency sector
‘Happy New Year… As I sit down to write this article, the first one of 2019, the estate agency news magazines, websites, portals and indeed, Twitter, are full of stories about the demise of the online estate agency sector, says Adam Walker, I hate to say ‘I told you so,’ but…”
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Features
Business on the line
Traditional or online? Which agents will win the battle? The lines are blurring, says Andrea Kirkby and it’s service that is key in this changing, challenging market.
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Features
Estate Agency for today … and tomorrow
Is the future of estate agency smaller? Or larger? Is it less ‘tech’ or more? James White, founder of Belong, says we need to appeal to clients who want a better service.
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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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Latest property news
Countrywide’s hybrid rollout
While there’s enormous ‘noise’ around ‘online-only’ and hybrid agents such as Hatched and Purplebricks, Countrywide has been quietly rolling out its online activity across swathes of the UK.
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Our Events
The Negotiator Conference & Expo 15
Opening the event was Brandon Lewis, Minister for Housing and Planning, who said he was delighted to return to talk to us for the second year running, having survived the General Election in between and managed to stay in post as Minister for Housing and Planning. “Housing featured more prominently in the last election campaign than in any other within living memory. We made it clear that increasing supply and home ownership would be a top priority… a fully functioning and efficient housing market is vital for meeting the aspirations of working people and raising the productivity of our country,” he said. The Minister went on to comment on the new Government schemes that have been launched since the election – the Build to Rent Fund; the £10billion Housing Guarantee Scheme; Help to Buy and the Help to Buy ISA. All popular moves with delegates. He emphasised the Government’s intention to support all tenures, saying, “So whoever you are and wherever you live, you can benefit from a home of your own, whether you buy or rent. “While the right to buy and starter homes may have secured the lion’s share of attention since the election, I can assure you…
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Agencies & People
Signs of change
Purplebricks, EasyProperty, Hatched – online agents are snaffling all the headlines, giving the Martian, arriving from space in January, the idea that traditional estate agencies have been consigned to history. Purplebricks says it will float on the AIM market for £230 million, easyProperty has now banked funding totaling £39.25 million and Sequence has paid an undisclosed but ‘significant’ sum to acquire Hatched, saving them the trouble of creating their own ‘online’ brand. Traditional agents need to research the competition and maybe adjust their services to survive – and thrive. The figures are eye-watering; massive faith in unproved businesses, dramatic headlines about how much sellers will save, gleeful predictions of the imminent death of ‘rip-off agents.’ But is it real? Is that nosy house-hunting Martian going to find defunct estate agencies on every high street? Is he going to find thousands of listings for homes on online agency sites? CEO of easyProperty, Rob Ellice, says, “This new, very substantial investment is a significant step for easyProperty; the most widely recognised consumer brand in a very fragmented estate agency market.” However, since the orange fanfare blew 15 months ago, there has been a lot of noise, but when you visit their website,…
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Features
Supermarket Estate Agency – is it a basket case?
Richard Rawlings looks at the practicalities and the problems of supermarket estate agency.
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